GiftCard Partners Blog

Gallup’s research highlights a notable gap in how company culture is experienced by leadership compared to managers and individual contributors. On average, there’s a 19-point disparity, with leadership often reporting stronger connections to organizational culture than those on the ground level. This divide can create misalignment, reduced engagement, and lower productivity among teams. To close this gap, companies must intentionally foster cultural alignment across all levels, using strategies that not only engage but resonate. One effective way to do this is through the strategic use of gift card incentives, which can reinforce engagement and cultural values from the top down.

Creating a culture of professional development is key to an organization. This is a great way to show employees that you invest in their best interests, the way they invest themselves in their work and the goals of the company. Here are some tips for how to maintain a culture of development in your organization. • 
Identify your stars: Focus on rewarding and recognizing top performers. Providing spot rewards for desired behavior, such as a gift card or an extra day off is a low-cost way to show employees you care. These rewards and recognition can lead to higher retention rates and workplace satisfaction. • 
Get upper management involved: Visibility of senior management during professional development, to provide guidance and mentoring is another sign of organizational support to employees. • 
Invest in development: Providing training sessions, professional development opportunities, and even tuition reimbursement helps employees grow, which will make it more likely that employees will stay and grow with your organization. • 
Broaden their skills: Make sure skill sets are round, and that employees understand organizational functions outside of their day to day responsibilities, this will help them think strategically about their current role, and ways to advance themselves in the organization.
For more information on creating a culture of development in your organization check out this article in Ragan's HR Communication.

Thinking you can’t afford an employee incentive and rewards program? Incentives don’t have to be expensive and you can pair them with the financial needs of your employees. A recent study from researchers at California Institute of Technology (Caltech) suggests that employees could “choke” if the stakes or rewards are high. They  liken this performance phenomenon to a sports event in which people become afraid of losing their reward. “It is a somewhat unexpected conclusion. After all, you would think that the more people are paid, the harder they will work, and the better they will do their jobs -- until they reach the limits of their skills”, states Science Daily. However, these researchers have found that the more that is at risk, the more performance could be hindered, therefore demotivating and working against larger company goals. Digging deeper, their  research also revealed that “performance improved as the incentives increased -- but only when the cash reward amounts were at the low end of the spectrum. Once the rewards passed a certain threshold, which depended on the individual, performance began to fall off.” This speaks volumes about “knowing thy employee”. Interesting science that is easily parleyed into the concept of providing more incentives, in smaller amounts, like gift cards. Gift cards can be purchased in bulk in any increment, but cards like
SUBWAY,
Boston Market, and
CVS at $20 or $30 per gift card offers your employees small incentives that they can really use. They will grab lunch on the way to their summer destinations, bring dinner home for the family and stock up on sunscreen and first aid for the season. Source:
ScienceDaily Online – Science News

As the summer months approach, many employees seek flexibility and perks that align with the season. Companies can capitalize on this opportunity to boost morale, productivity, and loyalty by offering targeted benefits. Here are some key insights and recent statistics on what employees value during the summer and how to implement effective reward strategies.

Getting truthful opinions from employees about their job and the organization are a great way to ensure that your company stays on track, and treats its employees the right way. Keeping employees happy keeps them productive, and increasing productivity will often increase revenue. Here are 8 ways from 
bussiness2community.com to makes sure you get the truth from your employees, and reward them for maintaining an open dialog.