Similarly, some managers at White Castle restaurants have started giving automatic retroactive wage increases to hourly employees after a period of time, such as 90 days or six months. It gets complicated, because they have to figure overtime, too. But we've found that statistically, if we can keep an employee for six months, we'll keep them for a while. Most of the turnover occurs during those first six months. We have a lot who have 10 or more years of service.
Bonuses can backfire, however.
Some operators report that new employees stay just long enough to collect, and then leave. Although money is always important, especially in getting a worker through the front door for the first time, it isn't the key factor in retaining employees, according to many. We have been treating employees as expendable people for too long. If you take care of your people first, the bottom line will follow. Pat Evans, director of training for KFC, agrees.