Reminding employees they matter, one signed card at a time, across hybrid teams
Employee engagement is on the downfall worldwide, according to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace: 2026 Report. And the repercussions of it are costing the global economy an estimated $10 trillion in lost productivity. For HR leaders already stretched thin, it's a sobering statistic. For teams navigating hybrid work and the erosion of workplace culture, it's not hard to see why.
The social rituals that once held teams together — the breakroom birthday cake, the farewell drinks, the communal card — don't translate as meaningfully via Slack. Those moments still matter. Unfortunately, for most organizations, the infrastructure to support them isn't there.
GroupTogether was built to address that issue. The digital group card platform empowers anyone, from colleagues, managers and clients to even family members, to sign a card and add a photo/GIF in one place. No company subscription. No IT setup. No hidden upgrades.
It's a tool that brings people together, seamlessly. But, for the team behind GroupTogether, the product was never just about convenience.
“We obsess over the small things, because those are what make a celebration feel like a celebration,” co-founder Ali Linz said. “The layout of the card, the moment you open it, the built-in thank-you note. We've had customers email us saying they 'ugly cried' after reading their card. That's what happens when you use technology to bring people closer, without losing the intentionality of what you’re doing.”
Now, more than 13,000 companies worldwide use GroupTogether as their go-to tool for team celebrations.
As friends and mothers with seven children between them, co-founders Linz and Julie Tylman knew from experience how much effort goes into celebrations. There was always another birthday party, teacher appreciation day or anniversary right around the corner. It was endless, it was exhausting, and it was eating into time they simply didn't have. So instead of accepting the problem, they built a solution.
In 2015, Linz and Tylman initially debuted GroupTogether as a tool for parents to thank their kids’ teachers and sports coaches. Within a few years, it had become Australia's most popular group gifting platform. The concept had proven itself: people wanted a simpler, more connected way to celebrate the moments that matter.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the duo noticed a similar challenge playing out inside companies, particularly as teams shifted to remote and hybrid work. Organizations needed a way to acknowledge birthdays, work anniversaries, baby showers and farewells, but they were getting lost in the details. Linz and Tylman pivoted their strategy to focus on the workplace, and it quickly became their fastest-growing segment.
“GroupTogether is for the people who never forget a colleague's birthday but could use a hand making it happen,” said Tylman. “Someone decides to create a card for a colleague, clicks start, and within minutes they've invited their multinational, interstate or hybrid team to sign a digital group card. That ease is intentional. We want the barrier between the idea and the gesture to be as small as possible.”
The value proposition resonates on two levels for professionals: cultural and operational. Effective engagement programs are consistent, inclusive and low-lift to administer, and GroupTogether delivers on all three.
“The occasions change,” said Linz. “GroupTogether's mission doesn't.”
Beyond traditional milestones like farewells, birthdays and retirements, HR administrative teams are increasingly sending cards to new hires before their first day: a welcome card, signed by the whole team, waiting in someone's inbox when they log on for the first time. In a busy workplace, that's not nothing. It's a signal about the kind of organization they've just joined, and those signals, over time, compound into something called culture.
For the person organizing the card, the experience is designed to be frictionless. Cards support unlimited messages — no awkward taking turns of who gets to sign. People inside or outside the organisation can be invited, which matters when celebrating someone whose network extends well beyond their immediate team. There's one flat fee, no ongoing subscription and real human customer support available if users run into any issues.
For the recipient, the experience is deliberately premium. When a card arrives, their name appears embossed on a digital envelope. Opening it reveals every message — text, photos, GIFs — from the people who signed. The card cover can be customized using GroupTogether's AI magic card cover tool, which generates unlimited unique designs in seconds, or users can choose from a curated library.
“‘Do I matter here? Do people actually like me? Am I valued?’ They're questions most of us carry around, whether we admit it or not,” says Linz. “That's why a farewell card filled with messages or a birthday card signed by your whole team can mean so much. What looks like a small gesture is often something much deeper: reassurance that you've had an impact and that people care.”
Whether it's a colleague's last day, a teacher's retirement or a friend's new baby, GroupTogether exists to make sure the people worth celebrating actually feel it. In a world that keeps finding new ways to move faster and care less, they're building something that moves with intention and brings people along with it.
GroupTogether is the easiest way to create a group card online. Perfect for birthdays, work anniversaries, retirements, office farewells or babies, it’s loved by over 1 million users. Learn more about how GroupTogether can bring your team together.
This article was provided by GroupTogether
