GiftCard Partners Blog

The topic of selling sales incentives made the list in the Incentive Research Federation’s (IRF) newest report,
2014 Trends in Engagement, Incentives, and Recognition. The report shined light on the fact that although sales goals came up short last year, many of those companies are still raising quotas for 2014, leaving many executives searching for answers on how their sales teams will make those numbers. One trend that came out of the study was focused on the incentives being used to motivate sales teams. The report stated,

Employee health and wellness have taken center stage in workplace initiatives, especially as companies strive to improve well-being while reducing healthcare costs. In addition to reduced costs, employee wellness programs may also be connected with business success and profitability. While these programs often focus on health education and screenings, introducing a bit of friendly competition can make a significant impact, both in engagement and results.

Engaged employees become brand advocates and evangelize your organization. Engaged employees do better work to serve your customers and ensure your team and organization hit revenue targets. Here are three ways to boost your employee engagement:

The Affordable Care Act is here, and even though 
most open enrollment periods are now over for the year, there is still time to improve your employee health and lower future health care costs. Implementing health and wellness programs can both lower health care costs for employers, and place accountability on employees for their own health. Chad Koerten, who works for KI Furniture near Green Bay, WI has credited his organization with an 80 lb. weight loss over his 15 years with the company.

Most companies' biggest "cost" is personnel. Manpower is expensive to the organization and the workers always feel they could be making more money. Employees that are less satisfied with their jobs are less helpful to the end consumer, who then spends less with the organization. Keeping your workforce happy is correlated to your profit margins. Offering employees incentives is a great way to set guidelines for employees to work for certain incentive rewards. Based on what behavior is fulfilled incentives can range from a small denomination gift card to a popular retailer such as
The Cheesecake Factory, to a paid vacation, or extra time off. Keeping your employees happy will keep your company healthy.
For more information on why keeping your employees happy can help cover your profit margins check out this article from the New York Times.