Giving back has always mattered to the team at Envelope.
"It's right there in our purpose: working together to make a difference," General Manager Mel Blyde says.
"The Good Registry felt like a natural extension of that. It meant we could gift our staff in a way that let them make a difference too, rather than the gift stopping with them."
They've been using The Good Registry for a long time - for their values awards, team shout-outs, and end-of-year gifting.
Mel says their annual last-day-of-work voucher has become something people genuinely look forward to. "It's less 'here's your Christmas bonus' and more 'here's a chance to end the year doing something good', and that lands differently."
In Envelope’s words
Tell us about Envelope: what do you do and what matters most to you?
Envelope is a multi-discipline engineering consultancy — civil, structural and survey — working for private developers, councils and government agencies, and the communities those projects sit in. Our purpose is simple: working together to make a difference. Our values are short enough to actually hold each other to: we know our stuff, we're a tight team, we make a difference, we're about quality, and we protect our wellbeing.
Before The Good Registry, how did you approach staff recognition?
We've actually been using The Good Registry for a long time now. Before that, and still alongside it, our go-to for recognising staff has been Prezzy Card vouchers, given out through our Bi-Annual Values Awards. But we wanted more than "here's some money, spend it on yourself." We wanted to give our team the option to pay it forward — to turn a moment of recognition into something that made a difference for someone else, not just for them. Good Registry vouchers were the perfect fit for that. And especially as one of our five values is ‘We Make a Difference’.
What led you to The Good Registry and what response have you received?
Giving back has always mattered to us — it's right there in our purpose, working together to make a difference. The Good Registry felt like a natural extension of that. It meant we could gift our staff in a way that let them make a difference too, rather than the gift stopping with them. That combination — recognising someone's work and giving them the chance to do some good with it — was what made us want to give it a try.
A couple of people always stick in my mind. One of our Structural Engineers lights up every time Good Registry gift cards comes around — he's mentioned it more than once. And Alan our founder and Director always gives to the SPCA, which has become a bit of a known thing about him around the office.
But honestly, it's less about one big moment and more a steady stream of warm fuzzies — especially around our annual last-day-of-work voucher, which has become something people genuinely look forward to. It's less "here's your Christmas bonus" and more "here's a chance to end the year doing something good," and that lands differently.
What difference has this way of giving made?
It makes us real. It makes us human. We're not superheroes or brain surgeons — we're just good people trying to do good things, and that comes right back to our values and how we show up day to day. The Good Registry gift cards keep us grounded in that; they check our behaviours and nudge us toward good decisions, not just good work.
It shows up beyond the Bi-Annual Values Awards too. When someone shares positive feedback from a client, or gives a teammate a shout-out on our All Staff channel, they get a choice: a coffee voucher at a local café, or a Good Registry gift card. People take up the Good Registry option — and honestly, that says more about our team than any of us could. It's a small signal that our people love to spread the kudos further than keep a small treat for themselves.
What do you value most, and what would you say to another business?
What we value most is that it's a two-for-one — doing good in the community, and giving our own people a feel-good moment they get to create for someone else, not just receive themselves. If another business is on the fence, I'd say: it's such a simple way to turn recognition into something bigger than the person receiving it. It costs you nothing extra to set up and it changes how a "thank you" feels — for the giver and whoever benefits at the other end.
Good Gift Cards let recipients choose the charity or charities they want to support. Find out more about business giving through The Good Registry.
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