With Employee Appreciation Day coming up this Friday, March 4th, workplaces around the country are looking for ways to say “thank you” to their workers. Yet with almost half of the workforce feeling underappreciated, employee appreciation needs to be a year-round effort, not just a single day.
We’re thrilled to release our new promotional video of our Warehouse Dash® event! Our creative team has been hard at work putting this video together, and we’re truly excited to share it with you. See what the buzz is all about here.
Make this the year that you become a better manager, develop a stronger employee base, and create a more meaningful and thriving workplace. If it sounds like too much to tackle in a year's time, look at these three simple resolutions you can make today, and use them as inspiration for your year ahead.
Welcome to the latest issue of "Hindastry News" - Hinda's corporate newsletter.
"Hindastry News" brings you the latest on the happenings at Hinda.
This issue includes:
If you know someone who would benefit from receiving communications like this from Hinda, have them e-mail Alisa Schafer (aschafer@hinda.com) and ask to be added to the distribution list.
Also be sure to check out and subscribe to the Hinda Blog.
Click here for the current issue of Hindastry News.
Since 1995, the first Friday of March has been designated Employee Appreciation Day! Why not go the extra mile today for those who go the extra mile (or more) for your business? Here are some ideas:
Recognition is a powerful motivator, and it will mean a lot to your staff if you do something nice to thank them for all their hard work.
Who knows? Maybe they'll actually remember Boss's Day this year!
In the last month alone, several great articles have come to our attention focused on just how important wellness in the workplace is. Clearly this is not just a passing fad, but an issue of growing concern that is calling for immediate attention and action. Employees and companies as a whole are responding very positively to wellness incentives and fitness programs. Hopefully some of these stories will inspire you to instill a wellness initiative at your company – or at least change a few habits to benefit your own life.
To begin, an article in EXPERIENCE LIFE magazine (a publication of LIFE TIME FITNESS) titled “Healthy Profit” makes the case for employee wellness as a means for increasing productivity and reaping fiscal benefits. The article centers on three US companies – SAS, Patagonia and Hypertherm – that are putting the well-being of their employees first and rewarded handsomely in the form of low employee turnover and decreased medical plan costs.
The article points to a study published in the February 2012 issue of Health Affairs that found that “for every dollar invested in a comprehensive workplace wellness program, companies saved $3.27 in medical costs and $2.73 in costs related to absenteeism.” According to “Healthy Profits,”
…the days of simply tacking up a smoking-cessation poster and calling it a wellness program are quickly coming to an end. In a world of ballooning healthcare costs and exhausted employees, more businesses are adopting comprehensive workplace wellness programs that pay closer attention not just to the physical health of their workforces, but also to their employees’ overall sense of well-being.
A few examples of the initiatives these companies have adopted include onsite daycare, onsite health centers, subsidized healthy lunch programs, paid leave for parents of sick children, free yoga, paid time off to volunteer, wellness fairs and fitness club membership reimbursement. We’ll note that these companies are exceptional examples and not every organization is able to adopt all of these initiatives; however, making small changes now will go a long way with regard to your employees’ well-being.
The September/October issue of Premium Incentive Products also features a case study focused on employee wellness, titled “Working Toward Wellness at Hilton Head Health.” According to the article, Hilton Head Health, or H3, is a premiere health and wellness center in Hilton Head, SC.
When H3 implemented a physical fitness support system, “The benefits were immediate,” says president and CEO Robert Moore. “The first year was a 3 percent reduction in premiums, and the second year a 7 percent reduction at a time when premiums were increasing 12 to 15 percent.
In order to be effective, of course, a program such as this has to be widely accepted by the staff, and H3 is a great example of a program not only being widely accepted but successfully implemented and expanding, as well. “While H3 employees might know more about fitness and be healthier than the average worker, it also proved to be a challenge to increase the level of H3’s employees’ fitness. Enter the idea of incentives, challenges, classes and a little friendly competition to get the ball rolling.”
At H3, each activity is based on a point system. A highly visible leader board is updated with top performers’ names and points awarded and employees are encouraged to compete not only with each other, but with themselves. Completing fitness classes, competing in races and taking healthy cooking classes are all eligible for points. Other types of activities include book club, volunteering, webinars, biking, swimming and walking. This shows that not only is H3 concerned with wellness, but the overall well-being of its employees.
As quoted in the article, CEO Moore says, “I’m a believer in incentives. You have to get people to try living healthier lives, then they develop the habit and they won’t want to give it up. There is no better way to do that with incentives.”
As a recognition company with our own wellness initiative, we couldn’t have said it better ourselves. And especially with the holiday season quickly approaching, what better way to fend off cold and flu season than by adopting some of these wellness principles now!
Based on a foundation of innovation and success, two leaders in the managed recognition and rewards industry have joined forces. Hinda Incentives based in Chicago has been acquired by the TharpeRobbins Company Inc. headquartered in Statesville, N.C. The companies will continue to operate separately under their current leaderships, with Brett Tharpe as president and chief executive officer of TharpeRobbins and Dave Peer as president of Hinda Incentives.
“This strategic merger combines the strengths of two companies built on innovation, customer service and flexibility,” Tharpe says. “Together we will strengthen our consultative services, rewards and new programs to help our customers achieve higher levels of employee engagement and retention in an increasingly competitive labor market.”
“The collective strength of our companies and our commitment to the incentive industry will provide clients with the best possible resources when implementing reward and recognition programs,” Peer says. “With TharpeRobbins’s expertise in the employee arena and Hinda’s expertise in the consumer, sales and channel programs, the products and services offered by each company naturally complement one another. It is an ideal fit.”
Hinda’s focus remains on being the premier award supplier offering innovative technology and award solutions. Through infinitE℠, the 40-year-old Hinda Incentives offers millions of reward choices ranging from brand-name merchandise and digital awards to books and entertainment with flexible solutions and well-developed web platforms for program management.
TharpeRobbins is one of the first companies to bundle program design and administration with product fulfillment, thereby providing human resources professionals with one-stop shopping for employee recognition solutions. With its world-class technology, ranging from basic reporting to full system integration for service and performance awards programs, TharpeRobbins offers options that are easily configurable.
“Today’s dynamic workforce is diverse with rapidly changing interests,” Tharpe says. “This merger will enable us to bring ever creative solutions while identifying emerging trends. We will be able to provide even greater program configuration and corporate personalization in the products we offer, as well as in the presentation of the awards.”
For more than 100 years, TharpeRobbins’ rich history as an innovator has covered the breadth of managed reward and recognition programs. The company fosters superior performance by creating new standards for employee recognition and rewards through imaginative solutions, cutting edge programs, flawless execution, professional service and world-class technology. TharpeRobbins built its reputation on developing customized programs to help clients reach their employee attraction and retention goals. The company is passionate about recognition because they know that an engaged workforce produces satisfied customers, which in turn produces more business. With TharpeRobbins, Recognition Changes Everything.
The privately-held TharpeRobbins was created through the February 2007 merger of The Robbins Company, founded in 1892, and the Tharpe Company Inc., founded in 1981. The company headquarters are located on a 25-acre campus in Statesville, N.C. and include an extensive showroom and state-of-the-art distribution facility. The ISO-certified Attleboro, Mass., operations include creative services, software development and jewelry manufacturing.
