GiftCard Partners Blog

Employers are now finding ways to punish employees for unhealthy behavior.  Increasingly, employers are holding their employees responsible.  Instead of blindly providing health insurance to all employees on the same level, regardless of their health, employers are giving one kind of insurance to healthy employees, and a less desirable package to less healthy employees.  Deductibles are higher for employees who are over weight, who smoke, or who have other conditions that result from unhealthy behavior.  Employees can avoid this cost by participating in wellness programs, provided by the employer, but if they choose not to, they face the insurance increase. Some workers rights groups find these practices coercive, and unfair.  Opposition to these kinds of insurance programs stem from the fact that often, it cannot be proven exactly how much more a less healthy person costs a company, than someone who is healthy and in good shape.  At GiftCard Partners we believe that a Carrot Vs. the Stick approach, which offers rewards and incentives for good behavior, is far better than outcasting and punishing employees.  Although these practices promote a healthy lifestyle, is it fair to essentially reduce an employees paycheck when the company cannot tell exactly how much more that person is costing them?  
For more information read the full Chicago Sun-Times article If you have an opinion on these programs, or your company runs a program similar to this, leave us a comment.

The Prepaid Press recently published
Employers Find Ways to Say ‘Thank You’ to Employees; Prepaid cards Increasing as Incentive of Choice which highlighted Young America’s recent research regarding prepaid cards (such as gift cards) gaining even more popularity amongst corporate HR incentive programs. With company-wide salary freezes and abandoned bonuses, employers are struggling more than ever to retain their best employees. “…employers who want to retain their best employees admit they have fewer resources to do so, and many are turning to structured incentive programs, which cost less than salary increases and often result in high levels of employee productivity, positive feedback and loyalty," said Joe Custer, president of Young America. A few highlights of the survey findings:

Prepaid and gift cards sales are amplified with new activity as technology paves the way to better than expected growth. Mercator Advisory Group recently reported that all segments of closed-loop prepaid exceeded their previous forecasts for 2010. In-store gift cards were forecasted at 4% growth for 2010, but total load volume hit $84.6 billion, up 10% from $76.9 in 2009. The B2B gift card market realizes much of this growth via gift card categories like digital-content (online games and social networking credit) and prepaid mobile; gift cards received more loads for these digital-content activities. Retailers are also doing a better job of integrating their gift cards with loyalty programs and other consumer promotions, which catches the attention of potential incentive and rewards buyers. “Loads on employee and partner incentive closed-loop cards increased 10% and loads on consumer-incentive cards also grew 10%”, states Digital Transactions in their Mercator report overview:
Buoyed by Gift Cards, Closed-Loop Prepaid Grew Faster Than Expected in 2010 “On the whole, what we’re seeing is even the closed-loop market is showing some resilience in the face of the economy,” Jackson says. Consumers seem to be recognizing the true value of their gift cards, and “many retailers are doing a better job of integrating their gift cards with loyalty programs and other promotions, Jackson says. “They’re realizing that gift cards are not just a plastic version of paper gift certificates,” he says. Source:
Digital Transactions: Buoyed by Gift Cards, Closed-Loop Prepaid Grew Faster Than Expected in 2010
 

Here’s a corporate health and wellness case study that we think has some great new ideas peppered into it. Xceed Financial Credit Union’s in-house event and promotion team research wellness programs from across industries and designed their own program, which includes:

This blog is in no way meant to be alarmist. I grew up on the coast of RI; I know how ocean-side communities fear hurricanes. This blog is meant to highlight a use of gift cards that we’ve seen repeated in several places, including our recent Summer 2011 Gift Card Usage Survey (results to come) and this story, from Naples FL. Blood drives are so important to maintaining the critical and highly perishable supply of blood that is needed to support the victims of natural disasters, in addition to the normal supply required. A recent NY participant in GiftCard Partners’ survey shared that they use gift cards to keep their most loyal donors and supporters engaged with them and to positively impact their blood giving experience, frequency and long term supporter status. In my opinion; this is how to rally help for friends and neighbors... from
www.naplesnews.com: “The blood center will offer $10 gas cards and the chance to meet former Miami Dolphins defensive star, Kim Bokamper. Successful donors will also receive a $5 Patric’s Restaurant gift card and gift cards from Sylvan Learning Center, Sugar Palm Café Bakery & Sports Clips while supplies last. Event participants will have the opportunity to win the following grand prize drawings: one of two pairs of Tampa Bay Rays game tickets, one of three pairs of Fort Myers Miracle Baseball tickets, a 10-passenger sightseeing cruise from Cruise Naples and one of 3 three $50 gift cards courtesy of Lu Lu Belle Children’s Boutique. Plus, visitors can enter to win the blood center’s summer grand prize drawing of 4 adult two-day Busch Gardens admission passes and lodging from Wingate by Windham. Visit
www.givebloodcbc.org or call 239-436-5455 for more information.” Gift cards are a great way to inspire and incent people to take part in such a critical campaign.
Read the full report and blood donor offer here.