Comprehensive Wellness Programs and Why they WORK

Wellness programs are a great way to increase health awareness among your employees. There are many great companies out there that can provide health assessments, life health consultations, and overall benefits management. They offer great tools that can help keep the healthy people healthy and assist the unhealthy towards moving in the right direction of health. 

A great tool to help your employees track their health is the American Heart Association's Heart360 Program. https://www.heart360.org/Default.aspx

Here your employees can track blood pressure, blood glucose, physical activity, smoking cessation, and weight management.  There are reporting capabilities here that you could instill in your employees and have them report their progress to you.  In order to encourage participation and create the most promising results, incentives are always vital to the success of a program like this. 

A great system that has worked for one of our clients is using this reporting system for their employees. Each month the employee tracks their activity and the client reports this activity to us at Bukoo to load the points into the system. The points they earned during the month turn into buying power for items on their customized rewards site.

Other options are to seek out agreements with local gyms for your employees if you do not have the budget or space to put a gym in your office or on your campus to promote physical activity.  Bring out the competitive side of your employees by holding a contest for who can lose the most percentage of their body weight over a given period of time. However you choose to implement a program, know that it is a great investment of resources and you will save in healthcare costs, and maybe even save a life. 

Pump People up with Incentives!!!

Everything that we do in life has an incentive attached to it. If we get up in the morning and go to work, we make money. Money buys things like food, a roof over our heads, and clothes among other things (iPhones?) So the incentive is to be able to have things to get up and go to work.  Once we are at work, we do our jobs. How well do we do our jobs? Some of us would say enough to not get fired.  If you are an employer, this is not something you are looking to hear from your employees. You want to hear from them, "I do my job to the best of my ability, 40 hours a week, or more! Without additional pay because I love my job so much I don't care!" This however, is highly unlikely.  For many, not all, but many people, an additional incentive is needed to achieve maximum productivity.  I'm going to tell you how you can pump up productivity with an incentive program. 

 Incentives are a great tool to encourage the behaviors that promote the most successful results for your business. Are you having trouble getting reports from your employees on time? Give an incentive for turning them in early.  Too many production errors in printing or manufacturing? Give an incentive for catches or doing a job perfectly.  Anything that you need to improve in the office, warehouse, store, etc. can be promoted through the use of incentives.  While we would all like to think that we can see the greater good of our actions, most people are very short-sighted, and selfish, in how much work they do and why. It is simply human nature.  A way to circumvent the negativity in a workplace associated with this intrinsic behavior is to give extrinsic motivation. Tie an incentive to an action that will reach into your employee and pull out productivity.  

A great way to give value to the behaviors you need from your employees is a points program.  By associating points with behaviors, your employees can watch these points build up in order to redeem them for products they want.  For instance, if you give an employee 50 points every time they turn in a report on time and they want a product that is listed at 500 points, this means that you will get AT LEAST 10 reports from them on time.  Their behavior will reflect their desire for that product which will positively impact the company's bottom line.  

This 3 element approach is very effective because the employee gets immediate recognition by acquiring hte points, short term rewards if they choose to redeem quickly and long-term awards in which they will see their hard and timely work prosper into bigger ticket items if they choose to accumulate their points.  For more information about incentive programs and the steps to implementing a process with worthwhile products go to our web page all about incentives.

Peer to Peer Recognition

In large or small companies, it is difficult for one person to see all things that go on amongst the employees, good and bad. This can be a hamper on the value of effort and service an employee puts forth in his or her position. In order to promote consistent good behaviors and curb the instances of poor service or laziness, a peer to peer recognition is invaluable. When each employee is trying to show everyone, not just the managers who may or may not be present, that they are working hard and are kind to clients, guests, and customers, this will only serve to benefit the company.

To implement peer to peer recognition, it is important to set explicit circumstances under which a peer should be able to recognize a peer.  For instance, helping a guest with something other than a purchase i.e. carrying bags out to the car, or giving directions to a client as they leave the office.  These are little things that go a long way in the eyes of the customer and should be equally noticed by the company, if only through the eyes of a fellow employee.  When an employee knows that whether a manager is around or not that they may be recognized, this is a great incentive to always do the great things that managers like to see from them.

