40 Unique Ways to Say “Keep Up the Good Work” [With Examples & Quotes]

Looking for another way to say “keep up the good work?” Perhaps your new hire has hit the ground running, and you’d like to show your appreciation. Or, maybe your most reliable employee has taken on additional work to support the company during a challenging time. Whether you’re onboarding a new employee or retaining an existing one, frequent positive reinforcement is always beneficial.

Why? Acknowledging the efforts of high performers goes a long way in boosting morale and retention. There are countless ways to show your employees you appreciate them—including monetary bonuses, career advancement opportunities, and gifts. But of these many tactics for motivating team members, verbal praise should always be a starting point. After all, it’s simple, free, and can be done in a blink. 

That said, always relying on the same cliche phrases might come off as insincere. If your employee overheard you say “great job” to two of their coworkers before hearing you use those exact words to them, they might take it with a grain of salt.

We all know what “keep up the good work” means—and that’s part of the problem. When the same phrase is used repeatedly and in every scenario, it loses its power. Finding original ways to communicate the message can mean the difference between making your employee’s day and leaving them unmotivated and feeling underappreciated.

In this article, we’ve compiled 40 other ways to say “keep up the good work,” so that you can deliver the message with a personal touch. We’ve also compiled famous quotes, translations, and an example email to send your employees. With these resources, you’re better equipped to create a positive work environment and promote job satisfaction.

Table of Contents

• 40 unique ways to say “keep up the good work”
• Why consistent engagement is important for employees and managers
• 29 “keep up the good work” quotes
• Common obstacles workers face and how to overcome them
• How to help someone work well
• How to improve employee retention
• Example email to an employee
• Translations
• Related questions
• Conclusion

40 unique ways to say “keep up the good work”

If you’ve found yourself recycling the same jargon on repeat, you’re in luck. Here are 40 other ways to say “keep up the good work”:

1. “Keep doing what you’re doing.”
2. “All your hard work is paying off.”
3. “You’re doing a fantastic job.”
4. “I’m impressed with your progress.”
5. “You’re hitting your stride.”
6. “You’re making great headway.”
7. “Keep pushing forward.”
8. “Don’t change a thing about your approach.”
9. “I admire your work ethic.”
10. “You’re on the right track.”
11. “We’re lucky to have you on the team.”
12. “You’re a rock star.”
13. “I couldn’t have done it better myself.”
14. “Your dedication is admirable.”
15. “Your work is top-notch.”
16. “We couldn’t do it without you.”
17. “You always exceed expectations.”
18. “We appreciate you more than you know.”
19. “That project is coming along wonderfully.”
20. “Amazing job.”
21. “Keep at it, you’re almost there.”
22. “You’re making a real difference.”
23. “Don’t stop exceeding our expectations.”
24. “You’re a real go-getter.” 
25. “Keep up the remarkable work.”
26. “You’ve gone above and beyond.”
27. “Your work ethic is unmatched.”
28. “The finish line is in sight, let’s give it 100%” 
29. “I’m proud of the impact you’ve had.”
30. “You’ve put an impressive amount of work into this.”
31. “You’re nailing it.”
32. “How did you do that so fast?”
33. “I’m grateful to have you on the team.”  
34. “Everyone notices your hard work.”
35. “I knew you could do it and I hope you keep it up.”
36. “This is what excellence looks like.”
37. “Bravo for a job well done.”
38. “You’re headed in the right direction.”
39. “I can always count on you to produce excellent work.”
40. “It’s difficult to put into words how much we appreciate you.”

Read “150 Ways to Appreciate Your Employees”

Why consistent engagement is important for employees and managers

Happy workers are productive workers. In fact, a recent study showed that happiness correlates to a 13% boost in employee productivity. Professor Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, one of the study’s researchers, explains:

“We found that when workers are happier, they work faster by making more calls per hour worked and, importantly, convert more calls to sales,”

In other words, spreading good vibes benefits both employees and managers. But productivity isn’t the only reason to promote employee well-being. Workplace happiness also improves staff retention, employee engagement, and overall team spirit. These qualities are also infectious—meaning that one staff member’s happiness can influence the entire team and even your customers. 

But how can employers promote a happy workplace culture? It largely comes down to engagement and communication. When employees build an emotional connection with their work, they’re more likely to feel valued and motivated. 

