Birthday Cards and Wife Bonuses as Loyalty Locks

“In Japan's McDonald's restaurants, about six hundred thousand children's birth year, month, and day are recorded. A few days before each child's birthday, they receive a computer birthday card sent from a McDonald's restaurant; on their birthday, the children bring the card to McDonald's. The common practice of ordinary companies is to wish the children a happy birthday and give them some gifts. However, McDonald's style is different. In addition to saying "Happy Birthday" to the birthday child, the staff also claps to welcome their visit. Normally, children don't often get the reward of applause, so receiving such treatment at McDonald's naturally excites them.”

“Aside from bonuses at the end of June and the end of the year, McDonald's in Japan also gives out an additional bonus in April each year. The bonus in March is known as the "settlement bonus," which is not given directly to the employees but to their wives. If the employee is single, they receive it directly. Thus, the employees jokingly call it the "lady of the house bonus," because the company opens bank accounts in the names of the employees' wives and deposits the bonuses into each account, so that the husbands can't handle the money themselves. Why deposit the "settlement bonus" into the wives' accounts? I say this is to thank the wise supporters behind the scenes. I deposit bonuses into the accounts of the employees' wives and include a short letter: "The company's good performance is all thanks to the assistance of the wives. Although it is the husbands who are directly involved in work, without you, the wise supporters, the work achievements of your husbands would be greatly discounted. Therefore, this bonus is rightfully yours." Turns out, this "lady of the house bonus" has been very well received. Many wives have expressed their thanks. "This is the first time in my life I've received a bonus, I can't describe the joy I feel." "With this money, I bought glasses I've longed for." "I bought some new clothes for the kids, and everyone is happy." Other companies could follow McDonald's example and give half of the employees' bonuses directly to their wives.”