GiftCard Partners Blog

June is National Employee Wellness Month and in honor of this month we’re celebrating ‘Employee Wellness Monday.’ Today we sit down with two employees from GiftCard Partners to talk about their daily routines and learn what they do in order to stay on the right track when it comes to their health and wellness.
What steps do you take during your workday to ensure that you’re staying healthy, energized and alert?
Deb: I start my day, every day, by going to the gym at 5:30AM for 60-90 minutes. The workout contains 30-60 minutes of cardio, and 25-30 minutes of weights. Weather permitting- I will bike 15-20 miles on the weekend. I have started writing down what I eat as well through
myfitnesspal.com.
Melina: Since I’ve taken the big step (for me at least) to try my first triathlon, I’ve begun a new routine this month. By the way, this “iron girl” triathlon is a beginner one (Thank God) which consists of a half mile swim, 12 mile bike ride and wraps up with a 3 mile run.  I’ve started running up to 3 miles 3-4 times a week. I try to do it in the morning or early evening to avoid the heat of mid-day. I also ride my bike on weekends with my fellow triathloners to get used to the hilly terrain. As for the swim, well we just hit over 80 degrees this week so I’ll be starting 50 laps in the pool tonight!! PS I drink LOTS of water all day long at my desk to stay well hydrated.
What happens when you don’t stick to this routine?
Deb: I stick to this routine, because if I don’t I feel grouchy and tired and my family and coworkers don’t like me. The only time I don’t exercise is when I can’t logistically because of travel or my asthma has kicked up to the extent I just can’t do anything.
Melina: I’ll probably come in last! Not to mention the possibility of not being able to finish it. Truth be told, I just feel better and more productive with work and around my family when I’ve had some form of exercise each day.
What advice would you give someone who is looking to get healthier during their 9-5 work week?
Deb: Keep a schedule- and do it early in the day as life usually does get in the way.  Then you stay energized the whole day!
Melina: Find the time to get that body moving regardless of the type or intensity of the exercise. It really helps to re-energize so you can be more productive throughout the day.
Rewarding Your Employees for Their Healthy Choices
Want to reward or recognize your workforce this month for putting in the extra effort to stay healthy? Our gift card clients make it easy to reward your workforce for their healthy behavior with convenient and flexible volume discounts on bulk orders.

Employers are increasingly adding health and wellness programs to employee benefits packages to both help control organizational costs of providing healthcare benefits and to keep employees healthy and productive at work. However, it is not enough to just have the program available- you have to educate your employees about it so they know it is there and all of the ways it can help them set and reach their health and wellness goals.To say it another way- most of us have seen the movie Field of Dreams, it happens to be one of my personal favorites- health and wellness programs cannot be dependent on Ray Kinsella's "If you build it, they will come" mentality. These programs take more work to train employees on the benefits and ensure that your workforce is aware of all that their employers is making available. According to a recent whitepaper from Colonial Life & Accident Insurance Company 52% of employees at organizations where health and wellness programs are being offered either don't know they exist at all or are unaware of what they encompass. Making short education sessions available or required can change that statistic easily. To ensure your organization maximizes the investment in their employees health and wellness program providing small incentives to employees who enroll in the program is a great motivator. Small denomination gift cards to health and wellness retailers like GNC, CVS/Pharmacy, or Nutrisystem can help kick start any employee's work towards a health and wellness goal, and reminds them that their employer will be there to help and support them every step of the way. That kind of lasting impact will make for a happier, enduring, and more productive workforce throughout the life of the program and beyond.

GiftCard Partners and CVS/pharmacy recently co-sponsored a webinar called Healthcare Reform’s Impact on Wellness - How to Incentivize Employees to Engage in Healthy Behavior. Speakers included Jonathan Edelheit, Editor in Chief of Benefits Live Magazine, Vanessa Cullerton, Senior Manager of Employee Wellness for the Hillshire Brands Company, Stacey Nelson, Manager of Health and Welfare for Sprint; and our own Edward Shulkin, President of GiftCard Partners.

According to a new study from the Midwest Business Group, more than 80% of the nation's largest employers use a carrot and stick approach when it comes to their corporate wellness program. Using this approach allows employers to reward for desired behavior, while creating penalties for employees who participate in unhealthy behavior, such as smoking. As the full implications of the Affordable Care Act take effect and employee benefits costs continue to rise, employers place more value on employee healthcare benefits savings, by both maximizing the health of employees and lowering the cost of their healthcare benefits. Here are some quick facts about employers who use a carrot and stick incentive strategy to manage employee wellness.

Step 1: Create a safety program. Step 2: Make it successful. Still struggling with Step 2? Many strategies have been tried, from payroll bonus, discipline, performance review, to issuing penalties. But the question still remains, what works best to foster a safety culture within the workplace? The answer could be as simple as corporate wellness incentives in the form of gift cards. They are a flexible and affordable way to incent and reward for accident prevention, increasing morale and productivity, and encouraging feedback.
GiftCard Partners makes using gift cards a budget-friendly choice.
Contact us today to get the best discounted rate on volume purchases from some of America's top selling gift card brands.
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