Communication is the building block of emotional connection. And when it comes to the workplace, this requires two-way participation between employees and managers. Whether occurring in person, on the phone, online, or via a combination of all three, regular communication drives engagement in the following ways:

• Boosts morale: Frequent conversations build trust between employees and managers.
• Improves retention: Employees who interact with their supervisors often are less likely to leave on a whim.
• Promotes productivity: Beyond the link between happiness and productivity described above, open communication ensures transparency and alignment.
• Encourages innovation: Open communication fosters a culture of creativity, prompting employees to share their ideas and collaborate with colleagues.
• Enhances customer satisfaction: Happy and engaged frontline employees boost customer loyalty and satisfaction.

Read “27 Best Employee Break Room Ideas”

29 “keep up the good work” quotes

Hard work, persistence, and dedication have been valued throughout time and across every profession. From Michaelangelo and Shakespeare to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Pelé, people everywhere have captured the essence of “keep up the good work” with unique quotes.

Whether you’re a people manager looking for new ways to motivate your team or an employer struggling with retention, these quotes serve as a reminder that success results from consistent effort and dedication. Display them in the breakroom or add them to your email signature to inspire your team.

Here are 29 ways that “keep up the good work” has been reiterated by political leaders, philosophers, and more. 

1. “Keep on keeping on” – Curtis Mayfield, American musician
2. “Work hard and be kind and amazing things will happen.” – Conan O’Brien, American television host
3. “Nothing will work unless you do.” – Maya Angelou, American author and civil rights activist
4. “Success is the sum of small efforts repeated day in and day out.” – Robert Collier, author
5. “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” – Tim Notke, basketball coach
6. “Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.” – Newt Gingrich, political leader
7. “If you really look closely, most overnight successes took a long time.” – Steve Jobs, Apple co-founder
8. “It’s not about perfect. It’s about effort. And when you bring that effort every single day, that’s where transformation happens. That’s how change occurs.” – Jillian Michaels, celebrity fitness coach
9. “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.” – Wayne Gretzky, Canadian hockey player
10. “Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work” – Steven King, American author
11. “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill, British political leader
12. “The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra.” – Jimmy Johnson, football coach
13. “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” – Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher
14. “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Will Durant, author
15. “A river cuts through a rock not because of its power but its persistence.” – James N. Watkins, author
16. “Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt” – William Shakespeare, British playwright
17.  “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.” – Pelé, Brazilian soccer player 
18.  “I do not know anyone who has got to the top without hard work. That is the recipe. It will not always get you to the top, but should get you pretty near.” – Margaret Thatcher, British political leader
19.  “You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow. This opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yo.” – Eminem, rapper
20.  “The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.” – Anonymous
21.  “The only thing standing between you and outrageous success is continuous progress.” – Dan Waldschmidt, business strategist 
22.  “There will be obstacles. There will be doubters. There will be mistakes. But with hard work, there are no limits.” – Michael Phelps, Olympic swimmer
23. “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” – Thomas Edison, American inventor 
24. “If people knew how hard I worked to get my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful after all.” – Michelangelo, Italian sculptor
25. “The greater the difficulty, the more the glory in surmounting it.” – Epictetus, Greek Philosopher
26. “Success isn’t always about greatness. It’s about consistency. Consistent hard work leads to success. Greatness will come.” – Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, American actor and former professional wrestler
27. “Energy and persistence conquer all things.” – Benjamin Frankin, American founder and philosopher
28. “The slogans “hang on” and “press on” have solved and will continue to solve the problems of humanity.” – Ogwo David Emenike, Nigerian author
29. “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” – Albert Einstein, German physicist

Common obstacles workers face and how to overcome them

One of the most effective ways to boost staff motivation and satisfaction is by eliminating barriers to your workers’ success. By understanding and addressing common obstacles, you’ll build a more engaged workforce and streamline productivity.

Here are the prevailing challenges employees face and ways employers can overcome them:

1. Lack of training: Without proper training and support, your employees are set up for failure. Help workers help themselves by implementing a well-thought-out onboarding process, providing regular training opportunities, and ensuring that your staff has access to the resources and support they need.
2. Unclear expectations: Imagine going into a restaurant, telling the server to surprise you, and then expressing disappointment about the entree they picked. Just as a restaurant’s staff requires an explicit selection of what you’d like to eat, your employees need clear expectations in order to meet them. Establish detailed tasks, goals, and measures of success. From there, provide regular feedback as expectations evolve.
3. Poor communication: It’s difficult to accomplish a task that you don’t fully understand. Open and honest communication ensures that everyone is marching toward the same goals. Beyond just over-communicating with your staff, encourage them to ask questions and express their own concerns.
4. Burnout: Burnout is harder to pin down than the three obstacles above. It occurs when workers are stressed, overworked, and feel underappreciated. Employers should always promote a work-life balance that curbs professional exhaustion by encouraging breaks and regular time off. Building a positive environment through encouragement and appreciation can also prevent burnout.

