GiftCard Partners Blog

Employee incentives have become a common way for employers to invest in their employees and raise job satisfaction and retention rates within their organization. In a world where job security is scarce, and employees are always looking to climb to the next opportunity, employee incentives have become a great way for employers to give back to their workforce. The key to success for incentive programs is to ensure that the employee rewards are effective in raising employee loyalty and job satisfaction. Below are 3 employee rewards that are common in employee incentive programs, but not always the most successful, and some ways to improve these particular incentives to drive desired outcomes.

Looking to reward employees and show them you care? Showing organizational support with employee rewards for a job well done can be an easy, low-cost way to invest in your workforce. Here are 3 easy ways to incorporate employee rewards into your employee loyalty and recognition strategy.
Take your team out: Using simple gestures like a team lunch out, or a group happy hour after work, or even an activity like a team bowling night, is a great way to reward employees. Getting your team together outside of the office is a great way to bring people together, and form interpersonal relationships while rewarding your employees for the hard work they do. Investing in hard work, and rewarding employees is a great way to keep employees satisfied at work, and raise productivity and retention rates.
Time off: Reward employees with extra time off, or flexible work hours for hard work, or a job well done on a specific project; it’s another low-cost reward strategy that resonates with employees. Time is valuable to employees, especially personal time. Giving employees extra personal time, as a reward is a great strategy to perpetuate desired behavior, and show other employees that going above and beyond will be noticed and rewarded by management.

It’s a social world out there!  And loyalty programs are firmly embracing the concept of social loyalty, an extension of loyalty programs that supports customers’ actions on social channels. As a marketing and incentive engagement company, are you including a social loyalty component in your loyalty program offerings?

We are wondering what impact employee wellness programs have on stress levels and mental health. The
American Psychological Association (APA) reports that 69% of employees claim work is a significant source of stress and 41% say they typically feel tense or stressed out during the workday. 51% of employees said they were less productive at work as a result of stress and 52% report that they have made the decision to leave their job based on workplace stress. These are scary statistics to any employer looking to manage workplace wellness, increase employee motivation and engagement or improve employee retention rates.
Safety Daily Advisor outlines some low-cost and simple changes that anyone can make to help manage their workplace stress and overall employee wellness levels .

Why are gamification apps failing to meet organizations’ business objectives 80% of the time? It’s likely due to lack of strategic focus…gamification apps are not used to gamify a workplace; they are used to reward employees for desired behaviorwithin employee programs, such as exceeding safety measures, while conditioning employees to work with optimal productivity. Gamify strategically, with business objectives in mind, and clear communications within employee programs to forge a path to success. Here are a few key strategies for keeping the gamification of your employee program on track. Use the Game: Workplaces are filled with distractions. Make gamification a strategic part of maintaining focus in the employee program. Keep your goals clear, simple, and entertaining for optimal employee engagement. Clearly state the goals that need to be met for rewards to be given out, and how to reach them through the game. Making the game entertaining will maintain employees attention span and help keep them focused on their goals.