It is crucial to motivate employees to work productively and make them happy and loyal to your organization. Although bonuses and promotions are tried and true ways of encouraging your team and keeping employees motivated, this traditional approach can be limited, and it’s time to think a little more creatively. The durability of the tools makes them easy to distribute, customizable, and appeal to diverse preferences which makes them great tools of employee motivation. In this post, we’re going to talk about 10 innovative ways businesses can use gift cards to put their team on fire.
If you are wondering about ways to reward employees or, in some cases, earn rewards for yourself, platforms such as earn gift cards will give you the chance to earn gift cards by way of surveys, reviews and many more.
Gift card platforms are found to be convenient for individuals and businesses to purchase gift cards and also they are cost-effective methods for incentivizing and rewarding hard work.
1. Recognition Programs
Employee recognition programs can be built to center around gift cards. From “Employee of the Month” to giving recognition to employees who perform exceptionally well on a project, gift cards are an edgy way to show someone you appreciate what they do. It means employees can select something that is personally meaningful to them thereby bringing a personal touch to the reward.
2. Celebrating Milestones
Gift cards make a great work anniversary or birthday or represent an accomplishment or promotion, or certificate. When the company pairs a gift card with a handwritten note, it recognizes the individual’s contributions and accomplishments and includes them in the family.
3. Instant Gratification with Spot Rewards
Often times, the immediate recognition has the most value. Spot rewards can also be implemented to reward staff for something like meeting a tight deadline or solving a hard problem or demonstrating teamwork, which will lift staff morale. This is where gift cards work perfectly since they are quick to provide and deliver.
4. Wellness/Self Care Incentives
Offer gift cards to workout centers, meditation apps, or healthy meal delivery services to encourage employees to prioritize health and well. Internal motivating techniques also help motivate workers and provide for their physical and mental health, which ultimately contributes to more productive workers and happier workers.
5. Peer-to-Peer Recognition
Create a gift card rewards program for employees who can nominate their colleagues. The beauty of this peer-driven recognition program is that it fosters a culture of appreciation and teamwork. It is a way to encourage your employees to celebrate each other’s contributions and to sustain positive connections in the workplace.
6. Motivation for Learning and Development
Give your employees a reason to upskill and reward them for the same by offering gift cards for finishing training programs, getting certifications, or attending workshops. Gift cards, too, are a great way to encourage continuous learning, and would work well as a gift card for bookstores, online learning platforms, or professional development tools.
7. Team Rewards for Meeting Team Goals
Gift group cards when teams hit targets or milestones, to build collaboration and team spirit. It could be something like if a team managed to complete a project and you hand this shared gift card so people can go out to a restaurant in a group and celebrate if they did well.
8. Participation in Wellness Challenges
Have some inspiring office challenges (step count competitions, healthy eating contests, etc) and use gift cards for reward prizes. They are rewards that are relevant (gift cards at sportswear brands or smoothie shops) and are, therefore, motivating.
9. Holiday and Festive Rewards
Holidays or festive seasons are the best time to show appreciation using gift cards. Giving them out as year end bonuses or as part of holiday gift packages gets them around spreads cheer and makes your employees feel valued. Think of gift cards to big box stores, online vendors, or even streaming services to appeal to a wide variety of tastes.
10. Supporting Work-Life Balance
Reward employees with gift cards promoting work-life balance, and experiences of spa days, streaming subscriptions and dining out. These rewards compel employees to unwind and reconfigure, and the result is a healthier work atmosphere as well as lessened burnout.
Why Gift Cards Work
Gift cards are a very flexible, very usable incentive for a business to give. Their appeal to employees is the freedom of choice: they can choose the rewards they feel would best meet their specific needs or match their preferences. Gift cards are great for businesses because they’re easy to manage, very well received, and cost-effective.
In addition, on platforms such as BrandBee it becomes easy to access and share gift cards. Gift cards can be purchased directly from employers, or employers can look into ways to earn gift cards through programs that provide gift cards as a reward for feedback or engagement. What happens when employees earn these cards is that they can be milked into employee incentive programs — lower program costs and still bring powerful incentives.
And while gift cards are often seen as merely a timeless token of appreciation, they’re also a great strategic tool that companies can use to create motivation, foster engagement and drive employee satisfaction. Gift cards can be an endless source of employee recognition, from celebrating milestones to encouraging wellness to rewarding achievements.
With platforms like BrandBee, getting and distributing gift cards is no longer a time and energy heavy affair and is easily affordable to businesses of any size. With their usage, companies can have this motivated workforce that has loyalty to their company, giving them a head start on long term success.