GiftCard Partners Blog

Since employers typically renew health benefits in January, employees receive their health benefits options for 2012 around now, giving employees plenty of time to think about what they want in their health benefits plan for the coming year.  As expected employees will be facing changes, most of which include paying more and receiving less coverage.  While employers engage employees in healthy practices with rewards for healthy behaviors through health and wellness programs, health coverage still comes at a high cost, and is often an easily downsized benefit. Here are 9 tips from
GoLocal Prov in Providence, Rhode Island on how to make smart choices when choosing health benefits.

Employers are now finding ways to punish employees for unhealthy behavior.  Increasingly, employers are holding their employees responsible.  Instead of blindly providing health insurance to all employees on the same level, regardless of their health, employers are giving one kind of insurance to healthy employees, and a less desirable package to less healthy employees.  Deductibles are higher for employees who are over weight, who smoke, or who have other conditions that result from unhealthy behavior.  Employees can avoid this cost by participating in wellness programs, provided by the employer, but if they choose not to, they face the insurance increase. Some workers rights groups find these practices coercive, and unfair.  Opposition to these kinds of insurance programs stem from the fact that often, it cannot be proven exactly how much more a less healthy person costs a company, than someone who is healthy and in good shape.  At GiftCard Partners we believe that a Carrot Vs. the Stick approach, which offers rewards and incentives for good behavior, is far better than outcasting and punishing employees.  Although these practices promote a healthy lifestyle, is it fair to essentially reduce an employees paycheck when the company cannot tell exactly how much more that person is costing them?  
For more information read the full Chicago Sun-Times article If you have an opinion on these programs, or your company runs a program similar to this, leave us a comment.

The "Kicks for Guns" program in Central Florida, will be held from this weekend in order to get illegal and unwanted guns off the streets of the greater Orlando area.  No questions will be asked of anyone turning in a gun, and people who turn in guns will be rewarded with gift card options from select local retailers.  These types of buy-back programs are common in communities when local law enforcement is trying to rid the community of certain dangerous materials.  Another common buy back program is for old prescriptions.  Often in communities local law-enforcement will reward community members with a relevant gift card in exchange for their old prescriptions. This is a way for the community to come together to promote safety and unity, and indulge in the offered rewards. For more information on the
gun buy back in Orlando click here.  Have you seen any other buy-back programs? Where and what was the reward? Let us know by leaving a comment.

Health Risk Assessments (HRAs) have long been part of corporate wellness programs, but their value is now under greater scrutiny. With HR departments under pressure to maximize every wellness dollar, the real question isn’t whether HRAs are outdated; it’s whether they’re being used effectively.

In today's competitive workplace, the performance of employees is crucial for the success of any organization. However, what if I told you that one of the reasons for underperformance could be related to the physical or mental health of employees?