10 Positive Feedback Examples for Employee Recognition

When people are offered consistent, actionable feedback, they gain insight into their successes and opportunities for improvement. Positive feedback is especially important because it increases morale, encourages good work and helps provide a sense of purpose.

In this article, we’ll discuss positive feedback and provide 10 examples of positive feedback you might provide your team in certain situations, plus we take a look at some frequently asked questions about giving feedback and tips.

Explore Graphic Designer jobs on Indeed

View more jobs

What is positive feedback?

Positive feedback is a form of evaluation that focuses on an employee's strengths, talents and accomplishments. As a manager, supervisor or lead, when you provide positive feedback, you’re letting your team members know what they’re doing correctly and should continue to do, too. Negative feedback is the opposite as it focuses on what they did wrong or need to improve.

Related: Performance Appraisal: Definition and 7 Different Types

Positive feedback examples

Here are several common workplace scenarios you can use to provide positive feedback to employees. Specific examples of positive feedback are provided for each scenario.

Teamwork

1. An employee helps their coworker

Jessie has been helping the new intern, Rico, with his training. He has been responsive to all of Rico's questions, helping him feel comfortable in his new role. You want to tell Jessie that he is helping both Rico and the entire team by being such a great leader.

Positive feedback you can give:
"All the training you have done with Rico has been very helpful. You're giving him a great start to his internship. I have taken notice of your leadership skills and will keep this in mind for future projects."

Related: 30 Genuine Compliments To Give Your Coworkers

2. Employee does additional tasks outside of their role

After all her work is done, Morgan arranges events for her coworkers to attend. Everyone enjoys going to these events, which boosts company morale. Show Morgan how this extra work is appreciated and not overlooked.

Positive feedback you can give:
"Hey Morgan, I noticed you've taken it upon yourself to organize team-building activities. You do a great job at this, and everyone has so much fun at your events. Please let me know if you need any help with any future events."

Related: Q&A: "Tell Me About a Time You Went Above and Beyond"

Communication

3. Employee handles conflict well

You witnessed Lois resolve a conflict between two of her peers, Matt and Brandon, during a team meeting. Conflict resolution skills are extremely valuable in team working environments; let her know you appreciate her stepping in to help her two colleagues find a solution.

Positive feedback you can give:
“Lois, you did a fantastic job managing the conflict that came up during this morning’s meeting. Conflict is inevitable, especially when we’re on deadline and people are stressed, but you knew how to make both sides feel heard. If it wasn’t for your kind and quick response, I think we’d still be dealing with it.”

Related: How To Resolve Employee Conflict: 5 Steps to Resolution

4. Employee is contributing to meetings

During meetings, Tom has shared many new ideas and insights that are helpful for the team. Let him know how this is benefiting your team.

Positive feedback you can give:
"Thank you for being prepared for our meetings, Tom! By coming to each meeting with well-researched and thought-out ideas, you're helping us move forward in our process. I look forward to our next meeting."

Exceptional work

5. Employee is submitting high-quality work

Ava finished all of her work on time and paid attention to the details. Make it clear she is meeting your company's expectations.

Positive feedback you can give:
"Ava, your work looks great! It's clear that you care about your work and take the time to do it correctly. I especially liked that you asked the client about their design preferences before creating their website, and I'm excited to see what you do next."

Related: 9 Ways To Recognize and Appreciate Your Team

6. Employee exceeds their goals

You set an ambitious goal for Sean, but by the end of the quarter, he had exceeded it by 25 percent. Let him know his hard work didn’t go unnoticed.

Positive feedback you can give:
“Sometimes I get so focused on the numbers that I don’t stop to celebrate the individual work that was put in to achieve it. Sean, for the past three months I’ve been able to rely on you hitting your goal out of the water. You set a great example for everyone on the team. Keep it up!”

Related: 10 Tips for Giving Useful Performance Feedback

7. Employee finished a difficult assignment

Raquel has been struggling to finish a task she has never done before. Throughout this challenging process, she has maintained a positive attitude and continued to try her best. Let her know that you were confident she could handle the challenge and that this will help her career growth.

Positive feedback you can give:
"I'm really happy with your determination to finish this project. I know it wasn't easy, but I knew you could do it. Your helpful attitude makes it clear that you can continue to take on new challenges and grow with the company. Thank you for your extra effort."

Related: 8 Ways To Take More Responsibility in the Workplace

8. Employee is working overtime

To meet the client's needs, Sam has worked overtime. She does this with a positive attitude and understands it will benefit her team. Give her feedback that shows how much you appreciate her extra efforts.

Positive feedback you can give:
"Thank you for putting in the extra effort during this busy time at work. I understand that staying late isn't easy, but the team truly appreciates it. You are a valuable member of our team, and your positive attitude has helped us all continue to feel motivated."

Related: How To Effectively Handle a Heavy Workload

Encouragement

9. Employee needs a boost in morale

You can tell that Nathan has been lacking confidence lately. Tell him what he is good at and that you're here to make his work experience a positive one.

Positive feedback you can give:
"Hey, Nathan! You've been doing a great job lately. You're so talented at staying flexible on any project, which helps everyone on the team. You have grown so much in your role since starting here. Thank you for your hard work, and let me know if there is anything I can do to make working here better."

Related: 7 Ways To Boost Employee Morale To Prevent Burnout

Leadership

10. Employee has new responsibilities

Devon recently got a promotion and is handling his new responsibilities well. Give feedback that lets him know he was the right choice for the position.

Positive feedback you can give:
"Promoting you to new lead graphic designer was the best choice for our company. I am glad to see you're challenging yourself and are open to more responsibilities. Management especially thought your strong attention to detail made you the right candidate for this role. All of your hard work has paid off and will continue to in the future."

More tips for giving positive feedback

It's important to provide positive feedback to your employees that’s also thoughtful. Most people want in-depth evaluations instead of simple praise. They want to know why it’s good, what’s working and what skills they excel at. Here are a few things to consider when writing positive feedback:

• Be sincere: Give positive feedback when it’s warranted. Doing so will make it all the more meaningful when employees do receive it.

• Recognize their effort: Shout out an employee’s efforts and behaviors versus their existing skill set or talents. For example, you can praise what an employee does for the team with their critical thinking versus simply saying they have great logic skills.

• Give feedback directly: Communicate your positive feedback directly rather than through someone else. Let the employee know you’ve noticed their work and are thankful for their contributions.

• Be consistent: When giving positive feedback, be sure you give your feedback equally across your team. If one team member gets recognition for their work on a project, the same should be timely extended to another team member who achieves a similar win.

• Explain their impact. When team members know how their work is contributing to the company's overall success, they feel that what they’re doing is important. Be specific and let them know it.