GiftCard Partners Blog

Most companies are now in the planning season for 2023, but uncertainty about the economy, continued labor shortages and stubborn inflation are posing unique challenges to planning and forecasting budgets. Given these challenges, initiatives like employee engagement may not seem like an executive-level priority, but the risks of continued high turnover, paired with high onboarding costs for new employees are far greater than the cost of a coordinated employee engagement program that helps retain key members of your team. 

As we approach 2026, the new year presents an exceptional opportunity: employees feel renewed, ready to adopt fresh habits, embrace new goals and take on new challenges. It’s also a pivotal moment in many organizations’ fiscal calendars to help teams start strong and set up a year of success.

Retaining talent is extremely important for the success of any organization. After a year of working remotely, employees may not be as engaged as they previously were, and the pandemic has completely changed the corporate landscape into an employees’ market. Employees no longer have to fight for positions or accept jobs they don’t love. They now have the flexibility to get a job anywhere in the United States; all they need to do is hop on a Zoom interview from the comfort of their couch, give notice, and they could decide to leave your organization in a matter of days or weeks. 

As much of the U.S. gets back to a “new normal” with the COVID-19 pandemic waning, many businesses that require either low-wage, hourly, or exclusively in-person workforces are still finding themselves short-staffed. These sectors of the American workforce are critical to the healing of the economy and for getting individual businesses back to operating at pre-pandemic levels. 

As employers prepare to welcome employees back to their offices, it’s critical that employers prepare their staff for the “new normal” at work. Communicating new safety expectations in advance helps employees familiarize themselves with changes like different schedules and new safety protocols that involve wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) and increased spacing of workstations.