Appreciation of an employee by his seniors and the boss, never goes in vain. In fact, that is one thing which should be particularly looked into, since it fosters a feeling of goodwill and healthy competition among the employees. It is worth the time and money spent, as the recognition and appreciation showed, will boost the employee's morale by leaps and bounds. It is a direct method of employee motivation. The recognition could be in any form - from a simple letter of having done a good job, to bonuses and gifts. For a letter, you need to have an employee recognition letter sample or template at your disposal. In case you don't know how to go about writing such a letter, the text to follow will bail you out of your dilemma. Employee Recognition Letters Why the need for such a letter? In a huge organization, there are hundreds of employees working on many projects. When a project is successful, it is a simple gesture of appreciation from seniors, that will really make the employees realize that their efforts have been noticed and appreciated, and this will ensure that they continue giving their 100% in every project thereafter. This letter does not take very long to write, just a few minutes, but it will go a long way in keeping the employee happy, and making him stick with the organization, since he knows that he is appreciated. These few minutes are worth spending! What exactly to put in such a letter? First thing to remember is to not write such letters in bulk, for e.g.: "Dear (insert name here), your efforts in the recently completed project were excellent and have been noticed and truly appreciated! Keep up the good work! Congratulations." These are very generalized letters and the employee will recognize that this is being done as a formality, rather than actual appreciation. Write letters addressed to each individual employee, and focus on his contribution in the overall project. This will make it more personal and have a better impact. The letter should mention the employee's conduct which is worthy of praise and encouragement. A sense of gratitude and appreciation for the employee's contribution to the company, should also be included. It should be emailed or given, soon after the event for which you are praising him or her. Finally, let it be as sincere as it can be and full of genuineness. Samples of Recognition Letters Sample 1

Dear Mary, The presentation went very well today, and was appreciated by the department managers. Moreover, I was especially pleased to see that the team accomplished its goals. I want to personally thank you, for informally assisting your project team for staying on track and on target, to meet their goals. Without your willingness to take initiative in spite of some resistance from team members, and your persistence in keeping the team on track, the project would certainly not have been a success. To be more specific, your scheduling of meetings with a specific purpose, your use of an agenda with time allotments, your task distribution, and your excellent meeting facilitation, contributed greatly to the team's progress. Taking the team on a field trip, to see what several non-competing companies had done on a similar project, seems to have been a key success factor, and a great idea. Again, thank you. The project was well worth your time and investment and, on behalf of the management team, I want you to know that we really appreciate your efforts. Regards, Ivan

This is a formal sample employee recognition letter. Let's take a look at another sample. Sample 2

Dear Jake, The management and I, personally, wanted to let you know how much we appreciate your help with the video game launch. If it was not for you, and all you did to make the instructional language consistent in the manual, the brochure, and on the website, we would have missed the deadline. Our customers are surely going to be grateful for the fact that the instructions are clear and easy to understand. The graphics add to the overall clarity too. I know you had put aside your regular work on our behalf, so your regular work must have piled up considerably. The team sincerely thanks you and, I'm certain technical support will thank you, when they receive fewer calls about this release! Thank you again, Carrie

The above letter was slightly less formal than the first sample. You can always alter this rough format according to your needs and requirements, and boost your employee performance! Small things like recognition letters or gifts do not require a lot of time or money to be spent, but the results of such small gestures are amazing to witness!