Peer-to-peer recognition is an important part of company culture and employee engagement. Not only does this strengthen an organisation's values and culture, but it also helps employees build a stronger sense of community and collaboration with one another—two things that are essential for successful teams.
That's why a single appreciation message can make a massive difference on an employee's day.
But sometimes, we don't always have the right words to say. On top of that, the last thing you want is for it to sound like a line out of a movie or something completely forced.
From examples of appreciation quotes for your employees to how to effectively relay these messages, here’s everything you need to know. Click to jump to the respective sections:
- How to effectively show appreciation to employees and teammates
- 58 Examples of Employee Appreciation Quotes To Recognise Your Staff
- Employee appreciation quotes for outstanding performance and work ethic
- Employee appreciation quotes for teamwork and collaboration
- Employee appreciation quotes for work anniversaries and key milestones
- Employee appreciation quotes for the simple things
- Employee appreciation quotes for exemplary behaviour
- Employee appreciation quotes for employees leaving the company
- Ways to show your appreciation for employees within the organisation
- Your words have the power to make a difference in the workplace
- Frequently asked questions on employee appreciation quotes
How to effectively show appreciation to employees and teammates
A set of guiding principles that many HR managers and People leaders follow when implementing their recognition program is the R.I.S.E method.
This concept highlights how employee appreciation should be regular, immediate, specific, and encouraging.
- Regular
Frequent recognition helps organisations build consistent engagement loops and a strong sense of community.
A study conducted by Brandon Hall Group showed that employees who receive regular recognition are 34% more likely to see increased engagement within the team, and 41% more likely to see a boost in employee recognition.
2. Immediate
Why wait for the perfect time to send words of appreciation to your employees? Reality check: there is no "perfect time". Gratitude should never be delayed, especially in workplace environments.
Employers and managers should always make it a point to provide instant feedback while it's still top of mind for the recipient. This ensures that it's relayed and communicated when it's most relevant and valuable.
3. Specific
Giving objective and specific feedback gives employers a chance to highlight the areas where their staff are excelling.
For instance, instead of giving vague comments like a simple "Good work", make it a point to be more detailed and give feedback such as "Your content strategy is really unique and innovative. Thank you for your dedication and hard work!" With that, they are more likely to repeat these specific behaviours in the future.
4. Encouraging
Do you think harsh, straightforward feedback or encouraging words will make a positive impact on your people? There's no doubt that it's definitely the latter. Tough love leadership may work for some, but it certainly isn't the only way to show appreciation to your employees.
When leaders take the time to encourage and recognise their staff in a meaningful manner, this cultivates a culture of appreciation and motivates them to carry on this behaviour throughout the entire team.
58 Examples of Employee Appreciation Quotes To Recognise Your Staff
To get your creative juices flowing, we've come up with 58 genuine quotes and messages to recognise your teammates and employees for their efforts in the workplace (without the cringe).
- Employee appreciation quotes for outstanding performance and work ethic
- Employee appreciation quotes for teamwork and collaboration
- Employee appreciation quotes for work anniversaries and key milestones
- Employee appreciation quotes for the simple things
- Employee appreciation quotes for exemplary behaviour
- Employee appreciation quotes for employees leaving the company
Employee appreciation quotes for outstanding performance and work ethic
- Your incredible attention to detail and hard work is what make you stand out in the whole team. Keep it up!
- Fantastic job on completing your work well and on time. Your hard work and dedication did not go unnoticed!
- We see you for all the late nights you've put into working on that sales pitch deck. Now treat yourself to a good rest because you deserve it.
- Whether it's with their teammates or with a project, the ideal employee is one that never fails to make a positive impact at work. Kudos to you!
- The statistics on your latest project are looking promising. Great job on setting the bar for what a successful campaign should look like!
- You have always embodied outstanding behaviour in the way you work. On behalf of the company, thank you for leading by example in the way you work each day!
- You have made a meaningful contribution to the company's success and have always stood by the company's expectations. Excellent work!
