GiftCard Partners Blog

CVS & GCP webinar: Healthcare Reform’s Impact on Wellness - How to Incentivize Employees to Engage in Healthy Behavior with Jonathan Edelheit, Editor in Chief of Benefits Live Magazine, incorporating National Healthcare Reform Magazine, Vanessa Cullerton, Senior Manager of Employee Wellness for The Hillshire Brands Company, Stacey Nelson, Manager of Health and Welfare for Sprint, and Edward Shulkin, President of Gift Card Partners, Inc.

Loyal employees who are invested in your organization can make the difference between hitting organizational financial and growth goals, and becoming stagnant and not profitable. When employees are not loyal, and are looking to leave it shows in their work and productivity. No company grew and prospered from a workforce itching to get out the door. Your employees are you organization's greatest asset, so use these tactics to keep them engaged and loyal to their employer.

As the recession eases, and companies begin hiring again, there is optimism amongst organizations bringing in fresh faces and growing again. However, as we see employment numbers improve we see employee engagement steadily decreasing.

As gamification grows in the employee reward and incentive market, and across the marketing world in general it is important to look forward at where this growing trend is headed. There are all types of theories on where gamification is going, but either way one thing is for sure: gamification is here to stay.

Gamification is now being used across a wide range of organizations for a wide range of uses. Some organizations are using gamification like a loyalty program, the further employees progress in the game, the more bonus or reward points they earn, which they can then use for real workplace rewards, such as gift cards. Other organizations are using gamification to help employees manage health and wellness programs, placing employees on teams to create a healthy competitive atmosphere where employees can help push each other further down the path to a healthy lifestyle. Some employers are looking to make gamification fun, others are more focused on achieving the goals of the game. However you use gamification in your workplace it is important to offer real rewards to employees as a result of the game, so the motivator actually affects productivity, loyalty to the organization, and long-term retention rates. It is also important to use the metrics gamification systems offer to ensure the goals for your program are being met. There metrics prove the ROI for these employee incentive and rewards programs, and are what will make them sustainable into future years, and budgets.
For more information on maximizing gamification in a number of different ways, check out this article in Venture Beat.