GiftCard Partners Blog

Corporate wellness programs are essential for improving employee health, reducing healthcare costs, and increasing productivity. But for these programs to be truly successful, they need more than just good intentions—they need the right kind of incentives. Research shows that offering meaningful rewards, or "carrots," can significantly boost participation and engagement in wellness initiatives. However, one-size-fits-all rewards may not be as effective as offering personalized options. Here are some fresh insights on how to incentivize employees and make your wellness program a success.

The competition for top talent has never been more intense—and what employees expect from their employers is changing fast. While traditional benefits like salary and healthcare still matter, today’s workers want something more: meaningful work, modern workplace culture, and personalized incentives. To attract and retain top performers, organizations must offer a comprehensive value proposition that meets employees where they are.

Delivering employee incentives can only be effective if the incentives available are satisfying to employees. Here are a few popular employee incentives according to a new
Wicke's For Business article.
Travel Packages: Sending employees on a trip for a job well done on a big project, or as part of a bonus is becoming an increasingly popular option for employers. It creates a memorable experience for employees and carries a fixed cost for employers.
Gift Cards: Gift cards to popular retailers such as
CVS/Pharmacy,
Boston Market and
Crutchfield carry the same flexibility of cash but have better trophy value. Employees are more likely to use the gift card on a special occasion, rather than cash bonuses that often get rolled in to paying bills and household costs.
Social Rewards: Giving public praise and socializing employee rewards is a great way to reinforce desired behavior. Public praise does not only reward one employee for a job well done, but it shoes other employees what management is looking for in employee performance.  

The answer for the slow, tired feeling at work used to be reaching for a cup of strong black coffee but for a well-known company in California the cure comes from something a little more natural, meditation. Meditation is a growing trend, not just with Google, but with several other big names like
of Twitter and Facebook that are making contemplative practices key features within their companies. “Across the Valley, quiet contemplation is seen as the new caffeine, the fuel that allegedly unlocks productivity and creative bursts,” writes Wired writer Noah Shachtman in his article
Enlightenment Engineers. You don’t need to be a company as large as Google or Facebook to take advantage of this growing trend.
Yo-Fi Wellness is a company devoted to employee wellness and offers the latest in corporate wellness incentives for companies of any size. Meditation, yoga, fitness and nutrition are all offered on their online platform, bringing healthy living initiatives to employees through inspiring and instructive video programs. Corporate wellness is directly related to a company’s bottom line so it’s important to find the best way to incorporate it in your organization. Set a tone of health with your employees. Whether it be through education, engagement or motivation with incentives, find out what works best for them.

According to the Red Cross, every two seconds someone in the United States needs blood. And because red blood cells have a shelf life of 42 days (and platelets a mere 5 days), new blood donations are always needed to battle shortages.