What are Kudos examples?
You've decided to implement Kudos at your company. You've done your research, read the stats, and you're all fired up, knowing that finally you've found the one thing that can increase employee engagement, improve employee morale, and get your productivity numbers where you want them to be. Your kudo cards have come in the mail, or maybe you've signed up for the free Slack app Matter (good move, if you did!). And you're sitting there, kudo card on your desk, pen in your hand, and you suddenly realize.
You don't know what to say.
How can you implement a culture of Kudos at your company if you don't even know how to send one yourself?
That's where Kudos examples come in. Kudos examples are simply short kudo samples; examples of what you might write to an employee, coworker, or boss when sending a Kudos. Nothing complicated, but they can provide inspiration when inspiration is needed and can get you going if you're suffering from writers’ block. Since a Kudos is nothing if not genuine, you don't want to copy them, unless you find one that really speaks to your situation. That said, you can cannibalize them as needed and customize them for the Kudos you need to write.
Benefits of Kudos examples
Helping you find your kudo writing voice and taking the "I don't know what to say" out of the kudo giving process are two big benefits of Kudos examples. Other benefits include:
- Kudos examples can help you build your own kudo giving process
- Kudos examples can give you ideas on how to encourage company kudo recognition policies
- Kudos samples, when carefully chosen, can demonstrate the tone you'd like your employees to follow when writing their own Kudos
This last one is especially important. Kudo-giving isn't top-down; it's something you want your whole team to participate in. But what happens if no-one knows what a kudo is supposed to sound like? It's not an employee recognition letter or testimonial exactly, but what is it meant to be? You get some lucky guesses, some way off the mark, and some so bad that they almost undo everything you were trying to do. Best policy? Share some kudo examples with your team when you introduce the idea, so they see what they're meant to be going for.
6 Kudos examples for small businesses
If you're a small business kudo giver, Kudos examples can validate your employee appreciation process. After all, it's not like at a small company you have some kudo-giving guru telling everyone what to do. Chances are that no one is really sure how Kudos fit into the employee recognition program and so Kudos examples can help everyone work together towards some common ground.
As a small company, though, you've got one big benefit: you know your employees, and you can show your gratitude in a way that really speaks to them. Here are some small-business Kudos example sentences that might fit on your Kudos wall, or send them with social media:
- "I've been getting so many compliments on our customer service lately. Thank you for your hard work and for always going the extra mile!"
- "I appreciate how you took the initiative to reach out to your teammates on Slack. We've seen so much collaboration over the past few weeks, and I love it!"
- "Thank you for staying late last night with me to finish up the stock inventory. I know we needed to get it done, and we did!"
- "Success! That was a super hard assignment, and I really appreciate everything you put into it. Your motivation is inspiring!"
- "Thanks for creating such a positive experience for all our seminar attendees! Your praise is on everyone's lips!"
- "I really appreciate the excellent job you did in diffusing that challenging situation at the team meeting last week! Kudos!"
4 Kudos examples for large businesses
If you're part of a larger business and a Kudos system is already in place, Kudos examples can still help to build the Kudos peer recognition experience. You know what Kudos sound like when they come in, now it's time to get your employees writing Kudos that fit your Kudos policy and company values. Here are some Kudos examples you could use in your kudo-giving process. Note that kudo policies can vary within a large business, so it's highly recommended to ask your kudo giving guru for Kudos examples relevant to you.
- "You are so good at being the first one in every morning! Your positive attitude makes my day!"
- "Excellent work on that appreciation letter! You add so much to the management team."
- "I absolutely love your email templates. You can tell you thought them out carefully, and they really make our company feel personal to the recipient!"
- "Wow! You really hit that presentation out of the park! Thanks so much for always going over and above when you're asked to do something."
6 Kudos examples for remote teams
If Kudos are an important employee engagement tool when your team is on location in the office, it's even more essential when they're working from their homes. Research shows that remote workers are often isolated and don't get the same morale-boosting appreciation as your colleague in the office. Sharing Kudos with your remote team can provide intrinsic rewards and help them feel connected in a way nothing else can. Remember, you don't just have to send congratulations for an exceptional achievement -- good work is worth celebrating too!
Here are six examples of Kudos sent to members of remote teams:
- "I love that you volunteered to tackle this project even though I know it was a lot of work for you. Thank you so much for all the work you put into it!"
- "I really appreciated your quick response to my question on Slack this morning! It was nice knowing I didn't have to bug the entire team about it."
- "Your blog post was so thoughtful! Thank you for taking the time to write it."
- "I'm really grateful that you always take the time to help answer questions in Slack even though your workload is heavy right now."
- "I know answering customer questions isn't everyone's favorite, so thanks so much for always tackling them without being asked."
- "Just reviewed your code, it's looking really good! Thanks for making the effort to put in explanations and notes."
Tips on using Kudos examples:
When you give Kudos, make sure it's genuine. You don't want to sound like you're doing something you hate! A great way to make Kudos giving more enjoyable is with kudo templates and kudo cards.
Here are some more tips on writing Kudos:
- Keep Kudos specific. A kudo like "You're a great coworker!" isn't as effective as positive feedback combined with an example of something you've seen or heard the person do.
- If Kudos sound too cliched, try to be more specific with your example and details so people can better understand what you're kudo-ing them on.
- Keep Kudos simple. Avoid using big words or complicated grammar when you're kudo giving.
The kudo giver should put some thought into kudo examples and Kudos, but they don't have to write a Kudos book. One sentence is great! Ten sentences can be too many, unless you’ve really got something that needs to be shared. Find your kudo-giving voice and see what works for you and your team -- that's what matters most!
