Do your team members appreciate public or private recognition? What are some of their favorite ways to be recognized?

Employee recognition is not a one size fits all and will be much more meaningful if managers/supervisors get to know their employees’ preferences.

By inviting team members to complete the Employee Questionnaire, managers/supervisors avoid making assumptions and make the most of their recognition initiatives.

Click HERE to download the Employee Recognition Questionnaire document. 

In addition to holidays, the Employee Engagement Calendar is chock full of days, weeks and months of observance such as: Employee Appreciation Day, Public Service Recognition Week, National Working Parents’ Day, Customer Service Week, National Work Bestie Day, National Creativity Day, National Smile Day, National Do Something Nice Day and many more.

You’re invited to download the calendar and leverage some of the holidays and days of observance to bring the team together in person or virtually to celebrate, foster a positive and uplifting environment, and promote social connection in the workplace.

Click HERE to access the 2025 Employee Engagement Calendar.

Click HERE to access the 2026 Employee Engagement Calendar.

Employee and/or team awards presented at different intervals (monthly, quarterly or annual basis) can help drive employee appreciation and recognition. Presenting an employee with an award in the way of a certificate, pin, or plaque, etc. can create a positive memorable moment and the tangible award serves as a keepsake, or an item to proudly display in their office or work cubicle.

Prior to presenting an award, be sure to determine if the employee prefers public or private recognition. Although some employees may appreciate receiving an award at a department, division or team celebration or event, others may become very embarrassed and feel uncomfortable when recognized publicly.

Feel free to borrow award ideas from the list below and/or enroll your employees in creating their own fun award ideas/titles.

Tenure based award ideas

• New hire award (they beat out the competition and landed the job)
• An employee passes probation
• Work anniversary
• Years of county service
• Long service award
• An employee retires

Performance based award ideas:

• Excellence
• Most improved
• Outstanding Accomplishment
• Employee of the month/quarter/year
• Peer to Peer (employees nominate their co-workers for an award)

Competency based award ideas:

• Customer service
• Leadership
• Best listener 
• Best mentor
• Innovator
• Efficiency
• Team player
• Problem solver

Additional award ideas

• Safety
• Promoting well-being in the workplace
• Attendance and punctuality

Awards may be scheduled to coincide with one or more of the countywide employee appreciation and recognition events: Employee Appreciation Day, Public Service Recognition Week, National Working Parents’ Day and Customer Service Week.

Click HERE for more information on these events

For information on ordering certificate paper and holders, service pins and plaques, please contact HRD Engagement. 

There is a distinction between employee appreciation and employee recognition, whereby an employee is appreciated for who they are (their intrinsic value) and is recognized for what they do and the contributions they make.

When expressing appreciation for a direct report, fellow team member or a manager/supervisor, rather than communicate general statements, such as “awesome job”, it’s best to be specific. Consider highlighting the person’s attributes, contribution, skills, as well as the impact they have on the team and/or customers.

• Example One: a specific appreciation statement: I appreciate you and the way you interact with our customers. I admire your patience and how kind and compassionate you are, which helps to put customers at ease.  
• Example Two: a specific recognition statement: I acknowledge you for interacting with customers in a calm and professional manner, engaging in active listening and demonstrating empathy. You provide a great example for the team of how to deescalate situations with upset customers.
• Example Three: general statement: You provide excellent customer service! 
• Example Four: generic statement: Great job! 

How do employees prefer to be recognized? Be sure to understand employees’ preference for public vs. private recognition. Positive intentions to recognize employees may backfire without knowing whether employees appreciate public or private recognition. Some view public recognition as punishment where as others love to be recognized publicly.

Messages of appreciation can be expressed via email, and/or a handwritten note placed on an employee’s desk or mailed to their home. 

Appreciation can be expressed to a team at a staff meeting, emailed to team members or posted for employees to view on Microsoft Teams.

Below are a few sample messages. For additional ideas, click HERE to access the Applauz webpage and an article entitled 95+ Employee Appreciation and Recognition Message Examples. 

Team Appreciation Message Box

Similar to a suggestion box, team members are invited to write brief anonymous or non-anonymous messages, expressing appreciation for fellow team members. Messages can be read aloud in a staff meeting or during a team celebration, or typed and emailed to all members or individual recipients on a periodic basis. 

• Sample message template: I acknowledge (person’s name) for (contribution, achievement, skill, or character/attribute).
• Example One: I acknowledge Susan Smith for demonstrating empathy and patience.
• Example Two: I acknowledge Bob for completing ABC project on time and under budget. 

