Employee appreciation is acknowledging an employee’s value as a person and not just by his/her accomplishments. While most organizations have some form of employee recognition program, employee appreciation is still deficient and, perhaps, all the more integral.
“More than half (53%) of employees admit they would stay longer at their company if they felt more appreciation from their boss.”
Glassdoor
According to Harvard Business Review, employees need recognition and appreciation because success and failure go hand-in-hand. To only reward employees for their success would leave out recognizing numerous other aspects of their makeup. And let’s face it; there are only so many employee rewards that can go around; for those left, appreciation is the ingredient lacking from the secret sauce of organizational success.
So, how does one go about a culture appreciation in a formal setting, where it should appeal to the individualistic sense of a person while also being professional and effective? From an organizational standpoint, incorporating employee appreciation quotes into your workplace culture alongside an employee recognition program should do the trick.
What Are Employee Appreciation Quotes?
Employee appreciation quotes are verbal/written expressions to show gratitude for an employee’s efforts or recognition towards contributions and achievements. This not only appreciates the employee’s tireless efforts but serves as a positive impact that motivates the entire team and increases the collaborative spirit.
“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care”.
Theodore Roosevelt
The primary purpose behind employee appreciation quotes is to create a happier work environment that indirectly positively affects productivity. The benefits of employee appreciation are as follows:
- Boosts morale: Being appreciated for effort motivates employees to work harder and pay more attention, as they believe they work in a nurturing environment.
- Improves employee engagement: When employees are appreciated, they feel more comfortable in the organization and are likelier to repeat this rewarding behavior and put in continuous efforts.
- Drives motivation: While recognition promotes a sense of competition, appreciation makes an employee feel acknowledged as an individual, and this motivates employees further as it increases job satisfaction.
While appreciation is usually verbal, several channels can be used effectively for employee appreciation quotes through emails, handwritten cards, and digital platforms. Thus, while not as elaborate or formal as employee recognition awards, employee appreciation quotes do hit the right note when making employees feel valued and appreciated; this, in turn, makes the workplace more productive and positive.
Through a culture of recognition, not only is employee engagement boosted, but through a public employee appreciation message, the importance of a supportive team to create a successful team too is reinforced, making collaboration a part of organizational culture.
How to Use Employee Appreciation Quotes (tried & tested by experts)
While having the appropriate quote in mind is one thing, how you present it matters in making a lasting impact.
“You never know when a moment and a few sincere words can have an impact on a life.”
Zig Ziglar
Here are 4 ways to use employee appreciation quotes effectively:
- Handwritten thank-you cards or notes: A sincere message goes a long way in making an employee feel appreciated and lending a personal touch.
- Emails: When recognizing an individual’s accomplishments or recognizing the efforts of a team, a quote can be added to the email to make the message more effective.
- Team meetings: Public acknowledgment also helps in motivating employees. During team meetings, an inspiring quote can highlight the employee’s achievements.
- Digital platforms: By showing appreciation through channels like Slack or the organization’s messenger, the appreciation can be shared publicly, which will also have the added impact of motivating other employees.
As you get the hang of and set a procedure for employee appreciation, you need to keep a fresh stock of quotes, as personalization comes from uniqueness, and people are sensitive to repetition. To start you off, here is a list of 35+ employee appreciation quotes segregated into 6 categories:
- General Appreciation: A simple message that acknowledges dedication and unwavering commitment.
- Teamwork and Collaboration: This should focus on the importance of teamwork and how team efforts pay off by creating collective success.
- Going Above and Beyond: Recognition of above-and-beyond-efforts is more personalized, as an individual’s outstanding performance is considered here.
- Leadership and Initiative: Here, the focus is on what makes an individual a leader, and this will encompass their mentorship abilities, initiative, and how they inspire others.
- Milestones and Achievements: Celebrating an employee’s key milestones are essential, as reaching the stage of achievement is an indicator of intense dedication and perseverance, which should be reinforced.
- Inspirational Quotes: Motivation is integral for continued efforts towards success, as such quotes inspire employees towards achieving new heights.
Employee appreciation must be consistently made a part of your company’s culture. When done with sincerity and consistency, you will see its positive effects on the organization. Oprah Winfrey’s famous commencement speech at Harvard in 2013 sums this up brilliantly:
[We] all want to know one thing: “Was that OK?” “Did you hear me?” “Do you see me?” “Did what I say mean anything to you?”
