Top 30 Employee Appreciation Quotes for Managers and HRs

I’ll start this list with one of my most favorite employee appreciation quotes,

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

We often talk about employee appreciation as a criterion that needs to be checked off the the management's to-do list.

But the importance of appreciation at the workplace goes far beyond that.

Seeking appreciation is an inherent human trait. Few words of praise and small acts of recognition towards your employees often go a long way.

When they feel recognized, their overall job satisfaction increases, and it naturally reflects on their performance level.

• 26% of employees ranked recognition for their work in their top three factors for staying with their current employer.

• 17% of employees said their manager/employer was horrible because they never recognized their work.

• 43% ranked their manager/employer as just okay because recognition is not frequent and timely.

The above data suggest that employee appreciation shouldn’t be limited to numbered days of the year. Infact, you should embed it in the fabric of your company culture.

This blog is for managers, employers, and business leaders to inspire you to reinvent your rewards and recognition program.

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Power of Recognition: Top 25 Employee Appreciation Quotes

(Credits: Unsplash)

The perfect employee doesn’t exist. They are nurtured.

Whenever you see an employee work harder and go the extra mile, remember to acknowledge their effort. Without due appreciation, the “feel good” factor that they gain will vanish. Suddenly, you have an incredibly disengaged employee at your hands.

1. Susan M. Heathfield

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

2. Brad Federman

Paychecks can’t buy passion.

3. Mike Abrashoff

It all came down to employee engagement. It all came down to recognition. It all came down to leadership, which led to every sailor feeling ownership and accountability for the results. You can ask a team to accomplish a mission, but you can’t order excellence.

4. Mary Kay Ash

No matter how busy you are, you must take time to make the other person feel important.

5. William Arthur Ward

Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgiving, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.

Related Articles: Words of Appreciation for Employees

6. Randy Pausch

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

7. Sybil F. Stershic

The way your employees feel is the way your customers will feel.

8. Francis Hesselbein

Dispirited, unmotivated, unappreciated workers cannot compete in a highly competitive world.

9. Betty Bender

When people go to work, they shouldn’t have to leave their hearts at home.

10. Gerard C Eakedale

Recognition is the greatest motivator.

Related Articles: Peer to Peer Recognition

11. Bob Nelson

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

12. Mother Teresa

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

13. Jag Randhawa

All employees have an innate desire to contribute to something bigger than themselves.

14. David Novak

People leave when they don’t feel appreciated. That’s why we’ve made recognition a really high value. Our business is people-capability first; then you satisfy customers; then you make money.

15. Pamela Stroko

People want to know they matter, and they want to be treated as people. That’s the new talent contract.

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16. Eraldo Banovac

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

17. Jack Welch

Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.

18. William Arthur Ward

Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.

19. Amit Kalantri

If you fulfill the wishes of your employees, the employees will fulfill your visions.

20. James Allen

No duty is more urgent than that of returning thanks.

Related Articles: Best Team Motivational Quotes

21. Luc de Clapiers

If people did not complement one another, there would be little society.

22. Ronald Reagan

The greatest leader is not necessarily the one who does the greatest things. He is the one that gets the people to do the greatest things.

23. Ari Weinzweig

If you don’t create a great, rewarding place for people to work, they won’t do great work.

24. Sir Richard Branson

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.

25. Marissa Mayer

It's about getting the best people, retaining them, nurturing a creative environment & helping to find a way to innovate.

Related Articles: Inspirational Quotes About Creativity

26. Letitia Baldrige

Good manners are cost-effective. They not only increase the quality of life in the workplace, they contribute to employee morale, embellish the company image, and play a major role in generating profit.

27. Mary Gauthier

When you see validation for a life's work and dedication, it's a beautiful day.

28. Jennifer Hyman

I kick off every monthly team meeting with 'core value stories' - team members stand up and recognize how another team member exemplified a core value.

29. Toni Duggan

Most coaches' attention to detail is very good; it's their job. They have to analyze teams, and they have to analyze their own team.

Related Articles: Teamwork Quotes To Spur Unity & Collaboration

30. Douglas Conant

On a personal level, I send out about 20 thank-you notes a day to staffers on all levels. And every six weeks I have lunch with a group of a dozen or so employees, to get their perspective on the business, to address problems and to get feedback.

This article is written by Darshana Dutta. She works as a Content Creator and Digital Marketer at Vantage Circle. She writes extensively on trends around employee engagement and transforming company culture. For any related queries, contact editor@vantagecircle.com