Incentive - November 2009 - (Page 8)

HEADLINES Amway Celebrates Fifty in Style PAGE 10 The global direct-selling organization pulls out all the stops for its golden anniversary incentive trip for 3,800 worldwide qualifiers in Las Vegas Bigger Is Better for Symantec PAGE 16 A rapid company expansion prompts the multinational software maker to adopt a central yet localized recognition program Incentive Federation Makes Inroads in DC BY LEO JAKOBSON AND DONNA M. AIROLDI n late October, a contingent led by George Delta, executive director of the Incentive Federation, sojourned in Washington, DC, to give the incentive industry a voice, educate members of Capitol Hill about how corporate safety and wellness programs can improve the health of the American workforce, and support a measure in the health care reform bill that makes wellness program awards valued up to $400 nontaxable to employees and deductible for employers. The one-day effort on Oct. 21 began with a 90-minute symposium at the Dirksen Senate Office Building, entitled “The Power of Incentives, Rewards, and Recognition in Driving American Business and Creating a Healthier Workforce.” The delegation then broke into groups of four to six for meetings with the staffs of Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Richard Durbin (DIL), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), and others. A last-minute addition was Representative I Kathy Dahlkemper (DPA), whom the industry group learned is a strong supporter of wellness programs. Her office asked the Incentive Federation for case studies of successful wellness incentive programs to help her cause. A clinical dietician before being elected to Congress in 2008, Dahlkemper recently penned an op-ed in a newspaper for Beltway insiders, which stated: “The health care plans circulating in Congress lack a proactive policy to help prevent chronic disease and promote health and wellness…We can prevent chronic disease and encourage wellness by incentivizing healthy behavior.” The full text can be found online at www.dahlkemper.house.gov, in the press release section. On Capitol Hill, Incentive Federation members made their case for incentives in driving corporate wellness programs, meeting with key senatorial staffers Recalling the meetings, Delta says, “The response exceeded my expectations,” noting that Schumer, Hatch, and Dahlkemper are staunch supporters of wellness programs and are committed to them. “Generally speaking, everyone liked the idea of using incentives to drive people to wellness programs,” he says. “A couple wondered about their effectiveness because some data show they do not work—mainly because most people fudge, saying they’ll do behavior X but then don’t. But all uniform- 8 | Incentive | November 2009 | incentivemag.com Photos: Peter Hart, Rideau Recognition Solutions Industry delegation promotes wellness incentives on Capitol Hill as part of health care reform bill http://www.dahlkemper.house.gov http://www.incentivemag.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Incentive - November 2009

Incentive - November 2009
Contents
Editor’s Note: Incentive Excellence Exchange
Headlines
Amway’s Over-the-Top 50th Anniversary Incentive Trip
Cover Story: Growing Globally, Software Developer Symantec Seeks Centralized Recognition
Strategies: Motivating the Six Workplace Personality Types
Primer: Five Tools CEOs Can Use To Improve Engagement
Travel News: Where to Go and How to Get There
Switzerland’s Incentive Offerings Are Legendary
Potentials: Here and Now
Digital Cameras for the Social Networking Era
Incentive Gift Card Directory

Incentive - November 2009