Individual Email or Thank You Note to a Team Member

• Example: "Hi [team member name], I want to take a moment to thank you for your hard work. Your [specific contribution] was invaluable to our success, and I truly appreciate your dedication and effort."
• Example: "Dear [team member name], I want to express gratitude for you and all you do! I really appreciate [specific example of something they did]. It meant a lot to me. Thanks for being you!"

Written Message of Appreciation to All Staff

In a Speech or Presentation

• Example: "Public service is a noble calling. It is a chance to make a difference in the lives of others and to build a better future for our community. I am proud to be a public servant and a member of the County family (or “team”), and I am grateful to all of you who serve alongside me. Thank you for your commitment to our community (or “to our customers”)." 

Below are some no cost and easy to implement media options that can be leveraged for employee recognition initiatives.

Photos

Managers/ supervisors and team members can capture memorable moments by using their cell phones to take photos of team members, such as group selfies, during team building events, celebrations, team training sessions, etc. Photos can be emailed to team members and/or uploaded to an Employee Appreciation Teams folder for all employees to access. 

Recorded messages of appreciation from one or more leaders to team members can be emailed to employees within a division or department. Messages can be recorded via:

• Zoom
• A cell phone, using the video recording option
• Microsoft "Voice Recorder" (audio message)
• Click HERE to view a message of appreciation recording from a member of the Board of Supervisors. 

Worksite Recognition Bulletin Board

Invite employees to post messages of appreciation on a bulletin board at the worksite for all employees to view. A sample message format:

• "What I appreciate most about [my coworkers, team, my employees, my job, my customers, working for the County, etc.] is [blank]"
• Click HERE to access a sample Public Service Recognition Week testimonial

Microsoft Teams Recognition Board

Teams includes a feature that can be use be utilized as a Recognition Board and is similar to a Facebook social media page where employees can post acknowledgement messages. 

Please refer to the below sample and contact HRD engagement for instructions on how to set is up for your team.

Message of Appreciation Templates

Feel free to borrow “message of appreciation” samples from the various PowerPoint slide options that can be accessed below. To customize for your team, personalize the verbiage and insert a team member or group photo(s). These can be emailed to one or more team members to coincide with Countywide employee appreciation and recognition celebrations, such as: Employee Appreciation Day (first Friday in March), Public Service Recognition Week (begins the first Sunday in May) , and Customer Service Week (first full week in October).

• Instructions Employee Appreciation Message Template
• Employee Appreciation Message Template for Team with Photo
• Employee Appreciation Message Template for Team without Photo
• Employee Appreciation Message Template for Individual with Photo
• Employee Appreciation Message Template for Individual without Photo

Social Media Graphic

Brief messages of appreciation can be posted on a department’s social media page, to thank employees. Messages can coincide with various countywide events, such as Employee Appreciation Day, Public Service Recognition Week, National Working Parents’ Day and Customer Service Week. A brief appreciation message such as "Thank You, team for providing quality customer service” can be posted with/without a photo.

Additional Options

• Video: "Thank you" video montage: leaders at all levels and/or team members can submit testimonials, photos or brief recordings, expressing appreciation for their fellow team members, direct reports, and/or their manager/supervisor. Submissions can be compiled into a video montage to share with the team.

• Digital scrapbook: Instead of a traditional photo album, a work-related digital scrapbook can serve as a dynamic portfolio, that can include photos of team celebrations, awards ceremonies, retirement celebrations, and team building events.  

In addition to the ideas offered on the Employee Recognition Awards and Employee Appreciation and Recognition Communication and Media pages of this Toolkit, below is a list of more ways to express appreciation and recognize employees.

Consider launching an Employee Appreciation and Recognition Committee within your department or division. Committee members can help establish a department employee appreciation and recognition plan, coordinate events and celebrations that align with countywide recognition initiatives, and support managers/supervisors in their appreciation and recognition efforts.

Do you know of any team members who are well connected with their fellow co-workers and enjoy planning social events? They may be an ideal candidate to participate on the committee. 

Champions of Engagement- team members may be interested in taking on various roles, such as: Champion of Birthday Celebrations, Champion of Team Gatherings, Champion of Lunch and Break Time Activities, Champion of Team Outings (outside of work hours).

Team Building and Icebreaker Activities

Team Appreciation Circle- this session can be conducted after a team project is completed or at various intervals throughout the year. The meeting begins with a celebration of each individual and their impact on the project, co-workers and/or customers. Each team member takes as much time as they need to thank the people who had a positive impact on them during a special project, etc. and express the details of that impact.

Team Charter- Organizational Psychologist, David Burkus, shares tips on how to engage team members in creating a Team Charter to enhance co-worker interaction/communication and more! Click HERE to view the initial 4 minutes of this video.

