Employee Wellness Is Now Company Culture
Employee wellness initiatives have taken many forms over the last 5-10 years. They have ranged from biometric screenings to company exercise groups to discounts on health insurance. Each company does it differently, depending on what is most effective for their specific organization. But according to this Washington Post article, employee wellness is taking a new turn and it's compelling for both employers and employees. Employee wellness is becoming part of company culture. With a growing millennial component to the American workforce, employers are focusing on enticing younger employees with perks and attractive cultural components in the work environment. Wellness programs are shifting to be a component of these types of company culture and positioning efforts. So what does it mean for employers? How can they measure ROI when they take tangible metrics and transition them into the "intangible benefits" so important to difficult-to-please millennial? Here are a few ways:
Small Business Incentive Programs On the Rise
Small business incentive programs are growing rapidly. According to a recent article from Incentive Magazine, research conducted by the Incentive Federation revealed that a substantial amount of small businesses are now using rewards and recognition programs. The study asked businesses with at least $1 million in annual revenue about their goals, programs, awards they use, and how they measure whether or not their incentives are successful. Most of the smaller firms that responded to the survey spend less than $50K annually on sales incentive programs, whereas firms with revenue of over $10 million spend significantly more annually on their incentive programs. When it comes to the type of reward, electronics came in as the most requested merchandise reward, followed by food and beverage and apparel. Other popular choices were sporting goods, luggage, watches, and home decor.
Gift Card Popularity Continues to Rise
According to a new survey from the Retail Gift Card Association, up to 70% of consumers will buy gift cards for friends and family by the end of the summer. This is an important finding for B2B gift card programs as well. Why's that? Because the survey also revealed that 95% of consumers are hoping to
receive gift cards this spring and summer. While this directly applies to celebrations like birthdays, graduations and weddings, the popularity of gift cards can also segue to employees recognition programs, health and wellness programs and employees rewards. Here are key findings from the study:
Loyalty Programs By The Numbers
Loyalty program enrollment is at an all time high in the U.S. so it seems like the right time to go through some key statistics related to loyalty programs. We've broken the stats down into three key areas that consumers are most focused on in the loyalty space.
Whole Foods Corporate Responsibility Goes Global
Whole Foods Market is taking their corporate responsibility beyond their high quality, all natural foods and working to solve global poverty. Whole Planet Foundation was borne out of Whole Foods Market’s desire to give something back, while focusing on the persistent problem of world poverty and hunger. The Whole Planet Foundation and Whole Foods Markets have hosted a series of small community events throughout the country like craft fairs and concerts and have raised $4.6 million toward a microlending campaign, no no plans to slow down any time soon.
