Tips For Writing an Employee Recognition Letter (With Template)

As a manager, one way you can show gratitude for the great work done by your employees is to write an employee recognition letter. These thank you letters show that you see their work and you appreciate it. It can get them to work even harder since it speaks powerfully to them. Employee appreciation is something that you should try to set time and resources aside for since it is definitely worth it. You wouldn’t be able to do all the work without them after all.

Writing A Good Employee Recognition Letter

1) Recognize That Employee Appreciation Is Worth Your Time

Employee recognition is definitely worth the time and the resources that you spend on it. It is a tool that motivates your employees and shows them that they matter. It encourages staff engagement and those who feel recognized are more likely to strive to be your best employees. It also makes them happier.  Employee appreciation creates positive staff morale. The options are diverse and limited solely by your imagination. You should try to find ways to appreciate your employees, then reap the benefits that you will gain when they’re happy.

2) Different Employee Appreciation Techniques

Some brands give out annual bonuses to staff who contributed well during the year so depending on your specific circumstances like the industry and its expectations, company profitability, or past practices, you should consider granting your employees a bonus. If you can’t afford this, you can get them a reasonably priced gift like company-branded merchandise. If for instance, you work in the public sector and a gift is not feasible, at the very least, you can write employee recognition letters to your staff to appreciate them for their hard work.

3) What an Employee Appreciation Letter Should Contain

An employee recognition letter needs to cover specific territory so you can get the expected results. Inform the employees about the specific workplace behaviors that you like and want to see more of. You should describe these behaviors in detail after saying thank you and adding that your employee’s contribution is highly appreciated. You should write and give it to them close in timing to whatever event or behavior you are praising. It can be handwritten to look personal or even if you send it via email, it should be customized and not too formal. In general, if you want your employees to actually feel individually recognized, put in the effort to do so.

4) Make Recognition Letters A Habit

The employee recognition letter is a powerful technique to show employee appreciation.  If you can, accompany rewards with recognition notes since they are also viewed positively. However, that’s not the most important component here. Your heartfelt gratitude is. You shouldn’t underestimate the happiness experienced by employees who get regular employee recognition letters especially from someone they know is important at work.

August 12, 2021

John Smith
Director, Human Resources
ABC Office Company
123 Business Ln.
Location City, NY 22698

Dear John,

Thank you for your work with the key product development team. Before you joined the team and provided leadership, the team was hard-pressed to meet any of the deadlines they had set. This was making our product releases untimely in the marketplace.

Untimely releases meant unhappy customers who were anxiously waiting for an upgrade. It also affected your company’s sales and profits, so your work to disrupt this late pattern is truly appreciated by the whole senior leadership team.

Every one of them has remarked on the difference and I have credited your leadership of the team with the change. They are appreciative as well since with your help, they will meet their goals this quarter.

Keep up the good work for the future. It will be sincerely remembered as salary negotiations begin this year.

Best,

Andrew