Gone are the days when a pat on the back for a job well done or a gold watch after 25 years of service were enough to keep employees happy , productive and in the end profitable.

Different employees need to be rewarded in different ways. You may wish to rewarded in different ways at different times of your life and career.

For example if you are a person who is newly married and saving for a home the best reward for you may be an increase in pay.

However s several years later with a young you may felt that the best rewarded is time off or 3 day weekends in the summer to better spend precious time with his family.

Good managers and supervisors are flexible in their reward tactics. Employee recognition and reward programs are often now be seen as an investment rather than an expense.

Traditionally recognizing superior job performance beyond the old fashioned compliment and occasional bonuses has previously not been a priority or concern in most Human Resource (HR) departments,

And to make matters worse often bonus or reward programs were changed in midstream.

This changing of the rules was often done arbitrarily on the whim of "management privilege" causing frustration on the part of employees and often great resentment. As a result morale suffered often in the most productive employees on staff. It is often said that 85% of the results in any organization and certainly the role models of new employees come from the top 15 % of staff.

You should be aware of a major trend that is brewing in the workforce.

Masses of the most senior, experienced employees that were born during the "Baby Boom" are getting ready for their retirement and thus exiting the work force.

As a result many job seekers and employees are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their employment expectations,

What can you ask for from your management superiors and as well look for in their hiring process?

Employment recognition , awards and remuneration come in many varied forms from simple salary increases , bonus structures , physical rewards of course such as shiny plaques and art work ,

Employees can be rewarded in "point to point reward programs for high end merchandise, memberships in elite clubs and health clubs can also be a form of remuneration to look for.

As well you could be rewarded as an employee by expensive dinners, sports tickets, vacations and of course physical cash bonuses.

However be aware of awards that are "not rewards "well at least to you.

The interviewer or manager may speak strongly of a "trip "to some exotic location such as Hawaii or Fiji. However once there it turns out that this trip is actually a "Moonie company indoctrination "session where you are held captive in an isolated resort compound: You will be lucky if you see the light of day outside of the " meeting" and in the evening slave over so called vital "reports" and assignments .. So much for the "trip' being a reward.

In the end as in life the simple things are really what to look for in the hiring and employee recognition process.

Either some form of effective increased salary be it a simple salary or bonus structure , increased time off vacations , 3 day weekends, shorter day periods or a benefit that you would otherwise have to pay out of your pocket for example a company car , lunch allowance or a paid health care plan are best.

At the worst as your grandmother may have told you "When in doubt give cash ".