By making employee appreciation a part of company culture, you validate employees’ hard work and motivate them towards achievement that isn’t dependent on monetary benefits but on their need to excel.
35+ Employee Appreciation Quotes (recommended by industry experts)
To make incorporating employee appreciation easier for you, I have researched and arrived at this list of 35+ employee appreciation quotes that industry experts recommend. I have further segregated them into 6 categories so that you don’t have to read the whole list and just need to skip to the most relevant part when searching for a suitable quote. I recommend bookmarking this page so you have it handy for later reference.
1. General Appreciation
These general appreciation quotes are simple and heartfelt, what’s more, they are perfect for daily use. The focus is on acknowledging effort and dedication positively and encouragingly.
- You inspire wherever you go.
- You are a real asset to the team.
- Your contributions provide value.
- Your efforts have made a real difference.
- Your hard work does wonders for the team.
- You are one of the best colleagues to work with.
- You are doing fantastic; keep up the good work!
- You bring a dash of positivity just when it is needed.
- Your consistent dedication and commitment are appreciated.
- Your dedication and perseverance is what keeps this team on fire.
2. Teamwork and Collaboration
These teamwork and collaboration-centric quotes highlight the value of teamwork and the compounding effect of teamwork and can be used to celebrate collective achievements and unity.
- You make teamwork simple.
- You prove teamwork is smart work.
- Your enthusiasm drives this team.
- You set an impressive bar for the team.
- Collaborating with you is always a pleasure.
- You are the glue that holds the team together.
- We wouldn’t get this far without your support.
- Thank you for being the rock our team leans on.
- You are the compass that steers our team in the right direction.
- Thank you for being so open to sharing knowledge with others.
3. Going Above and Beyond
When employees exceed expectations or put in extraordinary efforts, going above and beyond quotes will be helpful for practical employee appreciation.
- Your energy is infectious!
- Your effort and dedication are motivators!
- We appreciate how you exceed expectations.
- Your commitment to excellence is remarkable.
- Your perseverance and consistency are outstanding.
- Thank you for being enthusiastic enough to go the extra mile.
- Your dedication and hard work make you a leader in your team.
- Your positive influence makes a big difference to overall team dynamics.
- Your example raises the bar and has helped to create an exceptional work ethic.
- Your dedication, perseverance, and patience make your colleagues look up to you.
4. Leadership and Initiative
The leadership and initiative-focused quotes below focus on an employee’s leadership qualities (inspiration, initiative, mentorship). These quotes also reflect how the employee’s positive leadership quality impacts the rest of the team.
- You are a born leader.
- Your mentorship makes teamwork easier.
- Your vision injects fresh life into projects.
- Your ability to inspire your team is commendable.
- You empower your team members toward success.
- Your guidance and leadership is invaluable to this team.
- Your support and teaching streamline the work process.
- Your proactiveness and initiative incite others to do better.
- Your support is the backbone for effective collaboration.
- Your leadership through example is a constant source of inspiration.
5. Milestones and Achievements
These quotes are for celebrating employee milestones and achievements to commend employees for their perseverance and dedication. These messages can be personalized further to accommodate specific milestones.
- Your achievements have made us proud.
- Success such as yours deserves celebration.
- Congratulations on this well-deserved success.
- Your achievements are a constant source of inspiration.
- I wish you the best in the successful completion of this milestone.
- You have done exceptionally well; we celebrate this success of yours!
- Your constancy and dedication over the past [years] are commendable.
- Well done on completing [this] milestone; your perseverance inspires others.
- Congratulations on completing this milestone; may you complete many more.
- Your dedication and contribution have been invaluable over the past [X years]
6. Inspirational Quotes
Thought leaders and industry pioneers are excellent sources of inspiration to motivate employees to strive toward excellence. These are some of my favorite inspirational quotes that will help you keep your team motivated toward perseverance, growth, and progress.
- “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs
- “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
- “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” – Theodore Roosevelt
- “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” – Nelson Mandela
- “The biggest risk is not taking any risk.” – Mark Zuckerberg
- “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill
- “Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out.” – Robert Collier
- “The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
- “Success is not about how much money you make, it’s about the difference you make in people’s lives.” – Michelle Obama
- “The key to success is to focus on goals, not obstacles.” – Brian Tracy
Conclusion
The greatest takeaway from employee appreciation is creating a healthy workplace culture of respect, engagement, and motivation. While on a busy workday, it might be challenging to think up a suitable employee appreciation quote; this list should make things easier for you or at least work as a starting point.