From unclear expectations to a lack of training, one theme unites all the obstacles above: The need for clear and open communication. Strive for this and you’ll never be misguided. 

How to help someone work well

Healthy work environments promote efficiency and quality at both the team and individual levels. For that reason, helping your employees to work well starts with building an environment that makes them feel safe, valued, and positioned for growth.

We recommend creating a feedback loop where transparency is encouraged both top-down and bottom-up. To make this work, you must lead by example. Communicate often, provide the resources your employees need to succeed, recognize their challenges, and offer praise. 

From there, don’t just say it—show it. Motivating employees through a combination of words and actions will reiterate the message and promote positivity in all forms. 

Some of the ways you can help employees work well include:

• Recognizing top performers publicly by detailing their accomplishments during a company-wide meeting.
• Fueling workers with catered meals and treats.
• Offering monetary rewards and incentives, like performance-based raises or bonuses.
• Discussing career advancement opportunities with employees and what they need to do to get there.
• Sharing data about your team’s success, such as growth in revenue or improvements in how efficiently a task is completed.
• Organizing fun team outings to celebrate an accomplishment.
• Passing on praise given by customers and vendors. 
• Encouraging teammates to recognize one another by nominating employees for an award.
• Providing swag and branded gear to promote team spirit.

Read “18 Tips to Give the Best Employee Appreciation Speech”

How to improve employee retention

Employee retention is a top priority for any business. After all, turnover burns money and time. Luckily, there are plenty of things you can do to improve your retention rate and keep top talent happy.

Here are a few tips:

1. Create a positive work environment. The best way to improve retention is to create a positive work environment where employees feel valued and appreciated. This means providing them with the resources they need to do their jobs, offering competitive salaries and benefits, and creating opportunities for growth and development.
2. Offer flexible work arrangements. Many employees are looking for flexible work arrangements, such as four-day work weeks and the ability to work from home. As remote work and compressed workweeks become the norm, any employer sticking with the old way of doing things risks losing staff to competitors. Offering these options helps attract and retain top talent. Some industries aren’t suited for telecommuting, so think of other ways to provide flexibility if that’s not an option.
3. Provide regular feedback. It’s difficult to be successful without any insight to go off of. Providing employees with regular feedback helps reinforce good habits and curb bad ones.
4. Recognize and reward good work. When employees do something well, be sure to recognize and reward them. This could be anything from a simple thank you to a public appreciation speech. Recognition and rewards will make employees feel appreciated and valued, and they’ll be more likely to stay with your company.
5. Offer opportunities for growth and development. Employees want to feel like they’re growing and developing in their careers. Offer your workers opportunities to take on new challenges, learn new skills, and advance within your company.
6. Be open to feedback. Just as it’s important for employers to verbally assess their workers’ performance, employees need to feel like they can come to their managers with concerns and problems. Be open to feedback and willing to make changes. 
7. Be a good communicator. Communication is key to any successful relationship, and it’s especially important between employees and managers. Make sure you’re communicating regularly with your employees, both formally and informally.
8. Be fair and consistent. Employees need to feel like they’re being treated fairly and consistently. Make sure you’re following all the rules and regulations, and be fair in your decision-making.
9. Be supportive. Supporting employees goes beyond just onboarding staff and allowing the occasional sick day. The best managers are there for employees for professional and personal struggles. By supporting workers when they need help, you’ll motivate them to support you when you need it.

Example email to an employee

Public recognition is great. But a personal email or note holds a power all its own. The recipient will know that your only motive for sending the email was to make their day—rather than performing in front of a crowd. Here’s an example of an email to send an employee who brings 100% to their job each day. 

Hi Dan,

I can’t express how grateful we are to have you on the team. You impress me daily with the passion and work ethic you bring to each task. What’s more, your attitude is infectious, benefiting your coworkers, our customers, and the company as a whole.