- Congratulations on securing the account you've been working so hard for the past few months! It was an uphill battle, but you made it.
- In each job or project assigned to you, you never fail to deliver high-quality work with timely results.
- Having you on my team has been my greatest honour as a manager. Today, you deserve all the recognition and praise!
Employee appreciation quotes for teamwork and collaboration
11. You have been such a remarkable team player and we are lucky to have you!
12. From those early mornings to late nights, we saw the mutual efforts you and the team have put into delivering that killer presentation. Amazing work!
13. Thanks to your collaborative spirit, you managed to break the ice even with our introverted employees!
14. We love seeing the habit of peer to peer recognition among the team. Keep it up!
15. I appreciate the time and effort you put into our last team-building activity. Now, everyone's hooked on Avalon thanks to you!
16. Your innovative thinking and valuable insight have given a brand new meaning to our current project. Let's nail this presentation and give it one last push, team!
17. We hope you realise the positive effect you have on others!
18. Thank you for always being such a team player in everything you do. The team wouldn’t be the same without you!
19. Did you know your colleagues are always talking about your helpful attitude? Thank you for being such a role model to all!
20. Thank you for taking the time to always help coworkers when they need help!
Employee appreciation quotes for work anniversaries and key milestones
21. We want to make you feel valued on this special occasion. Thank you for your continuous contributions to the company and your years of service!
22. You've been absolutely crushing your personal goals lately. Great work!
23. May this little token of appreciation motivate you to work harder in the days to come. Happy employee appreciation day!
24. A great employee is like a four-leaf clover; hard to find and lucky to have. We hope you always take these words of encouragement with you!
25. The best employees are the ones who always take initiative and go the extra mile even when they don't have to. Yes, we're talking about you!
26. The energy you constantly bring into the office is contagious. Keep it up, rockstar.
27. Seeing you crush your personal milestones and progress makes me lucky to be your manager.
28. In your fifth year with the company, we want to celebrate and recognise you today. Happy work anniversary!
Employee appreciation quotes for the simple things
29. The appreciation messages you send the team really make all the difference in the way they start their days.
30. Here's a personal note to kickstart your day. Excellence is not a skill, it's an attitude; something you embody incredibly well.
31. Employee appreciation day is overrated. We believe employees like you deserve to hear appreciation words every day.
32. You always make it a point to keep the pantry and shared kitchen clean. We love to see it!
33. Your sense of humour is what keeps the team going when during tough days!
34. We love seeing the appreciation messages that you give your colleagues on Slack every day!
35. Thank you for inspiring your team members to give employee appreciation messages for exemplary workplace attitudes on our Teams channel!
36. Game night was such a hit thanks to you. Good work on getting the whole team together and putting your Codenames skills to the test!
37. Because your office desk is so aesthetically pleasing, you got everyone doing the same for theirs too!
Employee appreciation quotes for exemplary behaviour
38. Your unique perspective on handling workplace rejections has been refreshing for the team.
39. Not a single day has gone by where you haven't given 100% in everything assigned to you.
40. A hard worker like you deserves all the praise today.
41. Thank you for always going the extra mile to ensure new joiners feel welcome in their first week.
42. Each day, you inspire us with your sense of vigour and positive outlook on life even when the going gets tough.
43. The office is a happier place with you in it. Thanks for all the laughs and cheer!
44. The perfect employee is one that motivates his boss as much as his boss motivates him.
45. We love seeing you bring our company values to life through your hard work.
46. Hard-working employees like you bring out the best in others. Thank you for being an inspiration to your colleagues every day!
47. You are always going above and beyond to upgrade your skills at any given chance.
48. You never fail to make everyone’s day better when you’re around!
Employee appreciation quotes for employees leaving the company
49. You've been nothing but a massive inspiration to the entire team. We look forward to seeing what's next on your journey toward success!
50. It makes us extremely proud to have had you be a part of our organisation. On behalf of the entire company, thank you for your dedication and countless contributions!