• The corresponding article can be accessed HERE
• The University of Cambridge website provide Team Charter guidance and a template. 

Team Gratitude Exchange:

1. Similar to a secret Santa gift exchange, each team member’s name is written on a piece of paper that is folded and placed in a box.
2. Team members randomly select a name and write a brief gratitude message to the person whose name they selected. The name of the recipient is written at the top of the page. It’s optional if the writer chooses to include their name or remain anonymous.
3. Gratitude messages are placed in a “Giving Gratitude” box and can be handed out to recipients at their cubicle/work area, at a staff meeting or team celebration

Ten-minute "Poncho" in-person team activity: view a 5 minute/36 second video and learn how to implement this fun and engaging employee appreciation activity that has received positive reviews on YouTube. 

Lunch and Break Time Activities

• Skill Swap: employees volunteer to teach a work or hobby related skill to team members during the lunch hour. This may include how to take great photos with your cell phone, tips for using Excel or PowerPoint,  a scrap booking demonstration, etc.
• Game Day: team members gather for some friendly competition to play bingo, or a trivia or board game.
• Brown Bag Lunch and a Movie: team members bring their lunch and gather to view workplace appropriate media, such as an episode of I Love Lucy or Friends.
• Move and Groove Well-Being Session: team members gather to view and participate in a fitness or well-being course accessed on the County’s Employee Wellness Program “Wellbeats” Platform that can be accessed HERE.
• Team Happy Hour, with non-alcoholic beverages and snacks/ can include trivia games and work appropriate music.
• Milkshake or Smoothie Challenge: team members compete to prepare the best tasting milkshake or healthy smoothie.
• "Nach'Yo Average Team" build your own nacho bar
• Baked goodies/sweet treats and/or healthy snacks buffet
• Potluck Breakfast or Lunch
• Pizza Party
• Team Coffee/Lunch Outing
• Ice cream sundae and toppings bar

Team Meet Ups can be scheduled outside of work hours, after hours or on weekends and may include bowling or movie night, hiking, or dinner.

Team Picnic Recognition Day

Invite employees and their family members to a potluck-style picnic scheduled on a Saturday or Sunday for an informal work anniversary celebration. Offer friendly games, allowing for team relaxation and bonding. It’s extra special for family members to be present when employees are awarded their service pins and/or certificates of appreciation.  

Celebrating Team Members' Birthdays

• Create a list comprised of the month and day of team members' birthdates.
• At monthly staff meetings, give a shout out to those who are celebrating a birthday that month.
• Depending upon the number of team members, celebrate birthdays on a monthly or quarterly basis with a lunch hour activity. For ideas, refer to the above-mentioned Lunch and Break Time Activities list. 

Professional Development Opportunities

Some of the ideas below can be implemented as part of a team meeting or as a brown bag lunch and learn team gathering.

• Learning Circles: Team members gather and view a leadership related video accessed on the County’s Leadership Learning Exchange (LLE) website, with discussion to follow. The LLE can be accessed HERE.
• Team Skill and Knowledge Exchange: Team members volunteer to demonstrate a program, process, or tip they know. This can be from a meeting they attended, something they knew from previous experience at other jobs, or their educational background.
• Rotating Meeting Leads: Team members have an opportunity to lead meetings and develop facilitation skills.
• "The Right Career, Right Here" Career Development Conversations: Career development conversations can begin with newly hired employees during onboarding and continue with one-on-one check in meetings between the manager/supervisor and direct report, as well as in team meetings. Free career development and planning resources can be accessed on the County’s Leadership Learning Exchange website/Career Development portal HERE.
• Toastmasters: The County of Monterey launched a Toastmaster chapter. This program is well known for improving public speaking, confidence, and communication. For more information, contact: HRD Engagement. 

Employee of the Month, Quarter or Year: begin by defining the criteria for selection. This can include consistent performance, exceptional teamwork, innovative contributions, outstanding customer service, leadership qualities, reliability, positive attitude, professional development, community involvement, and mentorship.  

Employees can be nominated by their manager or peers. 

Various perks can be offered to the employee who is selected. For example, they can be:

• Presented with an Employee of the (Month, Quarter or Year) award at a team potluck.
• Treated to lunch by their manager and/or the Director.
• Featured in a department newsletter article and/or their photo and brief description can be posted at the worksite or emailed to all employees within the department.
• Offered the opportunity to attend a work related training course.
• Provided with a parking space within close proximity to their office for a period of time. 

Click HERE to access a sample Employee Appreciation and Recognition Plan.