GiftCard Partners Blog

Employers are constantly looking to find ways to promote employee loyalty in a professional climate of job hoppers and career changers. Employers try everything from nap pods to unlimited vacation to
beer in the kitchen. But what do employees really need in order to feel dedicated to an employer? The answer, real purpose. To feel important and connected to organizational goals and to be provided with opportunities to learn and grow outweigh any perk an employer could provide. In short, invest in employees and they will invest in you.

Technology has made working from home a more common occurrence than ever before. Gallup’s 2015 annual Work and Education poll showed that 37 percent of U.S. workers indicated they have worked from home, up almost 30 percent since 1995. So how are you going to engage so many remote employees this year? With an increased number of companies providing flexible schedules and the ability for many employees to work remotely at least part of the time, it is important to have a plan to motivate, inform engage remote employees to ensure success.

When typing the word “motivation” into Amazon’s bookstore you’ll discover there are over 100,000 books related to motivation: The Motivation Manifesto, 77 Ways to Get Motivated, Drive: The Surprise Truth About What Motivates Us; the list goes on and on.

But all that helpful advice must be taken with a grain of salt now that managers are motivating a multi-generational workforce. Three generations now make up today’s workforce.

Look around the office and you’ll see Baby Boomers, Generation Xers, and who could forget all those Millennials. According to Pew Research Center’s 2015 study, U.S. Labor Force by Generation, Baby Boomers make up 44.6 million, Generation Xers make up 52.7 million, and Millennials make up 53.5 million of the U.S. labor force.

So why is this so important? Because each generation is motivated by different values, work styles, communication tactics, job responsibilities, and rewards.

Employee travel rewards are common and have been since the days of service crystals and 5- year pins. But the way they are being applied in today’s employee reward environment is changing and evolving. Here are three ways employee travel rewards are changing and can be used to maximize effectiveness.

A lack of recognition at work can severely impact employee satisfaction and retention. Luckily, an effective company recognition program can promote loyalty, boost motivation, and increase productivity.