Deborah Merkin
Recent Posts
Contactless Payments on the Rise
As contactless payments rise, here are the 3 main factors driving retailers to adapt the new technology and eventually help drive consumer adoption.
Loyalty Programs By The Numbers
Loyalty program enrollment is at an all time high in the U.S. so it seems like the right time to go through some key statistics related to loyalty programs. We've broken the stats down into three key areas that consumers are most focused on in the loyalty space.
Financial Wellness Paired With Physical Wellness
With 80% of U.S. and Puerto Rican workers under moderate or high levels of financial stress, employers are looking beyond physical wellness programs and adding a financial wellness component to employee benefits. Financial wellness programs often provide financial advice and guidance to employees with the aim to reduce financial stress and increase workplace productivity. According to an Aon Hewitt survey, 76% of employers were interested in financial wellness initiatives in 2013, and looking to expand their efforts by 2014. Companies also observe that the more financially stressed an employee is, the more sick time they take, disrupting work flow and workplace momentum. At Meredith Corp. employees are offered a financial wellness questionnaire and can take educational courses and other financial wellness actions to gain access to discounted healthcare options and other financial perks. Meredith is recording big results on their financial wellness program too.
Healthy Workplace Programs Reduce Obesity
A recent study, led by an associate professor at the University of Rochester, finds that providing healthy workplace programs reduced the number of overweight or obese employees by almost 9%. The study was based on two years of research, studying almost 3,800 employees. The researchers instituted workplace programs to promote healthy eating and exercise at half of the work sites and no healthy programs at the other half. The test group that had implemented healthy workplace programs promoted things such as revamped cafeteria offerings with fewer calories and smaller portions, free meals to those who made healthy food choices, workshops to share healthy recipes, walking clubs, upgraded gym facilities, and group activities.
