The technique with perhaps the greatest potential for immediate and measurable impact on business performance is to focus on employee contribution. Individuals or teams, perhaps the most leveragable resource of any business are its employees. Good and bad, the impact of the employee variable has tremendous implications on business performance. From recruiting and training, to productivity, to safety, to industrial relations, to quality control, to customer service, to referrals, to retention, every employee in an organization is an investment, and the ROI on each investment can vary greatly.

Creating a performance based Culture is certainly desirable, however it is not something achieved quickly. What can be done quickly is to narrow the focus on the performance change you are after. Once done you can use best practices to create an initiative which addresses the performance challenges preventing you from achieving your objectives.

We are not talking about just incentives. Certainly incentives have their place and are a time tested, proven tactic. However, short term "bonuses" which reward short term results are typically short lived. Integrated into the business improvement strategy must be a sustainable variable which continues forward when the initiative evolves or ends.

The sustaining variable can be things such as skills enhancement, deeper product knowledge, improved management practices, direct employee involvement in decision making, or visible and consistent efforts to change culture.

Recent surveys indicate that greater than 70% of all employees feel stress on the job, and that they are overworked. Combine this with the growing concept of "at will" employment, and it's easy to understand the lower sense of loyalty that many employees now feel. Annual raises are fast becoming a paradigm of the past. The new HR policy is trending more toward respecting longevity, but paying for performance. Managers continue to look for productivity increases, requiring employees to take on more responsibility, often times for the same pay. New systems promising time and cost savings don't always deliver. In the meantime, process changes can be disruptive and less productive. Solid and steady performance just doesn't seem to get anyone's attention. All this, while the complexity, uncertainties and demands of our personal lives have never been greater. Is it surprising that morale suffers and discretionary effort gives way to only "doing my job"?

Further study indicates that recognition by an employees direct manager is the most effective job motivator.Extensive survey work of thousands of employees have shed an interesting light on what makes a difference to employees and how managers can do a much better job of connecting with them. When asked why employees leave companies, ( or worse yet, quit and stay ) one of the most common responses and most significant influences was the lack of acknowledgement of their individual contributions. Further study indicates that recognition by an employees direct manager is the most effective job motivator. Individuals are driven toward circumstances which enhance their self esteem. Public recognition visibly reinforces an individuals self perception of worth.

As much of this has become common knowledge in understanding employee behavior, why then has common practice not appreciably changed?

The reality is that effective recognition takes focus and commitment. Today's managers find themselves stressed with too many priorities. Although they know they should do more relative to recognizing employee performance, too often it's not at the top of the list. In spite of this, many managers do a very good job of recognition. Unfortunately, too few, and their creativity and energy are hard to replicate across large organizations.

How do we effectively address this obvious, yet elusive challenge?

Our experience has shown that the single most important element of broad based recognition programs is "ease of use."Our experience has shown that the single most important element of broad based recognition programs is "ease of use."

A program which allows a manager to easily recognize an employee in a meaningful way, minimize administrative requirements, and continuously keep recognition top of mind, will be used and appreciated by managers. Tying the program theme and target behaviors into the Company's values and strategies, creates not only a visible recognition platform, but a mechanism to reinforce the key messages of senior management.

20/20 has created a powerful recognition platform which blends the needs of the direct manager for ease of use, with the needs of the employee for immediate and meaningful acknowledgement. We tailor each program to the clients' specific business environment. We provide all elements of program implementation, from strategy and design to measuring its effectiveness.

Significant money is being spent today on recognition in many businesses. The reality is that many of the efforts are fragmented, some have become stale, and a few have become an entitlement. It is entirely possible to redeploy the money currently being spent on legacy programs and revitalize your recognition efforts through better strategy and better execution.