21 ways to say ‘good job’ to your team (and boost productivity)

Two of the best ways to boost team productivity are free pizza and compliments.

Today, pizza is just a click away. But compliments? Sometimes, we’re “too busy” and think critical feedback is enough. And sometimes we’re just lost for words - particularly new managers.

Nonetheless, it’s a significant opportunity to make your team feel valued, boosting wellbeing, engagement and productivity.

What makes compliments so powerful?

• Research shows that feeling appreciated boosts health, lowers stress, and leads to fewer sick days.

• A study by Glassdoor found that 81% of employees feel motivated to work harder when their boss shows them appreciation.

• A compliment on a person’s performance directly contributes to improving skills on that task and similar tasks.

• A happy, healthy, productive workforce means reduced turnover.

• Compliments are high impact and cost nothing.

21 compliments for your team:

1. “Having you on the team makes a huge difference.”

2. “You always find a way to get it done – and done well!”

3. “It’s really admirable how you always see projects through from conception to completion.”

4. “Thank you for always speaking up in team meetings and providing a unique perspective.”

5. “Your efforts at strengthening our culture have not gone unnoticed.”

6. “Even when the going gets tough, you continue to have the best attitude. Thank you!”

7. “Wow! Just when I thought your work couldn’t get any better!”

8. “It’s amazing how you always help new employees get up to speed.”

9. “Your work ethic speaks for itself.”

10. “The pride you take in your work is truly inspiring.”

11. “I was blown away by your contributions this week.”

12. “There’s no other way to say it: we’d be lost without you.”

13. “I can’t believe how lucky I am to have such a great team.”

14. “It’s incredible how often you go above and beyond.”

15. “I know I’ve been busy lately, but I just had to tell you what a great job you’re doing.”

16. “I’ve learnt a lot from you, thank you.”

17. “I am continually impressed by the results you produce.”

18. “You’re really good at keeping everybody positive and focused.”

19. “It’s amazing how you’re always able to overcome any obstacle thrown your way.”

20. “What’s your secret? Your output is impressive, to say the least.”

21. “Things have definitely been crazy lately, but you’re crushing it!”

Final thoughts

Recognising your team with encouraging compliments is a high impact and costs nothing. When team members feel appreciated, their wellbeing improves, as does engagement and productivity. Happy team = a productive team.

This is sometimes hard to do, along with all the work you already have to do.

We built Indie to help “nudge” you when the team could use a compliment and how to know when to help them. Indie privately monitors written language for stress signals in your existing communication systems (like Slack and email).

Indie takes the guesswork away by providing you with data on your team's productivity and stress levels. You have access to "at-a-glance" dashboards that show when your efforts are achieving the maximum benefits and when to keep improving. For example -

Indie's day of the week dashboard:

View average stress and wellness levels with Indie:

Indie proactively reminds you to recognise and acknowledge your team to ensure they are high performing, productive and most of all, HAPPY and HEALTHY!

Want to see Indie in action? Book a demo into our calendars or sign up for free here.