Specifically, your frequent accomplishment of [detail something the employee recently executed successfully] provided so much value. Despite some of the obstacles you encountered—including [list any barriers that the employee overcame]—you went above and beyond our expectations. 

It’s worth calling out how beneficial your hard work is to the company. Thanks to your efforts, we’ve [list a measure of success, like boosting sales or meeting deadlines].

Please keep up the good work. I can always count on you to produce excellent work and am so thankful for that. And as always, let me know if there’s anything we can do to better support you. 

We’re lucky to have you!

Thanks,

Annabelle

Translations

“Keep up the good work” is a universal expression. Here are some translations to use if you’re looking for a way to say “keep up the good work” or a related phrase in Spanish, French, or German.

In Spanish

• “Sigan con el buen trabajo.” (keep up the good work)
• “Siguiera así.” (keep it up)
• “Continúen avanzando por este camino.” (continue on this path)

In French

• “Continuez votre bon travail.”(keep up the good work)
• “Continuez comme ça.” (keep it up)
• “Continuez à travailler dur!” (keep working hard)

In German

• “Tolle Arbeit! Mach weiter so!” (keep up the good work)
• “Mach weiter so.” (keep it up)
• “Bleib auf dem Weg!’ (stay on this path)

Related questions

Why is it important for managers and leaders to praise employees?

Workers often lack insight into their performance. While leaders know who their star employees are and which accomplishments drive the greatest results, their employees could be in the dark. For this reason, employee praise needs to be shared regularly and communicated clearly. 

Frequent verbal appreciation ensures that workers know where they stand. Additionally, it clarifies which behaviors should be repeated and which should be abandoned. This type of communication also boosts company-wide positivity, which paves the way for employee productivity, retention, and collaboration. Check out our section above on why consistent engagement is important for employees and managers for a more thorough look at the benefits of praising employees.

Read “16 Inspirational Employee Retention Quotes”

Is “keep up the good work” rude?

“Keep up the good work” is neither rude nor bossy. Sure, praising someone while imploring them to work harder could be considered a double-edged sword. But “keep up the good work” is more of an acknowledgment than a command. By telling your employees to keep up the good work, you’re communicating that their approach is spot on, their effort is appreciated, and by continuing along that path, they’ll soon be congratulated for a job well done.  

What’s a good reply when someone says “keep up the good work”?

The best reply when someone says “keep up the good work” is to do just that—forge on as you’ve been doing. However, it’s also a good idea to express gratitude for any compliment. A simple “thanks” or “I appreciate it” suffices in most scenarios. If the comment comes from a coworker, you can mirror their positivity by saying “back at you.” Alternatively, if your boss is the one pushing you to keep at it, you’re always welcome to ask: “is there anything I should be doing differently?” or “do you see room for improvement?”

What are some synonyms for “keep up the good work”?

Some synonyms for “keep up the good work” include:

• Keep at it
• Stay on the path you’re on
• Carry on as you are
• Don’t give up
• Keep fighting the good fight
• Don’t stop now, you’re almost there
• Hang in there
• You’re on the right track
• Continue doing it just like that

Conclusion

Regardless of who you’re talking to, telling someone to keep up the good work can improve morale and increase the likelihood that they reach their goals. In professional settings, your employee’s goals are often your own—so giving them a metaphoric pat on the back is a win-win. 

Just think of the last time someone praised your efforts. Perhaps a customer or client told you they were impressed with your services. Or maybe someone left an online review raving about your company. Chances are it made your day and inspired you to work harder. Pride and motivation go hand in hand. For that reason, praise is an excellent tool for managers in any industry.

By following the tactics covered above, you’ll be right on track to creating a positive environment where employees thrive. And if you’re looking to build a high-performing team quickly, Jobble is a great option. Our staffing platform helps employers find qualified workers for a variety of tasks. What’s more, it matches you with candidates who’ve been vetted and ensures transparency throughout the hiring process.

“By using Jobble to staff our events, we’re easily matched with Jobblers who want to be there and know what they have signed up for. Jobble’s staffing solution is flexible and a great match for us.”

– Lauren B. (Cool Events)

So what are you waiting for? Schedule a demo today.

About the Author: Traci Ruether is a content marketing consultant and writer specializing in SEO for SaaS brands. You can follow her on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/traci-ruether or learn more at traci-writes.com.