How to Appreciate Good Work

How to Appreciate Good Work: Words, Gestures, and Examples

24 July 2025

In a world where deadlines are on the head of every employee, appreciation is a silent driver towards excellence. Recognising employee efforts boosts the overall performance of the employees and the company. A few words of appreciation can increase their efficiency to the next level.

Why do employees crave appreciation at work?

Employees crave appreciation. It validates their work, boosts self-confidence, and encourages a sense of belonging. It reduces stress and burnout, drives motivation and productivity, and promotes open communication. It satisfies the human need for recognition, strengthens positive behaviour, and improves job satisfaction and overall workplace happiness.

How to appreciate good work?

Appreciation of good work should incorporate sincere words and thoughtful gestures. Please remember, appreciation should be a daily habit, not a quarterly or annual event. Appreciation should be timely, concise, and heartfelt. The use of powerful words and strong gestures can convey meaning more effectively.

Let's discuss the top 12 words and gestures to use during appreciation with examples:

Top 12 Words with Examples

S No  Words Meaning Examples
1 Outstanding Extremely good or impressive. “Your speech was outstanding!”
“Outstanding presentation, Harry.”
“Never heard of such an outstanding solution to the problem.”
2 Reliable Consistent and trustworthy. “Your reliability got you here. Congratulations.”
“You are the most reliable member of the team.”
“We knew we could count on you.”
3 Valuable Extremely important and prized. “You proved your role for the project is truly valuable.”
“Your suggestion was valuable in procuring the contract.”
“You are one of the most valuable assets of the company.”
4 Dedicated Committed and devoted. “Your dedication was the highlight of the presentation.”
“Your dedication influences many of us.”
“A dedicated employee like you is rare.”
5 Creative Original and ingenious. “Your creative ideas are exceptional.”
“Your creativity brought you this far.”
“How creatively you resolved the issue and convinced the client.”
6 Supportive  Encouraging and helpful. “Appreciate your support and kindness.”
"I wonder how a man can be as supportive as you.”
“Your support made this easier for all of us.”
7 Efficient Well-organised, without any wastage of resources. “Your efficiency has set the bar too high.”
“Everyone is talking about how efficiently you manage your time.”
“I adore how efficient you are.”
8 Inspiring Encouraging and motivating others. “Your journey has inspired all of us.”
“Your passion for work is inspiring.”
9 Exceptional Unusually Excellent. “You were exceptional today, especially with the presentation.”
"Exceptional, Rituja, the project is yours.”
“You’re an exceptional team player.”
10 Passionate Values energy, enthusiasm, and commitment. “The team derives energy from your passion.”
“Your passion is contagious.”
“You bring so much passion to work.”
11 Resourceful Good at solving problems and thinking creatively. “Your resourcefulness saved the day.”
“You’re incredibly resourceful in a crisis.”
“Thanks for being so resourceful under pressure.”
12 Resilient Able to recover quickly from difficulties. “Your resilience is inspiring.”
“Thanks for being so resilient during the change.”
“You bounce back with such strength—impressive.”

 

Top 12 Gestures with Examples

1. Handwritten Notes: A handwritten note works wonders to show appreciation; for example, leaving a sticky note on the desk with an appreciation message, a thank you email, etc.

2. Public Recognition: A simple gesture of appreciation can be a public recognition of good work. Just give a shoutout during an event, mention the achievers in an internal newsletter, or tag and praise them on LinkedIn or the official website.

3. Personalised Gifts: One of the most used employee appreciation ideas is giving personalised gifts like a book based on their interests, a coffee mug with their family photo on it, a gadget or tool that supports their hobby, a framed image of their achievement letter, etc.

4. Surprise Celebrations: A surprise celebration is also one of the best ways to recognise and reward employees. Organise a milestone cake, decorate their workspace with balloons, and plan an “Appreciation Day” for the month. Companies can also start a “You Rock!” tradition each month/quarter.

5. Emails of Praise (CC’d to Management): A personalised email that keeps the management in the loop is one of the best ways to appreciate good work. It can be a direct appreciation email along with a highlight of their role in the success.

6. Coffee or Lunch Treats: Good work needs to be appreciated to keep up the fires of enthusiasm and passion. Small gestures, for example, a surprise coffee order, a meal voucher for the family, or a ”Lunch and Applause” celebration, can inspire team members to put in their best effort the next time.

7. Awards & Badges: Many times, HRs ponder upon “How to appreciate someone for good work?” The simple answer is to award them in front of the entire office. They experience a sense of appreciation, while others gain motivation.Awards can be an “Employee of the Month” award, peer-nominated appreciation awards, or digital badges for internal protocols.

8. Giving Time Off: Giving time off means surprising deserving employees with an early Friday off or offering a late start after a tough week. Management should consider implementing a “Mental Health Day” or a flex holiday as a gesture of appreciation. A “no meeting day” can also be an effective way to share your gratitude with the staff.

9. Offering Learning Opportunities: Today, in 2025, degrees have started to lose their shine, and skills are twinkling. Access to learning opportunities can be a game-changer for any employee. It can upskill them and make them promotion-ready. The company can pay for an online course, give them a free ticket to a relevant webinar, or send them to a conference as a reward, etc.

10. Involving Them in Decision Making: Taking appreciations one step further, the company can ask for their input in planning team goals, invite them to join strategy discussions, include them in leadership roundtables, let them mentor or onboard new employees, and even seek their opinion in hiring decisions.

11. Recommending Them for Promotions: A dream of every employee is to step up the ladder of employment. One of the best ways to nominate them for a leadership program is to advocate during performance reviews, write a formal letter of recommendation, endorse them on LinkedIn, and publicly share their achievements with HR.

12. Assigning Purposeful Projects: Appreciation for good work when shaking hands with assigning purposeful projects can lead to nurturing a leader of tomorrow. Let them lead a project. Give them more visibility in meaningful work. Invite them to showcase their skills to others. Pair them with a mentor or coach. Let them design an internal improvement process. We can get a leader among ourselves.

Appreciation with gift cards is a great pair, and we at Pluxee empower our employees with the most comprehensive benefits suite. Our range of benefits includes meals, fuel, wifi, telecom, rewards, books and periodicals, and LTA, along with the new age benefits like learning and development, health and well-being, and gadgets and equipment. Our products save tax, which can boost employee take-home salary by ₹1 lakh annually. It’s a 2-in-1 hybrid card, accepted across Rupay merchants. We, the Pluxee India app, are India's highest-rated employee benefits app, and we manage cards on the go. We have convenient payment options like swipe & pay, scan & pay, tap & pay, and online payment. We lead the industry in compliance with leverage and cutting-edge technology. Empower your employees with the most comprehensive benefits suite.

Also read https://www.pluxee.in/products/meal-employee-benefits/

Appreciate your employees using words and gestures, and share your experience.