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Wellness programs are designed to improve the health and wellbeing of employees. However, the overall success and return on investment of any wellness program relies on participation. Gift card wellness incentives boost wellness program participation by rewarding employees for healthy behaviors with personalized rewards that best match your programs needs and goals.
Gift card wellness incentives can help in these key areas:
Reducing Healthcare Costs
For every dollar spent on a wellness program, companies save an average $3.00 as a result of reduced healthcare costs and an additional $3.00 in reduced absenteeism, according to a Harvard study. Wellness incentives, particularly non-cash incentives like gift cards, are cost effective ways to keep your ROI high. Even rewards as little as a $25 gift card to CVS Pharmacy can be effective tools in promoting wellness program engagement.
Lowering Health Risks
Diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and lung diseases are the leading causes of preventable death and disability. Incentivizing healthy behavior changes, such as adopting a new diet, regular exercise, smoking cessation, and routine health screenings, are effective ways to lower health risks in your workforce.
Encouraging Healthy Habits that Last
Adopting healthy habits doesn't happen overnight. In fact, research from the University College of London found that it can take up to 8 months to form a new habit, with 66 days being the median. However, if maintained for at least one year, they are more likely to stick. Gift card wellness incentives provide the motivation to make a change and the encouragement to stick with it.
Reducing Absenteeism
Reduce employee absenteeism—and the costs that come with it—by supporting employees to take ownership of their health. Encourage them to stay on top of preventative care visits, immunizations, and mental and physical health through wellness incentives. Wellness gift card incentives help to create a workplace environment where employees feel appreciated because their employer is investing in their health and wellbeing.
Although cash might seem like the best choice for rewards, a study from the Incentive Research Foundation showed that at an unconscious level, people are overwhelmingly drawn to non-cash rewards over cash. Additionally, since cash is often bundled with a recipient's paycheck and can go unseen, its value is lost on the recipient along with the reinforcement for that behavior to continue.
Wellness incentives don’t have to break the bank either: According to a 2019 UnitedHealthcare Wellness Check Up Survey, 68% of Americans said as little as $2 a day would motivate them to spend at least one hour per day improving their health.
GiftCard Partners works closely with organizations to identify and match the best gift card incentives for health and wellness programs. Our Engage2Reward™ Platform offers a simple and secure way for organizations to order gift cards in bulk and select the right brands that encourage healthier habits and support the goals of specific programs. Wellness gift cards offer:
