GiftCard Partners Blog

New regulations have recently taken effect as part of the Affordable Care Act allowing employers providing health care benefits to employees to steer their workforce toward healthier lifestyles and away from disease causing habits. The new rules enforced last week as part of the law by the Obama Administration guide employees through a classic carrot and stick rewards program. Employees who participate in wellness programs, set goals to live a healthier life, and work towards those goals can be rewarded both financially and with non-monetary rewards, while employees who continue to exhibit unhealthy behaviors; or who not working to eliminate preventable conditions such as obesity, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol can be penalized similarly. Any outcome based program such as smoking cessation or weight loss programs are often required to have a "cycle of failure and renewed effort" to give employees multiple chances to achieve their goals. These new rules reinforce the effectiveness of the carrot and stick reward/disincentive strategy, rewarding good behavior and penalizing bad behavior. It shows that strategy is financially sound for any size business and can in fact help manage the ever-rising cost of providing health care benefits. Finding rewards that fit each occassion and have value for your employees is key to programmatic success. Gift cards are a great way to fix cost while providing a choice for employees. Using gift cards allow an employee to choose a brand that they value and will use. For health and wellness programs providing a variety of health and wellness retailers such as NutriSystem, GNC, and CVS/Pharmacy show employees that their employer is supportive of their concerted effort to live a healthy lifestyle. Equally important is finding the balance in the disincentives handed out to employees who do not participate in health and wellness programs. The sticks cannot be so big that it makes and employee unhappy with the organization, or makes them wholly averse to ever participating. The stick should be big enough to push employees in a healthier direction. A widely used disincentive is a higher monthly premium for employees not enrolled in the program- encouraging employees to take the step without turning them off totally.

June is National Safety Month, so as we kick off the new month and the summer season, it seems like a great time to put some fun contests and training sessions in place for employees to help promote workplace safety. Here are a few quick and easy ways to make workplace safety a priority at your company this June, and how to continue it throughout the year.

For many organizations employee recognition and financial rewards are tied at the hip. It makes sense- rewards promote the desired behavior and only incur a fixed predictable cost to the employer. Rewards are proven effective and continue to be so, but the lasting value of that reward goes a lot farther with an employee if it is paired with true recognition of the accomplishment that earned them the reward. The compliment from their manager means as much or more than the reward it is paired with, and the recognition can often get lost in the day-to-day craziness of the workplace. Here are 3 quick and easy ways to ensure that you pair the proper employee recognition with your rewards to make them happier and more satisfied with their position and their organization. 1) 
Be timely: If you notice an employee making an exceptional effort or going beyond their job responsibilities- act immediately. A simple compliment, or a quick email in the moment shows the employee that their organization is always taking notice of their efforts. This makes them feel good whole also promoting positive behavior for the future. 2) 
Be authentic: When recognizing an employee’s good work or extra effort, mean what you say and back up what you do. If you recognize them publicly in front of their peers make sure you recognize their individual accomplishment. Don't give a generic motivational speech, instead speak specifically to what 
they did. Giving formulaic recognition will have an adverse effect where employees race to certain benchmarks because they know a reward is waiting for them, which is much less effective long term. 3) 
Add employee based value: Recognize employees by adding value measured in their terms. When providing rewards, gift cards are a great way to add individual value by presenting employees with a choice of how they want to receive and use their reward, without adding organizational cost. Being able to help a working mom out with dinner by providing a 
Boston Market gift card, and helping that junior associate right out of college buy his first apartment enhancement with a 
Crutchfield gift card, or helping that employee who you know has a long commute every day with a 
Speedway gas gift certificate, adds a personal touch that will be memorable and more valuable to employees. Employee rewards work- but they must be paired with proper employee recognition, otherwise the meaning is lost. Adding value and meaning to employee recognition will have a long lasting effect on their loyalty, productivity, and happiness. 
For more information on how to recognize your employees check out this article from Forbes.

June is National Employee Wellness Month and in honor of this month we’re celebrating ‘Employee Wellness Monday.’ Today we sit down with two employees from GiftCard Partners to talk about their daily routines and learn what they do in order to stay on the right track when it comes to their health and wellness.
What steps do you take during your workday to ensure that you’re staying healthy, energized and alert?
Deb: I start my day, every day, by going to the gym at 5:30AM for 60-90 minutes. The workout contains 30-60 minutes of cardio, and 25-30 minutes of weights. Weather permitting- I will bike 15-20 miles on the weekend. I have started writing down what I eat as well through
myfitnesspal.com.
Melina: Since I’ve taken the big step (for me at least) to try my first triathlon, I’ve begun a new routine this month. By the way, this “iron girl” triathlon is a beginner one (Thank God) which consists of a half mile swim, 12 mile bike ride and wraps up with a 3 mile run.  I’ve started running up to 3 miles 3-4 times a week. I try to do it in the morning or early evening to avoid the heat of mid-day. I also ride my bike on weekends with my fellow triathloners to get used to the hilly terrain. As for the swim, well we just hit over 80 degrees this week so I’ll be starting 50 laps in the pool tonight!! PS I drink LOTS of water all day long at my desk to stay well hydrated.
What happens when you don’t stick to this routine?
Deb: I stick to this routine, because if I don’t I feel grouchy and tired and my family and coworkers don’t like me. The only time I don’t exercise is when I can’t logistically because of travel or my asthma has kicked up to the extent I just can’t do anything.
Melina: I’ll probably come in last! Not to mention the possibility of not being able to finish it. Truth be told, I just feel better and more productive with work and around my family when I’ve had some form of exercise each day.
What advice would you give someone who is looking to get healthier during their 9-5 work week?
Deb: Keep a schedule- and do it early in the day as life usually does get in the way.  Then you stay energized the whole day!
Melina: Find the time to get that body moving regardless of the type or intensity of the exercise. It really helps to re-energize so you can be more productive throughout the day.
Rewarding Your Employees for Their Healthy Choices
Want to reward or recognize your workforce this month for putting in the extra effort to stay healthy? Our gift card clients make it easy to reward your workforce for their healthy behavior with convenient and flexible volume discounts on bulk orders.

Employers are increasingly adding health and wellness programs to employee benefits packages to both help control organizational costs of providing healthcare benefits and to keep employees healthy and productive at work. However, it is not enough to just have the program available- you have to educate your employees about it so they know it is there and all of the ways it can help them set and reach their health and wellness goals.To say it another way- most of us have seen the movie Field of Dreams, it happens to be one of my personal favorites- health and wellness programs cannot be dependent on Ray Kinsella's "If you build it, they will come" mentality. These programs take more work to train employees on the benefits and ensure that your workforce is aware of all that their employers is making available. According to a recent whitepaper from Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company 52% of employees at organizations where health and wellness programs are being offered either don't know they exist at all or are unaware of what they encompass. Making short education sessions available or required can change that statistic easily. To ensure your organization maximizes the investment in their employees health and wellness program providing small incentives to employees who enroll in the program is a great motivator. Small denomination gift cards to health and wellness retailers like GNC, CVS/Pharmacy, or Nutrisystem can help kick start any employee's work towards a health and wellness goal, and reminds them that their employer will be there to help and support them every step of the way. That kind of lasting impact will make for a happier, enduring, and more productive workforce throughout the life of the program and beyond.