Give staff some control
After some employees called for higher wages, Michael West—FSA director of campus dining for Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, N.Y.—started offering a quarterly raise if his team reached goals in four different team competencies. If they do not reach their goals, no one receives a raise. The incentive creates more collaboration between patient feeding and retail, and helps the department remain a competitive employer, West says.
The dining team at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., offers a portfolio of bonuses to keep staff engaged. Marist’s Dining Services team thrives on these incentives, says Vanessa Renta, director of operations for Sodexo at the college. Each semester, employees can earn gift cards and products for attendance, meeting uniform standards or excellence in controlling food costs. Not only does the program add to the employee’s wage, but it helps create awareness of hazards, Renta says.