Recognition at Pizza Hut
By Ph.D. Bob Nelson
When Mike Rawlings became president and chief concept officer of Pizza Hut, he developed a three-part plan to rejuvenate the company's operations: (1) improve the company's products, (2) redesign the company's restaurants, and (3) energize the company's employees.
Rawlings quickly accomplished the first two goals by developing new toppings for the restaurants, selling off hundreds of restaurants to franchisees, and creating a plan to upgrade the company's remaining restaurants.
Much of his time, however, has been devoted to accomplishing his third goal --- energizing the company's employees. It did not take Rawlings long to discover the key to energizing employees: rewards and recognition. Here are just a few of the ways that Pizza Hut rewards and recognizes its employees:
The Big Cheese ward is perhaps Pizza Hut's most coveted award, and it is the highest level of corporate recognition. Rawlings has personally presented this award ---- a yellow foam rubber wedge of cheese that fits neatly on the recipient's head --- to more than 300 of the company's highest performing employees and franchisees. Each proud award recipient also receives a photo of the presentation.
Star Tracks is an awards program that recognizes and rewards managers, area coaches, and market coaches for their ability to grow Pizza Hut, run great restaurants, develop great teams, and make plans. Rewards include team dinners and celebration trips for the recipient and guest.
Quarterly bonuses are awarded to general mangers based on the size of the manger's restaurants and its performance on a variety of measures.
Do rewards and recognition make a different at Pizza Hut? The answer is an unqualified yes! Just ask Harold Edwards, a 25-year Pizza Hut veteran who managers an outlet in an inner city Kansas City neighborhood. Edwards was totally surprised when Rawlings personally showed up to present him with the Big Cheese award, which Edwards displays proudly at home on his mantel. "It shows that management cares. If they don't care, why should we? My customers call me Mr. Cheesehead now. Okay, I'll take that."
"It's just a piece of foam," says Joe Bosch, Pizza Huts chief people officer, "but you see these veterans get tears in their eyes when they get one. It's a powerful thing."
