GiftCard Partners Blog

The infographic shows a lot about employee expectations when it comes to holiday gifts. For those employers who are doing some last minute planning for employee holiday gifts this year, keep in mind that prepaid cards and gift cards are thepreferred gift. These gifts are easy for employers to purchase, and give flexibility to cater to different audiences. Giving prepaid cards or gift cards allows employers the opportunity to either tailored gifts to certain employees, by giving an 
AutoZone gift card to the car enthusiast, or a 
Boston Market gift card to an employee with a large family. These types of flexible  gifts can also be offered to employees with the opportunity to select the brand of their choosing for their end of year gift. Giving end of year gifts are not expected from the majority of employees, and so by giving even small denomination gift cards this holiday season, employees will view the gesture as a thoughtful way for employers to show extra appreciation at this hectic time of year.

It may sound like an obvious thing to say…”that management needs to be committed to their safety program for it to work”. But, all too often safety programs feel like a pretense to employees and this sets the stage for safety behavior. Real world experiences with safety programs and safety incentives tell us that this is happening all the time. The act of selecting which incentives and rewards will be offered sets the tone for your program. Will you expect employees to feel rewarded for fewer accident reports with a “super-star” coffee mug, or other trinkets? Cash is appreciated and remembered, but you won’t receive discount on cash rewards. Gift Cards are the perfect incentive for safety and corporate rewards and business incentive programs, as discounts are achieved for volume orders. Companies like
GiftCard Partners offer only volume orders and discounts on top gift card brands like
Speedway (Gasoline),
The Cheesecake Factory,
Boston Market,
AutoZone and
many more.  

60% of family caregivers in America are employed. 66% of those employed caregivers have to make some adjustments to their work-life to take care of their family obligations. 20% of those caregivers need to take a leave of absence to balance their responsibilities.

Employers and managers must be mindful of leading their employees by managing emotions. If employees' emotions are positive in the workplace, employees will be more productive in their positions. Using emotional intelligence when planning leadership and recognition strategies is crucial to maximizing productivity in your organization. Here are 5 tips to lead with emotional intelligence.

An increasing number of mid-sized companies continue to adopt health and wellness programs to help manage health care costs, and promote wellness within their workplace. According to a new study out by the ADP Research Institute and The Vitality Group, companies who use Health and Wellness programs save almost six dollars for every one dollar invested in the program. These savings are attributed to improvement in employee health leading to a 27% reduction in employee sick leave, a 26% reduction in health costs and a 32% decrease in workers' compensation and disability claims. These numbers are staggering; with a 168% increase in health care premiums between 1999 and 2011 almost all midsize companies are citing control of health care costs as an organizational priority. Health and wellness programs don’t just stop at controlling costs, but also give employers the chance to boost employee morale, and create camaraderie among colleagues. Health and wellness programs are often goal based, whether that goal is reaching a certain weight, achieving a certain blood pressure, or raising fitness levels to reduce the risk of costly conditions such as diabetes. When colleagues support each other and empower each other to reach goals,professional relationships grow and professional peers begin to work better together. Providing small rewards as "carrots" in a health and wellness program is effective in motivating employees as well. When an employer provides small incentives such as gift cards to retailers such as 
GNC or 
CVS/Pharmacy to help employees along their journey to a healthier lifestyle, employees feel supported and empowered. This type of empowerment can leave lasting effects on an employee’s motivation in their work and in their loyalty to the organization that invested in their personal future. Health and Wellness programs do help control costs, but they also help to motivate employees and maintain employee loyalty.