Creating a place in the office or store that peers can publicly acknowledge others' cleanliness, friendliness, and extra effort will promote an atmosphere of camaraderie, teamwork, and pride.  Plus, being recognized by a manager is something that should inspire greatness in employees, but being recognized by one's peers can be even greater because someone who is considered an equal found their actions to be exceptional.

Consider putting a peer recognition program in place either with a board of public recognition, or by allowing points to be given in an incentive program just as you would allow a manager to do so.  By instilling a peer recognition program the culture of recognition will only flourish and influence your company for the best.

Safety Programs- Why You Can't Afford Not Having One

In Kentucky, we have many manufacturing facilities. Safety is a concern at all of these companies because without safety, accidents can, and do occur.  Safety programs can be one of the biggest assets to the pursuit of a safe work environment.  Through safety programs a company can raise awareness of safe practices, motivate workers to pursue those safe standards on a regular basis, and create an atmosphere of competition for the workers against themselves in pursuing the highest safety standards they can as a team.

Putting safety programs into place can be very simple, cost effective and rewarding. Take the cost of what a claim would be. Imagine if a worker a) does not know a safety standard and b) goes against that safety standard and becomes injured.  The company will be at fault because the safety standard was not met and the worker will need to be compensated for their injury and other damages. This claim alone could be twice as much as putting an effective safety incentive program into place.

Now imagine that the same worker from before had training incentives. For each time he practiced a safe standard he learned on the job, he received points towards gifts or a destination.  This would re-enforce the memorization of these standards, enforce the repetition of these habits, and decrease the chance of him going against a safety standard that could cause him harm and the company monetary distress.  The cost of rewarding him for keeping in line with safety would be far less than compensating him if he was injured because he did not know a safe practice.

Don't underestimate the power of incentives to enforce habits, and raise awareness.  The cost of running a safety program pales in comparison to the cost of a claim because of laziness or not knowing a safety practice.  A program like this could be the difference in thousands of dollars for your company and even the difference between life and death.

Build Your Brand with Happy Employees

I know we have all been there. We have a bad day, then we turn around and take it out on whoever comes near us or tries to have a conversation with us. It can sometimes go like this:

Friend Questions: "Hey Ashley, how are you today?"

Answer: "Oh like you care!"

Or... something like that. Imagine if your employee is having a bad day and they have a conversation similar to that with a client or customer. Now if this happens, you should ask, wonder, be concerned about, and try to help in whatever reason your employee gives you for their "case of the Mondays".

As a manager or supervisor of people, it is vital that your attitude is a good one not only towards your job and the clients, but the people you supervise. Many times I have heard this in response to a question about employee recognition:

"Why should I recognize them? They should recognize they are lucky to have a job!! HA!" (insert evil laugh)

Just kidding about the evil laugh.  

But really, if this is the attitude that one is going to take in regards to treatment of their employees, you should be prepared for a slow upward movement in the trajectory of your business, or no movement at all. People need to feel appreciated. Appreciation motivates employees to receive more praise and they will continue to do those desired actions in order to do so. No one has ever said they feel too appreciated. Have they?  

Take pride in your employees and they will take pride in their work and their attitude towards your clients and customers.  Don't let the opportunity to recognize their work go by because it could be a lost opportunity to build your business and retain a great client as well.  Be enthusiastic, appreciative, and motivating to your employees, and hopefully they will have very few cases of the "Mondays".  

Ways to Recognize Your Employees With Little Cost

I know, I know. I am supposed to be here to convince you to spend money to recognize your employees, so why would I write a blog about ways to recognize them with little cost?

Strategy.

I think that the ways that Bukoo offers to create recognition programs for your company are VITAL, but there are also ways that are just as important to show your employees you appreciate them that are free!

1) Say "thank you" to them when they finish a project or take on extra work. It's amazing how much more these words could be used and how far it will go!

2) Create a place to display photos and memos about people who managers and peers think do an excellent job.  Recognizing someone in front of others can be a huge boost!

3). Swap a task with an employee for a day- his/her choice. "Walk a mile in someone else's shoes".

4) Ask the employee to do a special assignment when they show initiative. Feeling like they are being given additional opportunities to perform will motivate them in all areas.

5) Keep board games on hand- Uno, Yahtzee, Go Fish! Anything that can be fun and can be used as a break or stress relief for your employees during a particularly busy time.

6) Give employees an extra long lunch break- just because.

