Conscience: Franchise owner sells corporate gifts to give employees bonuses

The owner of a Burger King franchise in Arizona was thrilled to have won the company's national "Franchisee of the Year" award, but instead of keeping the Corvette and Rolex watch he was awarded, he and the other franchise owners decided to sell them, add in some more of their own money and give all of their employees across the state bonuses.

Tom Barnett, owner of Barnett Management, won the coveted prize thanks to high ratings, great customer service reviews and stellar corporate inspections, but when it came time to enjoy the flashy prizes he received, Barnett and the other franchise owners decided they wanted to sell them.

"The award needed to go to the people who got us here. It was the right thing to do," franchise co-owner Shelley Krispin said. "We're all better when we have people who work for us long term."

After selling the car and expensive watch, Barnett pooled some of his own money in with the other franchise owners and were able to give out a total of $120,000 to more than 100 employees across their 24 Burger King locations in Arizona.

"I just couldn't believe it. I was in shock," 15-year-old Charity Callahan said. "It was almost an entire month's worth of pay for me. They made us all feel appreciated."

"For him to give us that was really emotional," store manager Sandy Olson said.

The bonuses reportedly ranged from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars per person.