GiftCard Partners Blog

New research suggests that the best companies (top 20%) are a third more likely to use non-cash incentives, such as travel, merchandise, and gift card awards, in their sales incentive programs.  The study, which was unveiled last week, indicates that these awards are critical in getting the best performance out of sales teams. The respondents surveyed were asked to identify their top three choices that are most effective at yielding the strongest sales performance.  While financial compensation is still tops, the trend has really changed over the last year.  Back in 2012 98% of respondents preferred financial compensation, compared to just 76% this year.  The impact of financial compensation is being considered less of a dominant “no-brainer” in sales.  The runners up include the non-cash incentive programs, gift cards, travel, merchandise, etc, designed to augment the financial leverage that employers have over their front-line sellers. The highly successful organizations recognize that today’s sales personnel and account managers require a far more complex managerial landscape than their predecessors.  They are aware that there is a need to manage on a more holistic level and not just consider meeting quota expectations.  

In 2012 half of all companies with at least 50 employees had a corporate wellness program that incentivized employee wellness through either direct financial incentives or non-financial recognition. Companies larger than 50 employees were even more likely to have an employee wellness program in place, at 79%. These programs do simple things to prevent avoidable conditions like health risk assessment, weight management and nutrition education. The investment is a low-risk high-reward endeavor, especially as components of the Affordable Care Act take affect that further encourage employers to implement programs directed at employee wellness. The average investment in wellness has doubled since 2009, skyrocketing from $260 per employee to $594. The 2014 figure is also significantly higher than the $521 average investment made per employee for wellness in 2013. Employers increased investment and encouragement of employee wellness shows that it is working.
Check out this infographic and more great information from Modern Healthcare on where the employee wellness industry is going and growing in 2014 and beyond.

Remember the phrase "the truth will set you free?" Well, we aren't here to solve all of your problems, but we are here to tell you that the truth may be able to help boost employee engagement. It is time for all of the corporate hierarchy to melt away and for organizations of all sizes to work on open communication and employee engagement. Transparency and truth-telling will open up the lines of communication and engage employees in making the organization the best it can be, which makes employees do the best work they can. Dropping away fear and hierarchical force allows employees to feel comfortable enough to tell the truth. Here are three ways to use truth and open communication to engage employees.

An employee safety program can be tough to implement and even tougher to get employees actively engaged in. An effective employees safety program can be a sound investment that keeps your workforce safe and mitigates risk of workers compensation cases. Here are three ways you can ensure the implementation of your employees safety program is effective.

Corporate wellness programs have become popular in recent years. Simply put, corporate wellness is any health initiative or program within a company that focuses on promoting good health and employee comfort, rather than dealing with poor health and low morale at a later date.
It should come as no surprise that most of the companies on the top 100 companies to work for list, year after year, offer corporate wellness programs. Companies that offer corporate wellness programs are striving, and people enjoy working for them. Not only do companies that offer such programs have happier staff, but they end up doing better financially.  Research shows that for every $1 spent on corporate wellness, a company saves $4 in sick time, health costs and overall work productivity.
Top Corporate Wellness Programs  Google is regularly on the top 100 companies to work for list. In fact, it has topped the list for several years. It makes sense then, that Google also has one of the most comprehensive wellness programs in the industry. The company offers on-site gyms, healthy eating options in the dining area, fully paid sabbaticals, volunteer opportunities, and health classes and screenings. SAS, a software developer, comes in at number two on the list. The company offers their employees on-site child care and fitness centers, a multitude of medical staff on-site, reimbursed gym memberships, healthy eating options and dietician services. With compressed workweeks, job sharing, 100% health coverage and paid sabbaticals, The Boston Consulting Group comes in at number three on the top companies to work for list. While these three companies are worlds apart in many ways, they share one common factor; solid wellness programs that ensure their staff is working to the best of their abilities.
Creating a Wellness Program  It is understandable that not all companies are going to be able to offer the same perks as Google. Google is a behemoth in the business world, with untold amounts of money to spare. Smaller companies, clearly, will be unable to procure the "campus-style" structure of Google, nor will they be able to offer the round-the-clock day care services that SAS gives to their workers, but every company can instill a wellness program that is sure to raise productivity and boost morale. To begin a wellness program a company must work to better understand their internal culture. Once the internal culture is understood, a better understanding of what the employees need out of a wellness program will arise. Before you begin a wellness program ask these questions;