The foodservice industry has always had relatively high turnover, making employee recruitment and retention a challenge for management. Because it is costly and time consuming to regularly hire and train staff, operators not only have to figure out how to attract top talent, but once they acquire new staff, they also have to find a way to keep them.

“Good talent demands more than a paycheck and if you do not offer a competitive benefits package, your competitors will,” says Melissa Hulsey, president and CEO of The Ashton Group, in an article for Smart Business.

Amy Kaminski, director of marketing for Compdata Surveys, seems to agree: “Now, as companies are looking to expand their workforce again, they realize the need to offer a wide range of benefits in order to remain competitive in attracting and retaining top talent."

A good benefits package could give a business an edge as it motivates and engages its employees. Not only is it appealing to potential employees, it will likely win staff loyalty as more people are likely to stay in an environment in which they feel appreciated.

To help operators attract and retain top talent, the National Restaurant Association created the EmployeeEdge Program, which offers rewards, discounts, and resources to its members, where they will see their hard-earned cash go further at places they already shop, such as grocery and retail stores and gas stations.

There is also a Healthcare Discount Card from UnitedHealthcare that gives employees up to 50 percent off healthcare costs at the point of service and access to professionally-staffed hotlines for wellness advice.
Additionally, foodservice staff who do not have access to a checking account will have the opportunity to manage their money through the EmployeeEdge Prepaid Card –preloaded with the member’s paycheck –to be used as cash, at the ATM or to pay bills. Powered by Discover, Edge members can rest assured that their money is in capable hands.

In Hulsey’s article, she states, “Automating the enrollment process and ease of information regarding the benefit plan is very important to employees, as well. Offering an easy-to-use, Web-based system will bring added value to an existing benefits program.”

And that is exactly what Edge is. It is an online program that allows employees to sign up and manage their profile and finances themselves. It is an automated system that is as convenient for the user as it is for the administrator, who only needs to promote the program to the employees, or if he/she chooses to, purchase the card(s) on the employees’ behalf. After which, it is up to the employees to sign up and manage their accounts online.

As shown here, Edge can be many things to many people. It provides a broad range of services that will be sure to appeal to most, if not all, of the people who enter an establishment seeking employment. When employees feel satisfied and appreciated, it will help reduce the challenges in recruitment and retention, allowing operators more time and energy to focus on the other aspects of running a successful business.

{image: https://flic.kr/p/5WLLgY}