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Pieces come together to reveal new discount card
as a way of saying thanks to employees

All of the pieces now fit nicely into place – the final one added to the ITD Intranet site last week. And a complete picture has emerged.

Human Resource Services spent the past few weeks building a jigsaw puzzle on the right side of the Intranet to pique the interest of ITD employees. The result will be formally introduced next week during Public Employee Appreciation Week activities at Headquarters and district offices.

It’s called Perks – extra rewards for a job well done. Perks cards – which will open the door to myriad discount services and products – will be distributed beginning Monday as ITD’s way of saying thanks to employees.

HRS Manager Mary Harker first proposed the idea to her counterparts at other state agencies about four years ago when employee raises were put on hold.

“This is one way we thought we could help employees when they weren’t getting a raise,” Harker said.

She hoped to attract widespread buy-in by other state administrators and agencies for the formal program that is offered through PerksCards, a New York-based company.

Harker was unsuccessful in convincing the state to participate in the program, so she continued putting the package together on her own for ITD employees. The fruits of her labor will become widely known next week when cards are distributed.

PerksCards will be given to benefited employees following a brief ceremony in the Headquarters auditorium Monday and at district offices. Employees unable to pick up the discount cards in person can request one from HRS at Headquarters or from their respective district business managers.

Director Pam Lowe and Harker will introduce the discount card program at a 10 a.m. assembly in Boise. Following a brief presentation, employees will be able to pick up the cards – similar in size and look to a conventional credit card – in the auditorium. Distribution will continue until about noon. Employees are asked to pick up cards during a specified time, based on the first letter of their last name:

A-F – 10:00 a.m.-10:20 a.m.
G-L – 10:30 a.m.-10:50 a.m.
M-R – 11:00 a.m.-11:20 a.m.
S-Z – 11:30 a.m.-11:50 a.m.

“It doesn’t cost the state of Idaho anything from a taxpayer perspective,” Harker explains.

The program is administered by PerksCards without cost to state agencies or employees. Participating vendors and businesses are assessed a fee for promoting their products and services through the program. They offer discounts, coupons and special offers to cardholders through the program’s Web site, PerksCard.com. Savings can vary from 5 percent to more than 20 percent; two-for-one deals also are available.

After receiving the cards, employees will be directed to the Web site to register, choosing a user name and password and providing an e-mail address for direct special offers. Employees are asked to use personal e-mail addresses to prevent additional strain on the department’s e-mail system.

“I encourage employees to use the card and to buy from participating vendors who have invested in the program through advertising,” Harker says. “PerksCards can prove to be very valuable to employees, especially now when the economy is slow.”