51. No matter where you go, always remember that you are destined for greatness. All the best in your future endeavours!
52. We hope to see you achieve all your goals, both personally and professionally. Here's wishing you all the success on your next journey!
53. It may not have been a long time, but it makes us proud to say that we've had an exemplary employee like you on our team.
54. "Before you can have great employees, you have to put them in a position to create their own future". We hope you've learned something from us as much as we have learned from you.
55. Your efforts in leading the team will not go to waste. Thank you for being a valuable team member in these past few years!
56. Your contributions over the years have been pivotal to the company's success. We appreciate all your hard work!
57. Before you go, we want to take this time to express gratitude and our utmost thanks for your hard work and dedication. We look forward to seeing what's next for you!
58. From new skills to your personal growth, we are proud to see everything you've achieved during your time with us. Here's to your next adventure!
Ways to show your appreciation for employees within the organisation
Now that you have an idea of the different types of employee recognition messages for your people, all that's left to do is determine the medium where you can communicate these messages.
The good news is that there's no one single way to do it. As a leader, it's your job to find out which methods are most effective in relaying or delivering your unique employee appreciation messages.
Here are a few simple ways you can send those recognition messages.
- Go traditional and send them a hand-written note on behalf of the company.
- Give your employee a shoutout on the company's social media channels.
- Feature your staff in the monthly newsletter to praise employees' hard work.
- Make the effort to send a personalised gift to your employee, along with the recognition message.
- Create a company-wide employee recognition feed to showcase your messages.
Your words have the power to make a difference in the workplace
Who said showing employee appreciation within the organisation had to be complicated?
We are often so caught up with the destination that we forget the journey, and the people we worked alongside during that time. It's time to take a pause and show gratitude to those who have shown incredible effort and dedication to elevating your business' success.
Whether it's positive feedback on their recent performance or a simple pick-me-up, simple acts of recognition through employee appreciation messages have the power to give an employee their best day at work; your team appreciates it more than you think. And if you're looking to improve your employee satisfaction survey scores, this is a low-cost, high-impact way to do so too.
But don't be limited to what's only on this list. These employee appreciation quotes are meant to serve as an inspiration and a way for you to create your own messages that will inspire your team in a unique way.
Don't forget: words have impact. Make the most out of it.
Frequently Asked Questions On Employee Appreciation Quotes
Q1. What are the best appreciation words for a team member?
Whether is it showing appreciation for the whole team or expressing gratitude towards your ideal employee, a personal note is a valuable way to recognise your employees' hard work. Such as saying:
"Thanks for your support and assistance on this project!", "Thank you for helping me whenever I need your help, especially on the recent deadlines."
When you use these appreciation words, don't forget to add in your own unique perspective, or align your employee appreciation quotes to company values.
Q2. How do you appreciate someone for great work?
The best way to show employee appreciation for great work is to highlight their specific efforts and dedication.
Your words can inspire them to work harder, especially when you share how much you are proud of them every single day, or how the employee took the initiative to improve their skills which serves as an inspiration.
Q3. What should I write for employee appreciation?
Employee appreciation messages are aimed at the employees to show them how their actions had a significant impact on this organisation.
Such as "Just wanted to remind everyone that every single little thing in your daily life makes an enormous difference." Or "Thank you so much for the dedication shown by you during the first week at our office."
Your recognition words should reflect your sincere gratitude, and call out instances where they did good work.
Q4. How do you say thank you very professionally?
There is high value in saying thank you in business.
To say thank you very professionally, you should mention the reason why you are giving recognition to your colleagues. Mention in your appreciation quotes what that employee did, and the reason why you are giving them recognition.
Examples of giving appreciation professionally include saying:
- Why you are proud of the employee
- How did they show dedication and excellent work
- What effort did they put into the project
- How did they display innovative thinking in the workplace
- When did they act according to company values or company culture
This allows you to show gratitude to your colleagues, express appreciation for their excellent work, or practice peer recognition where team members are encouraged to recognise each other every single day.
Showing appreciation at the workplace should happen beyond only on employee appreciation day.
