GiftCard Partners Blog

Following the release of the 2013 Gallup "State of the American Workforce" study revealed some astonishing things about how much work employers have to do to engage their employees, since a whopping 70% indicated they were either not engaged or actively disengaged at work. The study also revealed which employees were more likely to be engaged at work. Did you know millenials and traditionalists (people at the beginning and end of their careers) are most likely to feel engaged in their jobs? Only 28% of Generation Xer's and 26% of Baby Boomers indicated they felt engaged at work. These numbers are indicative of a lapse in engagement in the workforce. Whether you engage employees in a health and wellness program (see who can lose the most weight), or a safety program, or provide professional development training and executive access, make sure your employees are happy. Disengaged employees cost an estimated $450-$550 billion per year in lost productivity. Keep your employees happy by providing perks and creating a company culture where team comes first and exceptional accomplishments are recognized. When an employee reaches a goal provide a reward like a summer Friday afternoon off, or small denomination gift cards to popular retailers like AutoZone, CVS/pharmacy or Boston Market, allowing employees to choose their own reward. Engaging employees at work will keep them with your organization longer and help improve your bottom line.
For more information about engaging employees and the new Gallup "State of the American Workforce" Study check out this article from Loyalty360.

Employees safety doesn’t necessarily mean  "creating a culture of safety." One way to look at safety is to make it a part of the fabric of your organization and part of the culture, and the way to achieve that is to start at the top.  Key values of executive management trickle down to the workforce without it seeming like management is trying to will the workforce in a certain direction. Making employee safety a value of management, and supporting that with a cultivation of that value among employees, is the way to go.

It is well established that highly engaged employees work harder and stay happier in their jobs longer. A
new study from Gallup further proves that employee engagement actual drives up productivity and satisfaction to the point where engaging employees is affecting organizations' bottom lines. The study reveals that companies who don't make employee engagement a strategic priority can hurt their revenue because their employees are absent more, their turnover rate is higher, and when employees are at work they simply don't get as much done. Here are some quick facts from Gallup:

We all know it’s a little tough to focus in the office when kids are out of school and the weather is nice. Workplace productivity drops 20% during June, July and August, so to ensure your employees stay focused, happy and productive in the office, make sure they spend some of their time out of the office. Employers often use summertime to offer special perks like the 41% who indicated they offer flexible schedules, and the 28% who offer "summer Fridays." Ensuring that your employees take some time away from their desk for a vacation and "digital detox" is a great way to increase workplace productivity. For those workaholics who you can't seem to squeeze in a week at the beach other incentives such as gift cards are a great way to acknowledge hard work. Small denomination gift cards to popular retailers like 
The Limited, 
Boston Market, or 
AutoZone allows employees to treat themselves during the summer, and feel appreciated by their employer. Encouraging a work/life balance and rewarding hard work, especially when temptation to slack off is at its height, will keep your workforce engaged and workplace productivity going long after Labor Day. For more ideas on keeping your organization's summer productive check out this infographic from American Express Open Forum.