Express Appreciation to an Employee • Example Letters, Guides and Samples
Guides
This letter may serve a dual purpose: to thank or congratulate employees for an outstanding performance, possibly under difficult circumstances, and to encourage them to continue to excel in the future. The praise must be sincere, not patronizing.
How to write this goodwill letter:
- Congratulate the employee on his or her fine work. Be specific.
- Add background information or detail. Describe the employee's impact on the company as a whole. If you are offering a reward or incentive, mention it briefly.
- Close by expressing your appreciation and confidence.
Example Letter #1
On behalf of the rest of the management team, I want to tell you how much we appreciate the endless hours of service you dedicated to getting the Doe project completed on time. We all admired your ingenuity in creating that outstanding package for the Doe Corporation. I was personally impressed with the way you kept your staff motivated and focused, even in the face of several obstacles.
Thank you for giving this company your best. May you enjoy this type of success in all your endeavors.
Example Letter #2
You're the best! Thank you for organizing our community cleanup campaign. It was a huge success and brought congratulations from both the mayor and the city council. This is the kind of civic involvement in which everyone is a winner. I appreciate your positive attitude and your ability to motivate people to contribute to a good cause. We are pleased to have you on our staff. Please accept the enclosed gift certificate as a token of our appreciation.
Example Letter #3
You deserve high praise for the way you handled yourself in the new product campaign. You kept a cool head with an untried team, and your spontaneous responses impressed the client. Your future looks bright. Here's to a successful future with Doe.
Write Your Letter Step-by-Step
1 Congratulate the employee on his or her fine work. Be specific.
Sample Sentences for Step 1
- Thank you for the excellent job you did on the Doe bid.
- We want you to know how much we appreciate the cheerful way you handled the inconvenience of the remodeling.
- Thank you for keeping the office going while Jane and Ashley were away.
- Your September sales set an all-time record. Congratulations!
- Well done! Your customer service is once again receiving rave reviews.
- Your careful attention to detail has paid off again. Thank you.
- Your friendly attitude and broad understanding of the reading needs of children is making a real difference to the library.
- Thank you for making such excellent use of the suggestion box.
- Thank you for pulling together so well during the recent disruption in our communication system.
Sample Phrases for Step 1
- accept our congratulations on
- admire the way that you
- am continually impressed by
- am delighted to tell you that
- appreciate the way that you
- congratulate you on your
- contributors to our success
- does not go unnoticed
- during the recent
- each doing your part to
- extraordinary contribution you have made
- has paid off
- have done a good job
- how much we appreciate
- like to take this opportunity
- making such excellent use of
- on behalf of management
- proud of your efforts
- pulling together so well
- receiving rave reviews
- sincerely admire your
- thank you for
- the excellent job you did on
- the way you handled
- want you to know
- your increased productivity
- your outstanding performance
- your great suggestion
2 Add background information or detail. Describe the employee's impact on the company as a whole. If you are offering a reward or incentive, mention it briefly.
Sample Sentences for Step 2
- The long hours you put in have certainly paid off for the company. We were awarded the bid, and will start construction next month.
- Your patience and friendly manner certainly took the edge off a difficult situation. Several of the patients commented on how helpful you were. We hope you are enjoying the convenience of the new arrangement.
- Jane's sudden illness during Ashley's leave could have been very difficult for everyone, but you kept things running remarkably well.
- Salespeople like you benefit the entire company, and we feel that a bonus is in order. Please start thinking about whether you would prefer cash or a vacation package.
- Your cooperative attitude and general tactfulness have helped the "Information Desk" become a wonderful advertisement for the store. You manage to turn even angry customers into friendly repeat buyers. The benefits of your efforts are immeasurable.
- Noticing that missing minus sign has saved us a great deal of both money and embarrassment. I appreciate that you were "just doing your job" as you pointed out, but I for one am very grateful to you for doing it so well.
- The children's library is busier than ever, and I thought you might like to know that many of our young patrons now ask for you by name.
- Your suggestion about changing the placement of mail pickup and delivery boxes has already saved us over $1,000. As your reward, a check for $500 is enclosed. We would also like to place your photograph, along with a description of your suggestion, in the newsletter.
- Your loyalty and perseverance really showed. I don't think we could ask for more dedicated employees.
Sample Phrases for Step 2
- a difficult situation
- ask for you by name
- benefit the entire company
- beyond normal expectations
- bonus to show our appreciation
- congratulate you on your
- department will be honored at
- deserve a bow
- for your outstanding contributions
- happy to have you on our team
- happy to announce that
- has earned the right to
- has immeasurable benefits
- have certainly paid off
- have earned the right to
- have gone beyond duty
- have exceeded our goals
- honor you for your achievements
- is a privilege for me to
- kept things running smoothly
- loyal and dedicated efforts
- loyalty and perseverance
- more than the job calls for
- patience and friendly manner
- saved us a great deal of money
- show our appreciation by
- success of the entire company
- the long hours you
- value your contribution
- your dedicated efforts
- your cooperative attitude
3 Close by expressing your appreciation and confidence.
Sample Sentences for Step 3
- Thank you for all you contribute to the success of our company.
- We wish you a long and successful career with Doe's.
- It's hard to believe it has been only six months since you joined us. You have become an invaluable member of our staff.
- You clearly have a wonderful future awaiting you in management.
- We are confident that you will enjoy a rewarding future at Doe's.
- Thank you for the excellence you achieve in all you do.
- Congratulations on a job well done.
- You have some wonderfully innovative ideas, and we hope you will continue to share them with us.
- Thank you for all the effort you put into making Doe's a great company.
Sample Phrases for Step 3
- a long and successful career at
- a job well done
- a wonderful future awaiting you in
- all you contribute to
- an invaluable member of
- are our company's most important asset
- are confident that you
- company could become
- congratulations on
- continue to work hard
- continued success in the future
- even better than the last
- help build on success
- in the coming year
- keep up the good work
- much to look forward to
- thank you for all
- the effort you put into
- the excellence you achieve
- will enjoy a stellar future at
