GiftCard Partners Blog

Every company looks to attract the best people to their organization. Some offer signing bonuses, some offer an enhanced benefits package, but the key to attracting top young talent is flexibility. A flexible workplace is a perk that some employees are hesitant to offer for fear employees will take advantage. However, if you are truly attracting top talent they will likely adopt the motto "with great power comes great responsibility" and won't actually abuse the privilege. 39% of employees surveyed by Mom Corps indicated they have considered leaving or have actually left a job because the workplace wasn't flexible enough. This is an issue that hits close to home at GiftCard Partners, since we all work remotely, it is a uniquely flexible environment that allows some of our team to work full time when they would not otherwise be able to in a traditional office environment. Further more, employees are willing to give up a lot for a flexible environment. About half of U.S. adults surveyed would take a salary cut for increased workplace flexibility. Since most people work at least partially out of financially necessity, that is a staggering number. Workplace incentives are effective, but giving employees what they are looking for before they start sends a clear message that employees' time and talent is appreciated by the organization. Is your workplace flexible? Would you consider making your office more flexible? Let us know in the comments section.
For more information on flexible workplaces and how to attract top talent check out this article from Mashable.

Employee praise can actually raise your organization's revenue, so make sure your managers are like good coaches, cheering on players at all times. When managers support their teams and recognize a job well done with public praise, productivity increases and employees get more motivated to contribute to organizational success. There is nothing better for company morale, and peer education, than managers teaching teams and providing positive reinforcement. So start at the top and empower your managers, the effect will trickle down to the rest of your organization. Check out this infographic below to see how much potential there is for improvement with managing employees, and to see how to educate your managers to cheer on their team.

Sending employees out for business lunches or dinners is a great way to offer some flexibility and change of atmosphere to employees. Help them get out of the office, put them in a neutral and more personal setting, and new ideas will flow. However, the moment the check comes so does that awkward question of who picks up the tab?

Mobile recognition, Social, Interactive, Green…there are many key initiatives rolled up in Roy Saunderson’s Top 10 Trends for Employee Recognition in 2013, but he shows us that it’s not just important to identify the trends, but to also put them in context. It’s not surprising to see gift cards rank in top recognition trends for the new year, but Roy shares his insights around making recognition and incentives meaningful for the employee.
“6. Give me the cards I want." Employees will no longer be satisfied with mainstay gift cards from big box stores and established suppliers. Employees will demand to receive customized cards from meaningful places they prefer and not just what the employer deems everyone should get.” This bodes well for GCP’s strategy of bringing the most wanted gift card brands to employers for recognition rewards and incentives. It forces employers to not just toss a cash equivalent gift card at an employee, but to be thoughtful about the gift. Give gift cards to great restaurants so your employees take their families to dinner, pharmacy gift cards so families can be proactive with healthful and personal care purchases, retail apparel gift cards…often a real treat.
Check out the rest of Incentive’s Top 10 Trends for Employee Recognition in 2013

Maintaining open communication with employees is crucial to a positive working environment and and engaging employees in the job roles. Creating open communication is a way to be open and honest with your employees, which provides them with meaning and a clear purpose for even seemingly mundane everyday tasks. Making employees feel a part of something greater than themselves is an easy and cost-free way to engage and retain employees. Providing a constant information flow both to and from employees regarding goals, company vision, desired company cultural aspects, and individual and team objectives are some of the ways to keep employees engaged. Also, communicating rewards and recognition for accomplishments of goals or exceptional contributions to the company are equally important. Rewards do not have to be big, small denomination gift cards and a team email is a great way to reward an employee's accomplishment, and recognize the accomplishment among the employee's peers. How do you communicate with your employees? How do you think your organization could improve their employee communication?