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Deborah Merkin

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Deborah Merkin, CEO and Founder of GiftCard Partners™, Inc. and Engage2Reward™ LLC, brings two decades of experience to the forefront of the gift card industry. Armed with a BS from University of Massachusetts Amherst and an MBA from Babson College, Deborah's career spans technology startups and corporate giants, including AT&T Capital and Staples. A pioneer in establishing and shaping lucrative new distribution channels, Deborah’s expertise grew through consultancy roles with Linens’N Things and CVS®. This journey marked her entrance into the gift card and incentives industry and ultimately laid the foundation for the conception of GiftCard Partners. A Certified Women Owned Business, GiftCard Partners was founded in 2005 and has received the prestigious Best and Brightest Company to Work For® Award for 10 years nationally. With a focus on assertiveness and balanced steadiness, Deborah continues to drive innovation and growth in the dynamic world of gift cards. Beyond her professional success, Deborah is deeply involved in community service, recently joining the board of JBBBS.org and previously serving on the board of JFSMW.org for 5 years.
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Recent Posts

Employee Motivation Key to Employee Satisfaction

We all learned in Psych 101 about
Maslow's hierarchy. The same way that you can't worry about your safety if you can't breathe, employees can't focus on their work if there is no employee motivation. When employees become stagnant in their positions they start to focus on everything but the task at hand, not to mention focusing on finding other more motivating job opportunities. Below are Brian Ward's, co-founder of Affinity Consulting and Training Inc., 
seven key motivators. Employee motivation fits these criteria in a unique way.

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Employee Activism: Encouraging Employees to Become Brand Ambassadors

Employee activism is a new movement that goes beyond customer satisfaction and employee engagement, and is becoming an underlying foundation in successful companies.  Many employees are defending their employers from criticism and acting as brand ambassadors for their companies, both online and offline. It all begins with social media.  Many companies are intrigued about ways to enhance employee engagement, but highly concerned about an employee’s use of social media, especially during the work day.  But rather than limiting an employee’s media usage, companies should be promoting the benefits and encouraging their employees to become activists for the brand they represent. Many companies still remain somewhat skeptical, and not without reason. Reasons for caution include valid concerns about privacy, cybersecurity, productivity, and actions by rogue employees that could go viral. This behavior is the exception to the rule and most companies already take a lot of care in building their culture with people they can trust , so why not trust them to advocate as well? Here are some tips to successfully build employee activism:

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Employee Development Can Mean the Most

Employee development is an underutilized human resources tool. Putting an emphasis on manager coaching and development at all levels of an organization can be the best way to build a great culture and make your organization a great place to work. Employee development begins with clear and open communication, giving employees the resources they need and giving employee autonomy where possible. Avoiding micro-managing in favor of long-term employee development not only makes your workforce stronger as individuals, but it breeds a culture of loyalty, trust and advancement. As you can see below,
only 46% of employees feel that their managers communicate openly and clearly. Ensuring that employees are getting honest feedback and that expectations are being set and communicated appropriately are two of the most important things a manager can give an employee to help further develop their careers. A solid foundation will lead to a long future for your employees and your organization. When employees are happy, satisfied and feel like they not only work each day, but learn and improve, productivity and job satisfaction also improve.

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Building Employee Health into Your Culture

Employee health and cost of healthcare are relevant to all businesses, regardless of size. Whether you have 2 employees or 200, keeping healthcare costs in check as more provisions of the Affordable Care Act take effect is crucial. Making employe health a part of your organization is a great way to ensure these costs remain manageable. For some employers even the location of the office is a matter of employee health.

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CVS Caremark and IBM Announce "Technology Solutions for Smarter Health" Program

CVS Caremark, along with IBM, announced a commitment to the "Technology Solutions for Smarter Health" grant program, which is in partnership with the National Association of Community Health Centers.  The $1.5 million contribution supports the use of innovative technology among community health centers to improve patient care as well as increase patient engagement.

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