7) Acknowledge employees' achievements and other events outside of the office to show you care. Give them a special small gift for buying a new home, having a baby, getting married, or finishing school.

8) Start a suggestion program- and actually try to implement the suggestions! Employees want to be acknowledged and heard and the best way to do this is by keeping yourself open to others' ideas. You can't think of everything and maybe they will come up with a great new idea that will change the office dynamic for the better.

10) Give your employees compliments. If you think they are working hard, doing a good job, or exceeding expectations, tell them. Make sure you give them this compliment on its own. Don't couple it with a criticism or suggestion. Make this the sole purpose of a conversation. It will mean much more!

All of these ways are easy to do and will mean a lot to the employees. Treat them with respect and recognize their hard work and you will see a difference in their motivation, attitude, and performance! 

Get recognizing!!!

Retirement Gifts- Make It Count

Generally when we think of retirement we think of this:

 Both = Happiness.

We should also think about ways to say "thank you" to those who have served the company for years. Many people that are starting to retire have been with the same company for upwards of 30 years. That's almost half of their lives devoted to one cause, authority, company.  Do the right thing by them and your company by making their retirement gift COUNT.

I won't sit here and tell you what to give or how to go about giving it, but please go by these few rules of thumb:

1.) No clocks. These people have been dealing with being on a schedule for their whole lives up until now, watching the clock. Now they don't have to. Don't give them a clock. Please.

2.) No money or gift cards. No need in stirring a pot of awkwardness when the retiree sees their service was only worth "x" dollars worth. Keep the price out of it!

3.) No items that say "retired" on them. It's funny for the day, but it won't be worn or used again. Ever.

Give them something to commemorate their years of service and also something that they will be able to use or experience going forward. When someone is retiring they are looking forward to the future but would also like to remember their years of service and be remembered in style.  Please consider these rules and make the retirement gift count! This person is (probably) only going to retire once!

Recognition in Healthcare

The healthcare industry is an ever-changing and booming industry that is creating, modifying, and developing positions on a daily basis. We have all heard about the need for more healthcare facilities due to the aging of the Baby Boomers, but are there enough people to fill the necessary positions?

Many businesses have started developing their plans for this situation years ago, gaining great employees along the way. It is up to the healthcare company to set themselves apart, not only to those using their services, but also to those providing the services. Engaging and recognizing the employees that do a great job, are friendly and knowledgeable will put your healthcare business head and shoulders above other companies when the job market becomes more competitive. If you think your employee is great, chances are someone else will hear how great they are too. Make it difficult for them to leave not only by providing a strong compensation plan but also a feeling that they are important, appreciated, and vital to your organization!

Step Away from the Cash

As we all know the economy is in dire straits right now.  Everyone is looking for a way to make some extra cash and people are feeling handcuffed to their homes because they can't pay for gas to go anywhere! ($3.81 average today. You know it will go up this weekend since it's a holiday and all!) That being said, as a business you may consider giving your employees bonuses or monetary incentives to motivate behaviors.  I'm here to tell you why that is a terrible idea from a business perspective.

Studies have shown that giving cash to employees in addition to their base pay or commission is an ineffective way to motivate.  Ultimately, the employee lumps it in with the rest of their money, pays a bill or goes to the grocery with it and has nothing to show for it. They are not reminded much past getting the money in their hand of what they did to get that reward.

If employees are rewarded with merchandise, say some luggage, or a set of knives, or in some sweet circumstances a car (yes, please), then they will forever be reminded when they use these items or see these items of how they did awesome in a sales contest, or lost the most weight in the company competition, or how they went 1 month, 2 months, etc. without an injury on the job. When they know why they got it before, those behaviors and motivation will be instilled for them much longer, having a stronger effect on your business practices.

There is also the fact of being able to show your peers your trophy. When people get bonuses they don't typically walk around the office holding up their check or showing the envelope of cash. Most people would see that as tacky in a lot of situations. However, it is much less of a faux pas to walk around the office showing off your new iPad or tell people about the awesome camping gear you won and are going to use this weekend.  This not only encourages the person who received it to keep earning that item with strong work ethic and good behaviors because they see that reward continuously, but it also encourages the other employees to say "hey I want what he's got".

Be sure to consider what's best for the employee and for the business when discussing recognition and rewards. Get them something they may not normally treat themselves to, and treat your business to longer lasting motivation in your employees! It will go a long way.

