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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

Whole Foods Recognized for Animal Welfare Practices

You may not have known, but part of Whole Food Market’s mission includes a promise towards the humane treatment of animals and they are winning accolades for their animal welfare practices. The company has been recognized with both the Good Sow Commendation and the Global Good Egg Award from Compassion in World Farming.

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Engagement in Health and Wellness Programs

Employers are at all points on the learning curve when it comes to health and wellness programs. However, as employee engagement increases, so does employer health and wellness spending. The average per employee cost for health and wellness programs is up almost $100 over 2014 and the use of screenings and carrot rewards to boost engagement are also increasing. The decreased use of "stick" disincentives along with the increased use of biometric benchmarking is making health and wellness programs more inviting to employees. According to a recent study of employers offering health and wellness programming in 2015:

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Finding the Right Wellness Program

As wellness programs become a mainstream part of HR programming, and a sought after employee benefit, it's important to know what you're getting into. Some employers are now building wellness programs to "check the box." Adding a smoking cessation program, or a weight loss group to the office culture to help reduce insurance cost, or satiate the employee desire to get healthier. However, even if you plan to make a small investment in an employee wellness program, it's important that you find the right options for your staff and for your bottom line. Here are a few tips that will help you get your wellness program on track.

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Gift Card Popularity Continues to Rise

According to a new survey from the Retail Gift Card Association, up to 70% of consumers will buy gift cards for friends and family by the end of the summer. This is an important finding for B2B gift card programs as well. Why's that? Because the survey also revealed that 95% of consumers are hoping to
receive gift cards this spring and summer. While this directly applies to celebrations like birthdays, graduations and weddings, the popularity of gift cards can also segue to employees recognition programs, health and wellness programs and employees rewards. Here are key findings from the study:

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Why Employers Often Fail at Employee Recognition

A recent survey by OfficeTeam revealed that 89% of employers think they are doing a good job with employee recognition for outstanding efforts at work. That would be great, except only 70% of employees tend to agree with that statement. The divide between employee and employer opinions is significant. If employees don't have confidence or agree that their employers are doing well recognizing their efforts, then employers get no return on what is often a significant investment. There are many reasons why employers can fail at delivering employee recognition. Sometimes it's a lack of effort, communication or application of a program. Here are three reasons we find most common- and how to overcome them.

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