GiftCard Partners Blog

Knowinghow to onboard new employees is one of the most important skills any manager or HR leader can master. A great onboarding process doesn’t just welcome people, it sets them up to succeed.

Employee perks don’t have to come with a big price tag. In fact, some of the most impactful benefits are either free or low-cost and they can transform workplace culture. Small investments in flexibility, recognition, and well-being show employees that they’re valued, which translates into higher engagement, retention, and productivity.

We all learned in Psych 101 about
Maslow's hierarchy. The same way that you can't worry about your safety if you can't breathe, employees can't focus on their work if there is no employee motivation. When employees become stagnant in their positions they start to focus on everything but the task at hand, not to mention focusing on finding other more motivating job opportunities. Below are Brian Ward's, co-founder of Affinity Consulting and Training Inc., 
seven key motivators. Employee motivation fits these criteria in a unique way.

According to a
recent Aon Hewitt survey, most employers do not measure the cost of employee absence in their business. Employee absence and the costs associated can add up to almost 8% of their total payroll in benefits payouts, lost productivity and temporary employee salary. Since most employers see these as a "cost of doing business," those employers are missing the opportunity to combat the issue head-on. Employee wellness programs, such as a quarterly weight loss challenge, biometric screenings or a lunchtime walking club can be an easy way to promote wellness in the workplace and avoid employee sick days. Keeping employees focused on their health is, in a way, keeping employees focused on the health of the business and the culture of your organization. Minimizing work stoppage and maintaining continuity are important in maintaining productivity. When introducing an employee wellness program to a potentially skeptical staff, be sure to communicate the goals and parameters of the program clearly. Adding small rewards like gift cards to healthy retailers like
Nutrisystem,
GNC and
CVS/pharmacy can go a long way in boosting employee participation and bringing co-workers together to focus on employee wellness across the organization. Absences can hurt your business, minimize them by focusing on employee wellness.

According to recent studies in the U.K., employees would rather be recognized for their professional accomplishments and have a solid benefits package then get paid a higher wage. Is it possible that our neighbors across the pond are on to something we can apply here? We can all agree that it feels great to get recognized by your boss for a job well done, almost more than getting that paycheck we all expect twice a month, however, could it be true that we might all pass up a raise for some good old fashion employee recognition. These numbers seem to indicate that if Americans are anything like Brits, we would: