Employees yearn for appreciation for their hard work. Good leaders understand this and always strive to prioritize, support, and thank their employees for going above and beyond. Thus, to urge all leaders to do the same, we have curated a list of the best employee recognition quotes.

We know that employee recognition doesn't come easy. But, with the right mix of rewards and recognition, you might be able to win half of the battle.

But the question is how? How can you express your gratitude and appreciate your employees, and increase engagement? Nothing, in our opinion, can be more meaningful than some good old words.

Even if you lack the funds for a conventional recognition program, the simple act of praising your coworkers may make a big difference in their happiness and boost their joy to work.

You never know when a moment and a few sincere words can have an impact on life. ~ Zig Ziglar

It's very inexpensive to give a compliment. ~ Joyce Meyer

Keep your eyes open and try to catch people in your company doing something right, then praise them for it. ~ Tom Hopkins

Feedback is the breakfast of champions. ~ Ken Blanchard

Nothing is more effective than sincere, accurate praise, and nothing is more lame than a cookie-cutter compliment. ~ Bill Walsh

I have always believed that the way you treat your employees is the way will treat your customers and that people flourish when they are praised. ~ Richard Branson

Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent instantly recognizes genius. ~ Arthur Conan Doyle

A brave man acknowledges the strength of others. ~ Veronica Roth

Employees who report receiving recognition and praise within the last seven days show increased productivity, get higher scores from customers, and have better safety records. They're just more engaged at work. ~ Tom Rath

I think you need to love giving compliments as much as you love receiving them. ~ Yami Gautam

What gets recognized gets reinforced, and what gets reinforced gets repeated. ~ Anonymous

Brains, like hearts, go where they are appreciated. ~ Robert McNamara

Recognize and affirm people when they contribute to the mission you share. Do this, and you will ignite their purpose and potential. ~ Mike Byam

Take time to appreciate employees, and they will reciprocate in a thousand ways. ~ Bob Nelson

I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder. ~ G.K. Chesteron

A culture of gratitude helps people realize how truly fortunate they are and instills a desire to pay that forward. ~ Karl Sun

If you don't create a great, rewarding place for people to work, they won't do great work. ~ Ari Weinzweig

Employees who believe that management is concerned about them as a whole person - not just an employee - are more productive, more satisfied, more fulfilled. Satisfied employees mean satisfied customers, which leads to profitability. ~ Anne M. Mulcahy

The way to develop the best that is in a person is by appreciation and encouragement. ~ Charles Schwab

People work for money but go the extra mile for recognition, praise and rewards. ~ Dale Carnegie

Good work requires an appreciation of the value of routine, ordinary, mundane rhythms of doing what needs to be done, each day and each week, thoroughly and with care. ~ Gordon T. Smith

You need to be aware of what others are doing, applaud their efforts, acknowledge their successes, and encourage them in their pursuits. When we all help one another, everybody wins. ~ Jim Stovall

You become strong by lifting others up, not pulling them down. ~ Matshona Dhliwayo

Appreciation is a wonderful thing. It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well. ~ Voltaire

Treat your employees like an investment, not a cost. ~ Dan Sullivan

Everyone wants to be appreciated, so if you appreciate someone, don't keep it a secret. ~ Mary Kay Ash

I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. ~ Maya Angelou

A boss wants to pay for results, an employee wants recognition for effort. If a boss recognizes effort, they will get even better results. ~ Simon Sinek

When an employee truly understands the meaning of his work and gets recognition for his efforts, he performs the best. ~ Abhishek Ratna

A good objective of leadership is to help those who are doing poorly to do well and to help those who are doing well to do even better. ~ Jim Rohn

Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen. ~ Michael Jordan.

To win in the marketplace you must first win in the workplace. ~ Doug Conant

Recognition is not a scarce resource. You can't use it up or run out of it. ~ Susan M. Heathfield

If you do not treat people with the respect they deserve, do not expect any kind of commitment to your productivity goals and target. ~ Ian Fuhr

There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread. ~ Mother Teresa

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit. ~ Aristotle

Mary Kay knew that when you put people first and then surround them with processes and disciplines that recognize their efforts, performance will soar. ~ David C. Novak

I have always believed that the way you treat your employees is the way they will treat your customers, and that people flourish when they are praised. ~ Sir Richard Branson

Youve got to get your team to not only understand your company brand, but also to understand their personal brand. ~ Amber Hurdle

Realize that employees and the customers both have to be engaged, at the same time, to move your business forward for sustainable success. ~ Robert G. Thompson

In behavioral economic terms, when we offer recognition we are acknowledging that the recipients have met a social ideal. They are behaving in a certain manner because they believe is the right thing to do. If we then recognize that behavior with praise or appreciation, we offer a confirmation that their behavior is desirable, and do so in a manner that recipients find meaningful. ~ Cindy Ventrice

When a manager recognizes an employees behavior, personally and sincerely, both feel proud, gratified, and happy. Theres a human connection that transcends the immediate culture to create a shared bond. The power of this bond is stronger than you might think; indeed, its the power that holds together great organizational cultures. ~ Erik Mosley and Derek Irvine

Correction does much, but encouragement does more. ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

If people did not compliment one another there would be little society. ~ Luc de Clapiers

What every genuine philosopher (every genuine man, in fact) craves most is praise although the philosophers generally call it recognition! ~ William James

Praise does wonders for our sense of hearing. ~ Arnold H. Glasow

Nothing else can quite substitute for a few well-chosen, well-timed, sincere words of praise. Theyre absolutely free and worth a fortune. ~ Sam Walton

Note how good you feel after you have encouraged someone else. No other argument is necessary to suggest that never miss the opportunity to give encouragement. ~ George Adams

Being told something positive about yourself, whether from someone youre close to, or a passing acquaintance, should really lift the spirits. Just the fact that someone has taken the time to let you know, should have you feeling noticed and appreciated. ~ Paul Bailey

Always treat your employees exactly as you want them to treat your best customers. ~ Stephen R. Covey

Appreciation is the highest form of prayer, for it acknowledges the presence of good wherever you shine the light of your thankful thoughts. ~ Alan Cohen

Also read - 152 Greatest Motivational Quotes for Work We Hand-Picked For You

Feeling grateful or appreciative of someone or something in your life actually attracts more of the things that you appreciate and value into your life. ~ Northrup Christiane

Gratitude is the most exquisite form of courtesy. ~ Jacques Maritain

It is a sign of mediocrity when you demonstrate gratitude with moderation. ~ Roberto Benigni

Feeling gratitude, and not expressing it, is like wrapping a present and not giving it. ~ William Arthur Ward

Life isnt about getting and having; its about giving and being. ~ Kevin Kruse

Even a brief interaction can change the way people think about themselves, their leaders, and the future. Each of those many connections you make has the potential to become a high point or a low point in someones day. ~ Douglas Conant

Paychecks cant buy passion. ~ Brad Federman

People want to be appreciated, cared for, loved, trusted, and respected. But they also want to be understood, and if you master the skills to achieve that, you truly become exceptional. ~ Joe Navarro

Gratitude is a currency that we can mint for ourselves, and spend without fear of bankruptcy. ~ Fred De Witt Van Amburgh

At times, our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us. ~ Albert Schweitzer

Showing gratitude is one of the simplest yet most powerful things humans can do for each other. ~ Randy Pausch

Develop an attitude of gratitude. Say thank you to everyone you meet for everything they do for you. ~ Brian Tracy

No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks. ~ James Allen

The thankful receiver bears a plentiful harvest. ~ William Blake

If you are really thankful, what do you do? You share. ~ W. Clement Stone

Appreciation can make a day, even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary. ~ Margaret Cousins

I was very pleased with your kind letter. Until now I never dreamed of being something like a hero. But since youve given me the nomination I feel that I am one. ~ Albert Einstein

Thanks will be a worthless word until a person tells it from heart. When a person thanks someone with full heart then the word will be big and worthy word and will have full meaning to the person. Or else it will remain small and valueless word if a person says it just for saying. ~ Salman Aziz

Dont forget, a persons greatest emotional need is to feel appreciated. ~ H. Jackson Brown Jr.

The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated. ~ William James

It does not matter who is in your team, what matters is who they will become because of you. ~ Sunday Adelaja

Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a mans growth without destroying his roots. ~ Frank A. Clark

Everybody is looking for validation, no matter who you are, and I think that's a need of the human condition - to look for affection or recognition or validation. ~ Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu

People want to be understood and respected as individuals. Years ago, an executive editor of mine said, You should count the number of times you praise somebody and then double that. Even the toughest, steeliest writer or editor often really wants to be told, Hey, that was a great piece. Early in my career as a manager, it probably took me a while to realize that everyone wants that. Its just a human need. ~ Cindi Leive

Make sure everybody in the company has great opportunities, has meaningful impact and is contributing to the good of the society. ~ Larry Page

People are the most important thing. Business model and product will follow if you have the right people. ~ Adam Neumann

What we need to do is always lean into the future; when the world changes around you and when it changes against you- what used to be your tail wind is now your head wind. You have to lean into that and figure out what to do, because complaining isnt a strategy. ~ Jeff Bezos

Treat your employee right so they wont use your Internet to look for new jobs. ~ Mark Zuckerberg

The way your employees feel is the way your customers feel. And if your employees dont feel valued, neither will your customers. ~ Sybil F. Stershic

Productivity of work is not the responsibility of the worker but of the manager. ~ Peter F. Drucker

If I had to run a company on three measures, those measures would be customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction and cash flow. ~ Jack Welch

Every employee can affect your companys brand, not just the frontline employees that are paid to talk to your customers. ~ Tony Hsieh

Motivating employees to work at their full potential is the main premise of successful management. ~ Eraldo Banovac

Good management consists of showing average people how to do the work of superior people. ~ John D. Rockefeller

At the end of the day, you bet on people, not on strategies. ~ Lawrence Bossidy

In order to build a rewarding employee experience, you need to understand what matters to your people. ~ Julie Bevacqua

Human resources isnt a thing we do. Its a thing that runs our business. ~ Steve Wynn

Treating employees benevolently shouldnt be viewed as an added cost that cuts into profit, but as a powerful energizer that can grow the enterprise into something far greater than the leader could envision. ~ Howard Schultz

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Top 102 Employee Recognition Quotes To Celebrate Their Endeavours - Vantage Circle