Al,
I see your point, and we will need to agree to disagree.
My thinking is this..
If a company wants loyalty from an employee, then they need to give it first.
The best employees are those that stay for a lifetime. It is most important for an organization to provide a decent life for those earn it by giving so much of themselves.
Now, I know that a company needs to be profitable, and I am all for it. Sticking it to employees, however, is the worst way to become more profitable.
Employees are not simply cattle. They are the life Blood of any company and are human beings. It is your employees that can either make or break you. If you are not providing benefits or a decent salary to your employees, how could a company expect to keep good people? If she felt well treated by the company, she would have never left.
Earlier, you talked about employees that pocketed cash even when a camera is on them. If they were paid a better salary, don't you think that they will be LESS inclined to theft? If employees feel that they work for a great company that treats them well, don't you think they would work harder and be more faithful? The term "you get what you pay for" applies here.
This is only my opinion.
Yes I did vote for Christie. I am a Republican. Republicans do not believe in being unfair (at least the ones I know). Most believe what I have written above and feel that the market should drive the above points instead of the Feds.
To answer your question about the other employees that did not get on the show... Most companies have "employee of the month" or other forms of recognition. This is nothing new or different.