Hey Man Did You Get an Award?- Recognition Can Go A Long Way

Ok, that's dramatic, but Michael Scott may be on to something... 

Recently I have come across an article discussing a study by the American Psychological Association conducted by Harris Interactive between January 31 and February 8, 2011. The survey found some quite interesting results regarding the overall morale and attitude of employees across the country in our current economic state. 

Stagnant job growth and lack of salary raises are factors in the poor attitude of workers, but employees also cited heavy workload (43 percent), unrealistic job expectations (40 percent) and long hours (39 percent) as significant sources of stress. "Additionally, less than half of employees (43 percent) said they receive adequate non-monetary rewards and recognition for their contributions at work and only 57 percent reported being satisfied with their employer's work-life practices. Just 52 percent of employees said they feel valued on the job, only two thirds reported being motivated to do their best at work and almost a third (32 percent) indicated that they intend to seek employment elsewhere within the next year."

Think about the last statistic. One-third of your current employees may have the intention of seeking employment elsewhere within the next year. Is that something your business can handle? With expectations of the economy bouncing back soon, the last thing an organization needs is for their employeess to bounce at the first sign of sunshine because they have been over-stressed and undervalued during these tough times. Employees are the center of your business. They are the ones who have most of the contact with your clients and customers, and to keep your employees happy is a great step in the direction of keeping your business partners happy.  When the economy bounces back make sure you will be able to keep those employees around that have done a great job. Show them how important they are to you now by recognizing their achievements! By taking these steps you will achieve the loyalty of those employees that have stuck around this long, and you may be surprised how far a little recognition can go. 

Vera Bradley Spring and Summer Patterns

So with the season changes, I get excited because this means the very important VERA BRADLEY NEW PATTERNS!!! It's the little things in life. . .

My personal favorites from the new lines are:

Deco Daisy

Viva La Vera! (fun name too)

 Folkloric

There are more to love but these are at the top of my list! Vera Bradley is top of the line in quilted luggage and handbags and we have their products at Bukoo Gifts Let the women in your life decide their gift or reward. I bet there's a good chance they'll find something they like! ;)

What's a Referral Worth?

In today's economy, it's tough to be a salesman. If you think about it, in any job you are trying to sell something. Whether it's your service, your product, or yourself, whether you already have the customer, you have to KEEP selling them in order to keep their business. It's a tough market out there with a lot of competition. People are not afraid to do their research to go and find the best deal, whatever that may be.

You speak to any person who knows about sales or marketing and they will tell you that the best form of advertising is word of mouth, or referrals. What will increase that word of mouth traffic? Probably a reward or two for the person that sent business your way. The truth is that if your face is on TV or you have commercials everywhere, the odds that someone is going to use your product or service may be high. But if Tina's friend Wanda tells her that your service is the bomb.com, Tina is going to trust Wanda. And you should thank Wanda, because Tina is probably not the only one who listens to her. A tiny act of thanking someone in a big or little way could go miles for your business.

Think about growing your business and solidifying your customer base with a gift for those who give you the greatest compliment of all- a referral. Big gift or small gift, they will appreciate the fact that you took the time to thank them, even when they weren't expecting anything from the mention of how great a job you do. So ask yourself next time you get a referral- what is it worth?

Competition and Rewards Breed Health and Wellness!

It's human nature to be driven by competition. We see everyday in the media and television about how our desire for "things" got us into the mess that is the economy right now.  Like it or not wanting to be the best, or have the most is what drives humans in a lot of ways, whether we like it or not.  We can take these forces of competition and things and bring them together to motivate each other to being better. Companies have been implementing health and wellness competitions of all different shapes and sizes to see great improvement in employees' well-being.  Most people do not shy away from competition in any form so turning healthy behaviors into a way to "win" is a solution that many companies are finding is a fun, cost-effective, and rewarding way to improve wellness in the workplace.



With this improved well-being comes less spending on prescription costs and doctors visits. Sick days are taken less which means increased productivity for the company.  Not to mention healthy behaviors of eating right and physical activity  are known to increase morale.



No matter how you choose to implement a program, whether it's to create a "healthy" competitive spirit in the office with prizes or incentives as the goal, or just overall wellness pride, consider putting a program into place that will not only be a great business decision, but a moral one as well.

Now let's all drink to our health!