20 Employee Recognition Examples Your Team Will Love

Employees are often more loyal to their company if they know their work is valued and appreciated. However, it’s not uncommon for employees to be caught up in their workday and forget to thank their peers for their hard work. While a simple “thank you” is certainly always worthwhile, a formal employee recognition program is a great way for everyone to celebrate wins big and small.

Download our free eBook, Elevate Your Culture With Kudos for more information on how to drive success through the power of recognition.

Employee Recognition Matters

According to Gallup,  40% of employees report receiving recognition just a few times a year or less. Implementing an effective employee recognition solution can have a massive impact on your organization. Organizations with formal recognition programs have 31% less voluntary turnover than organizations without one.

Employees at companies that have an effective recognition solution are five times as likely to be connected to company culture and four times as likely to be engaged. Implementing an easy-to-use recognition program for your employees is key to making recognition the foundation of your company culture.  

Types of Employee Recognition

Recognition should not be limited by who can send it –everyone in your organization should have a channel to give recognition. Here are the types of employee recognition:  ‍

Peer-to-peer recognition

‍Peer-to-peer recognition is when any employee can give praise to each other. Peer-to-peer recognition helps employees establish and maintain good relationships with their coworkers.

Leader-to-peer recognition

‍This is when a leader or someone at a manager or supervisory level gives recognition to someone  on their team. Leaders who provide recognition establish a positive environment and relationship within their team. Leading by example will also encourage your team members to send more recognition messages to their coworkers.  

Day-to-day recognition

‍Simple messages expressing gratitude keep employees constantly assured and motivated. This is when that simple “thank you” to someone on your team can go a long way.  

Milestones & Special Achievements

‍Birthday's, years of service, promotions, onboarding progress and learning and development achievements. Ensuring all of these important moments are recognized is a central part of building a culture and habit of recognition.

Awards & Nominations

‍Awards and Nominations allow a leader or peers to identify someone who meets specific criteria for an award or nomination. Nomination programs can highlight the skills that drive your organization to success and can help strengthen your overall recognition strategy.  

To learn more about nomination programs, you can read How to Get Nominations Right in 2022.

Being able to recognize your team in a variety of ways is what will take your employee experience and culture to the next level.    

Levels of Recognition in Kudos

The Kudos platform offers all types of recognition – gratitude, performance recognition, communicating good news, and celebrating achievements so you can build stronger connections with your team. When sending a message of recognition, users can select one of four distinct levels:

Thank You

This is an everyday appreciation moment. A simple act of appreciation at work where the behavior stood out or made your day.  

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Good Job

A “good job” is used for recognizing someone who has performed better than average or expected, or for acknowledging the completion of a milestone in a larger initiative.  

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Impressive

An “impressive” is for someone who made a noticeable difference or impact and raised the standard of delivery expectations. This can also celebrate the end of a large initiative that took significant time and effort.

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Exceptional

An “exceptional” is when someone has exceeded delivery, job responsibility and expectations. This could be used for someone going above and beyond, exceeding a goal or KPI or any other outstanding achievement.

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How to Write a Meaningful Recognition Message

“Recognition is a reward in itself. Any form of appreciation, even a small word, is important.” - Vikrant Massey

No matter how simple the message, you should never hesitate to recognize a colleague, but when your message is meaningful, it has the most impact.  

• Personalize it: make the message unique to them and tell them why you’re expressing your appreciation.  

• Acknowledge the impact: let them know how their hard work has contributed to the success. Mention how their work is valued.  
• Be positive: the tone of the message should be uplifting. Be mindful of the words you use and ensure your message is positive.  

Sending recognition doesn’t need to be time consuming. Crafting a meaningful message that really demonstrates your appreciation can be easy when you keep these tips in mind.  

Examples of Employee Recognition Messages

Sending recognition to your peers can have a big impact – even a simple thank you can go a long way. If you need help crafting the perfect recognition message, we’ve given 20 examples of recognition messages your employees will love:  

Performance Recognition:

1. Thank you for taking the time to add an agenda for our meeting today. Having a clear outline gave a much better understanding for everyone!

2. Fantastic job presenting in today’s meeting!  

3. I was very impressed with your review today, your attention to detail is much appreciated!  

4. Your dedication to this project truly made it a success. Well done!

5. You really went the extra mile on the finishing touches with our report today. Thanks again and great work!

6. Exceptional work on our monthly report today. Keep up the great work!

7. Your ability to put so much time and effort into even just the small things is what truly makes our success!

Personal Recognition:

8. I am so grateful for how much you have contributed lately; your hard work is admirable.  

9. Your diligence and commitment always amaze me! Working with you has been such a pleasure.  

10. Your positive and uplifting attitude is always refreshing in our meetings!  

11. You always meet expectations and deadlines, and I am always amazed by your work! Keep it up!  

12. I want you to know your work is always appreciated!

13. You are my inspiration every day!

14. Congratulations on hitting another milestone on this project! Your hard work is what will get us over the finish line!

15. It’s been such a pleasure working with you – I wish you all success in your next endeavors!

16. I am so lucky I get to work with someone like you every day!

Gratitude:

17. Thank you for taking the time to have a coffee with me today! I loved getting to know you better, and I look forward to our collaboration in the future.  

18. Thank you for helping me out today. You are always a team player, and I am grateful for your support!  

19. Thank you for your support today. Your kind words always put a smile on my face.  

20. Thank you for being my out-of-office contact and handling my emails with great communication while I was away!  

Employee recognition should be a vital part of your business. However, narrowing down the right recognition solution for your company can be challenging. We’ve made it easy for you in our free Employee Recognition Buyer’s Guide to help you find the perfect partner.