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In this digital age of instant messaging and non-stop emails, there’s something special about receiving a real, tangible letter. If you’re a leader looking to express recognition or appreciation to your employees, writing or typing out a personalized letter might be the most simple and cost-effective way to share your gratitude for their hard work.
As we mentioned in our article on how to give better employee recognition, taking the time to vary your recognition efforts is crucial to offering impactful recognition.
For example, if you’re accustomed to only offering verbal “good jobs” at the end of the week, taking the extra time to actually write out a recognition letter for those noteworthy achievements is a great way to show your gratitude for those extra big goals.
In spite of that, we know that as a leader, you are likely extremely busy. Writing a letter from scratch and coming up with the exact right words can be tough. So, we wanted to help you out by providing employee recognition letter templates you can use as a jump-off point. Remember: these letters are most impactful to the receiver when tailored to them. In short, be sure to add some extra words of your own to truly acknowledge and appreciate your employees.
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At work, many opportunities arise to offer employees a written note of recognition, encouragement, well wishes, or even condolence. It is always a wonderful gesture to take the time to write something personal. That said, here are a few employee recognition letter samples that help provide a jump-off point for most situations that may arise in the workplace.
I can’t believe how fast time flies! It’s been [years] since you came on board, and I can’t believe everything we’ve been through together. It’s been such a pleasure getting to know you over the years, and I couldn’t imagine the team without you!
Your [insert unique qualities or skills of employee] are just some qualities that have made you a pleasure to work with and an asset to this team.
The past year, in particular, has been full of amazing wins and accomplishments. We are so proud of all the hard work you’ve put into [insert specific accomplishments]
All your hard work and dedication have allowed us to achieve some of our biggest goals as a company, and we cannot express our gratitude for your hard work.
We hope the year to come is just as successful, and we look forward to working together and achieving even more!
Dear [Employee Name],
I wanted to take the time to write this letter to personally thank you for all your hard work on [insert accomplishment]. It’s been a long road to achieving this goal, but we finally made it! Your perseverance and hard work have allowed us to overcome many obstacles and reach this big win.
Most importantly, your skills in [insert employee’s specific skills] were indispensable for us to accomplish this objective, raise the bar, and stand out against the competition.
It’s been such a pleasure working with you on this project, and I do not doubt that we will continue to accomplish great things together.
Dear [Employee Name],
I wanted to write this letter to let you know I appreciate all the extra work and initiative you've been taking lately. Don't think all this additional work and effort has gone unnoticed!
The work and initiative you've taken towards [insert project, event, etc] is truly admirable and demonstrates just how valuable you are to our team. I see you care about our company and team's success, and we are lucky to have someone like you who is always willing to raise the bar and go the extra mile.
Your willingness to learn, take risks, and do something new is something I really admire, and I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for that.
Dear [Employees Name],
I want to take a moment and commend you on your new position as [insert the new title.]
In your past role as [insert former title], you were a true asset to our team and achieved some of the major goals and accomplishments like [insert key accomplishments], of which we are proud.
We are eager to see what you’ll bring to the table in this new role, and we wish you the best for the future as you continue to grow at [company name.]
Dear [Employee Name],
I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude for the dedication you've demonstrated lately.
Recognizing the challenges you've been facing, particularly with [mention the specific challenge], I can only imagine how demanding it must be for you at this time. Despite this, I've been truly inspired by your dedication and unwavering effort.
Remember, my door is always open to you. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you ever feel stressed or need support. We're here for you every step of the way.
Dear [Employee Name],
On behalf of everyone at [Company Name], I wanted to take this chance to thank you for everything that you have done during your time here, as well as wish you all the best as you embark upon this new chapter of your life.
Looking back, it’s amazing how much you’ve accomplished and how much your contributions have made an impact. It was a pleasure having you on our team!
We wanted to take a moment to highlight the achievements we are particularly grateful for. Your work on [a specific project the employee played an important role in], as well as [another specific project the employee played an important role in], contributed significantly to our long-term success.
I hope that you’ll keep in touch, and always feel welcome to collaborate with us again in the future. We do not doubt that you will continue to accomplish great things, and your future looks bright.
Impactful recognition is always personal. A good test to see if your recognition message is personalized enough is to ask yourself, “Could this message be written about anyone?” If the answer is yes, your message is too generic and should be customized a bit.
You can personalize a recognition message in the following ways:
Your employee recognition letter can be spiced up by including these specifics and personalizing it for the recipient. Writing a more personal message will make a significant difference in how much your appreciation is felt. So, take a moment to reflect on what makes this person special and incorporate those thoughts into your message.
Remember that words of recognition, in other words, verbal recognition are just one way to show your employee appreciation. As described in Dr. Paul White’s book The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace, there are several other ways leaders can show appreciation to their employees.
In other words, if you’re giving the same old "good job team" in a meeting week after week, you might start to sound like a broken record. And your "good job" will not have the desired impact on your team's morale. So, be sure to incorporate some of these different ways of showing appreciation to your employees.
A major factor contributing to employee turnover is feeling underappreciated at work. And although appreciation and recognition are relatively simple to offer, sadly, many leaders tend to fall short in this area.
So what can leaders do? We recommend asking your staff how they feel. Yes, it might seem a bit weird initially, especially if you’re not used to asking for feedback about your leadership skills. But this conversation will be an important icebreaker and show employees that you really care about them and their opinions.
Maintaining communication with your staff on these topics is crucial to preventing employee turnover due to unappreciation. Giving your employees appreciation is truly a low-effort and high-impact action in the workplace. Managers should be doing their best to ensure that employees are feeling fulfilled and satisfied in this area.
Taking the time to write or type a letter or card might take a little more effort than saying “Good job,” but the effort will be well worth the impact it will have on your team morale. By using these employee appreciation letter examples as a jump-off point, you won’t have to start writing everything from scratch.
Remember: It's not just about the words on paper; it's about the sentiment and effort behind them, creating a meaningful connection between leaders and their teams. By investing in these small gestures of appreciation, leaders can cultivate a thriving culture of recognition and support, ultimately leading to greater job satisfaction and employee engagement.
