GiftCard Partners Blog

As the holiday season approaches it is important to show appreciation for your employees, and ensure that end of year gifts that go beyond the standard holiday bonuses provide meaning and extra gratitude for employees. Here are 3 quick quick tips to make sure your employee gifts prove meaningful this year and motivate your employees:

We have all seen fuel rewards programs, where businesses reward customers by awarding points for dollars spent at the store. These programs continue to grow with national gas prices, and can be an effective way to drive loyalty, and gift card sales. Offering flexible items such as gift cards, that consumers can then repurpose as gifts holds a huge value for consumers. Their gift dollars go twice as far, since they are earning gas rewards, a huge and necessary expense for most Americans. The value of repurposing every dollar for twice the impact will keep consumers coming back to both the gas retailer and grocer consistently as long as they can continue to gain rewards.

We are increasingly seeing companies adopt health and wellness programs as a way to manage staggering health care costs. These programs promote healthy behavior, which can reduce the employers health cost per employee. According to one study, lifestyle related illnesses account for 80% of all employer health care costs. Health and wellness programs help companies of all sizes save money, from small start-ups to large corporations. Johnson and Johnson recently stated that their health and wellness program has saved the company more than $250 million in health care costs over the last 10 years. The impact is measurable across a large variety of organizations. Skeptical Employees? As more companies begin to adopt this practice employers are looking at how much these programs affect their bottom line, and how best to affect their employees' behaviors. While many employees can be quick to adopt programs offerings, others feel as though it is a violation of their personal life in the workplace. These individuals often adopt the practice with the incorporation of Health and Wellness rewards. Carrot rewards, that offer incentives for desired behavior, such as meeting a health goal or quitting smoking are proven to be the most effective method of implementing health and wellness rewards. Small incentives such as gift cards to retailers that promote healthy living such as 
CVS/Pharmacy, 
GNC and 
Nutrisystem can help guide employees and make a tangible contribution to their effort to live a healthier life. The more dedicated to health your employees are, the lower your costs, and the larger your bottom line.

Holiday marketing season is in full swing! Consumers are planning their holiday shopping, if they have not started already, and retailers are planning their big holiday marketing and promotional push. If you are looking for some innovative ways to stretch the last piece of your 2012 budget check out these 5 ways to execute a holiday marketing campaign with a limited budget.

Retaining employees and creating a community with a loyal dedicated workforce doesn't have to be expensive. Optimizing your rewards budget, and leveraging non-monetary employee recognition can help you achieve these goals without breaking your budget. Here are 3 effective tips for retaining satisfied and devoted workforce for less.