GiftCard Partners Blog

As the weather gets colder and the days get shorter, flu season looms. You see flu shot signs as you drive by local pharmacies and employers start to put a plan together to prevent flu from decreasing productivity in the office and crippling the workforce.

Promoting healthy behaviors has become part of the lexicon of healthcare in recent months, and that is due to several forces converging. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has taken the lead in changing the way that healthcare services are provided and reimbursed, and this has been an initiative that has been underway for at least the last four years.

Employee engagement is more than an HR metric; it’s a strategic advantage that drives productivity, retention, and workplace culture. According to Gallup, only about 32% of U.S. employees were fully engaged at work in mid-2024, up slightly from previous lows but still leaving room for improvement.

Employee benefits plans are often the number one expense for a company. For an investment that large, do you know if your employee benefits plan is working for you? Is it minimizing sick days and extended absences? Is it providing coverage for specific employee populations? Is it providing coverage for often stigmatized conditions?

Employee health and wellness programs can be tough to get going and even tougher to keep employees engaged in. However, rather than delivering the program, involving employees in the execution of the program may be the key to long-term wellness program success.