Occasionally, the managers will offer beer and pizza at a meeting to encourage others to attend. Some larger corporations, however, have found that anonymity works better for their employees. McCabe says the phone number, which is advertised on posters in the back of the house and in the employee manual, averages about three to four calls a day. Au Bon Pain uses its weekly employee newsletter to remind staff members about the company's suggestion hotline. About every two months, corporate managers meet to consider the accumulated suggestions and decide which are the most applicable and beneficial.
Suggestions range from recipe ideas to helpful management hints.
Someone else called in and talked about using double-sided tape to hang safety signs. It's amazing how involved people are. . . . We're asking for their involvement and giving them the opportunity to be involved in the growth of the company. But unless you are working in the field day in and day out, you can't. The employees know things better than we do.