Reward Employees To Recruit Your Next Hire

Filling open positions in school nutrition programs is harder than ever, but your best recruiters may already be on the payroll. Employees know the job, the schedule, and the culture better than anyone—and they’re connected to parents, retirees, students, and community members who value flexible school-day work. By offering a clear incentive, such as a $100–$250 bonus once a new hire completes 90 days, you turn your team’s pride and word-of-mouth into a powerful hiring engine. Rewarding staff for referrals not only fills vacancies faster, it boosts morale and strengthens your program from the inside out.

Why Employee Referrals Work

People trust recommendations from people they know. A quick conversation between one of your cashiers and a neighbor is far more persuasive than a job board listing. When staff share what they enjoy—student smiles, summers off, paid training—they paint a relatable picture of the work. This authentic voice can reach groups you’d never find through traditional advertising.

Make It Easy and Worthwhile

If you want staff to recruit, give them the tools and motivation. Get confirmation from your state agency that the program is an allowable recruitment expense and obtain the proper district permissions including school board approval. Publicize the referral program at staff meetings, in handbooks and newsletters. Explain the reward clearly as in the sample policy below. Recognize employees who succeed with a public thank you. Even if your budget doesn’t allow cash, simple rewards like prime reserved parking spots can still motivate.

Sample Employee Referral Program Rules

Equip Staff with Referral Cards

One of the simplest tools is a referral card—a small, business-size card your staff can hand out when they meet someone interested in part-time work. You can easily create professional-looking referral cards with a QR code in Canva and print them on heavy cardstock at your office. This gives staff something tangible to hand out while keeping the process simple for you.

Open House

Another effective way to spark interest is to host an open house in one of your kitchens. Invite current employees to bring along family and friends who might be interested in part-time or full-time work. A short tour, a chance to meet the team, and light refreshments give prospective applicants a clear picture of the job and the supportive culture they’d be joining. This informal setting makes it easier to ask questions, see the work environment, and often turns curiosity into actual applications and referral rewards for employees.

Keep It Fair

While referral programs can be powerful, they shouldn’t be your only hiring strategy. Relying exclusively on employee referrals may unintentionally narrow your candidate pool or create perceptions of favoritism. To avoid these risks, treat referrals as just one tool in a larger recruitment kit that also includes online job postings, social media, and community outreach flyers. Keep your hiring process transparent and fair by using a consistent set of objective interview questions for every candidate and score responses using a simple rubric. This ensures each applicant—whether referred or not—is evaluated on the same criteria, protecting your program from bias and reinforcing a culture of equity and professionalism.

Final Thoughts

A structured referral program with clear rewards and easy tools transforms your staff into proud ambassadors. Every referral strengthens your team, reduces turnover, and frees you to focus on leadership and innovation instead of constant hiring. Empowering and rewarding employees for referrals creates a culture shift that makes everyone feel like a partner in the program’s success.