By George Anderson
Twenty-one employees at the Eegee's fast food chain in the Tuscon, Ariz. area received surprise bonuses from their bosses recently.
The company is having a good year, said co-founder Ed Irving, and it wanted to reward long-time employees (10 or more years on-the-job) that had helped it achieve success. The 21 receiving bonuses from $1,000 to $15,000 have over 300 years with Eegee's combined.
Jennifer Islam, a store manager with Eegee's, joined the company in 1990 when she was 16. On receiving the bonus, Ms. Islam told the Arizona Daily Star, "I was shocked. No way I expected that at all."
She added that the gesture from the company "made me feel appreciated. It's nice to get something back."
Dom Scala has been with Eegee's for 30 years working his way up from a sandwich maker at 16 to assistant director of operations today. Mr. Scala told the Daily Star the owners, Mr. Irving and partner Bob Greenberg, treat him and each other as though they were family.
Moderator's Comment: What lessons are there in this Eegee's story for other business owners and managers?
The author of the article, Richard Ducote, makes this observation: "We hear of bonuses in the millions going to corporate CEOs, some of whom are later charged with felonies and/or horrendous taste in decorating. But we hardly expect workers in the fast-food business to be getting bonus cash."
The insightful Mr. Ducote concludes, "Positive feedback is good. Positive feedback with cash is great." - George Anderson - Moderator