Office Hours: 3 Ways Wendy's Empowers and Engages Their Employees

Updated: June 20, 2025

By: Cornerstone Editors

1 MIN

This post is part of our "Office Hours" video series, featuring quick career, workplace and leadership tips from talent management experts and business leaders across the globe.

Investing in employee engagement doesn't just improve the well being of your workforce—it also drives profits. According to a Hay Group study that looked at responses from millions of employees worldwide, companies that score highest in employee engagement earn 2.5 times more revenue than others.

Coley O'Brien, Vice President of HR at Wendy's knows this. That's why, as he explains in this video, he considers employee engagement part of his core business strategy.


From Turlock, California to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, O'Brien meets with Wendy's general managers and shares with them three pieces of advice: recognize employees for their hard work, invest in employee training and development and inspire your employees by invoking a common purpose.

All employees, from janitor to fry cook, should be empowered to realize that their work enables not only their own advancement, but also that of a global powerhouse.

Photo: Creative Commons

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