51 Thoughtful Birthday Wishes for Employees

When you're looking for opportunities to celebrate your employees, birthdays are a great place to start!

You can make birthday celebrations as simple or elaborate as you want. For larger companies, you can encourage each team or department to determine how they want to celebrate birthdays with one another. No matter the size of your company, sending birthday messages reminds each individual that they're a valued team member.

As you consider what to write in your birthday wishes for employees, the key is to opt for a tone that will resonate with the individual and then personalize the message. Consider your relationship with them and how you typically communicate.

For more personal relationships, longer heartfelt birthday messages are often ideal. If you strictly communicate on a professional level, a quick note or simple birthday card may be all it takes to adequately send your best wishes.

Along with the way you choose to send birthday messages to your employees, you need to decide if you want to include other celebrations. Birthday traditions can span the gamut from a simple birthday banner at an employee's cubicle to an organized birthday potluck on an employee's big day.

We've collected more than 50 birthday wishes for employees, along with ideas for some birthday traditions you might like to include. Your inspiration is waiting below!

Birthday Wishes for Employee Celebrations

While a simple "happy birthday" can be enough to help your employees feel valued on their special day, a longer personalized message is an opportunity to foster a positive work culture and emphasize the care you have for each team member as an individual.

Stuck on exactly what to write inside that birthday card? Here are a few creative birthday wishes for employees to get your wheels turning.

Heartfelt Birthday Wishes for Employees

An amazing employee deserves an amazing day. Here's to a fantastic year ahead, full of joy. Happy birthday!

Happy birthday! After all the amazing things you've already accomplished, we can't wait to see what you do on your next trip around the sun.

You make all the difference on your team and with [company name]. We hope you have the best birthday -- you deserve it.

You mean so many different things to this company, but we can all agree that you're a wonderful person to work with. Warmest birthday wishes to someone who is a friend to all!

No one could do this job better than you, [name]. We're lucky to have you. Have a fantastic birthday.

You're not just a good employee and coworker -- you're a wonderful person! It's an honor to celebrate such a great member of our team. Enjoy all of life's blessings, today and every day.

Today is a special day -- it's the day you joined the world and started making it a better place. Happy birthday, [name]. You radiate joy to everyone you're around!

Heartfelt happy birthday wishes from your entire team, [name]. Thanks for making work such a great place to be. Here's to a fantastic birthday and a wonderful year ahead!

May today be the start of an incredible year for you-- one that is filled with great health and happiness. Happy birthday!

You show up for everyone time and again. Today we're all honored to come together and celebrate you. Thanks for being such an incredible team member, [name]. Happy birthday.

Employee Birthday Wishes About Their Character

Your work ethic is unparalleled. May you take some time this birthday to relax and enjoy the little joys life has to offer. You have absolutely earned it!

It's a wonderful day today because we get the chance to celebrate YOU. You are always on top of your work, ready to lend a hand to others, and the best communicator I know. Wishing you an incredibly happy birthday.

Birthday wishes to someone who lifts everyone else up with your positive spirit and determination. Thanks for being a bright light in the office.

We couldn't ask for a better team member to work alongside. You are dependable, thoughtful, and an overall great person. Enjoy a birthday celebration that honors how great you are!

You've had an amazing year full of growth and achievement. You inspire others to always strive for their best. May your birthday usher in a year of joy and good health.

Sending birthday wishes to a hardworking employee and reliable team member. You should be proud of all you've accomplished this past year. We look forward to seeing what the next year brings for you.

This birthday message is for a fantastic person who encourages us all to give our best effort. May you have a day filled with all of your favorite things. Have a happy and relaxing birthday!

All the words in the world couldn't sum up what an amazing person you are, but I thought I'd try a few. You are proactive, considerate, gracious, and diligent. Thanks for making [company] better with all you do. Have a very happy birthday!

Heartfelt birthday wishes to one of the best employees I've had the opportunity to work with. You embody all of the values our company stands for, and we're proud to have you as a member of our team.

Short Birthday Wishes for Employees

We wish you all the happiness for today and this upcoming year. Happy birthday!

Happy birthday, [name]. Here's to a prosperous year ahead.

Hope you enjoy a birthday filled with all of your favorite things. Happy birthday!

Warmest wishes for a valued employee. Enjoy an amazing birthday.

Our whole team sends happy birthday wishes to a valued member.

A special person deserves a special day. Happy birthday, [name].

You make work a lot less like work. Have a very happy birthday!

Wishing you good health and great fortune in the year ahead. Cheers to a wonderful birthday.

You fill our office with positivity. We hope you have a birthday filled with all your favorite things!

Professional Birthday Wishes for Employees

Birthday greetings from everyone at [company].

The entire company wishes you an incredible birthday and upcoming year.

Best wishes on your special day. Happy birthday, [name].

You've become a pillar of this company. Happy birthday, [name], we truly appreciate you.

Birthday wishes for a valued team member.

You're an essential part of our team, & [company] is honored to have you as an employee. Happy birthday!

Warm wishes for a wonderful birthday and another excellent year.

Happy birthday, [name]. There's another bright year ahead of you.

You're the dictionary definition of a great employee, [name]. We're wishing you a great birthday as well.

Funny Birthday Wishes for Employees

One year older, and one year closer to retirement. Have a fantastic birthday, [name]!

Happy birthday! The best birthday gift I could give you is the opportunity to work with me every day. How lucky you are!

Statistics have shown that people who have the most birthdays live the longest. Have a wonderful birthday!

Happy birthday, [name]. You still look 25 -- only you and HR will ever know your real age.

Birthday wishes for a great co-worker and friend! Let's do lunch today -- your treat.

Seeing you in the office is the second best thing about coming to work -- right after the coffee. Have a fantastic birthday!

Thanks for being my emotional support coworker. Hope you have a special day! Happy birthday.

I heard we're celebrating the birthday of the most amazing employee this company has ever seen... but it's not my birthday! Hope you have a birthday filled with good times and great birthday cake.

Wishing you warm birthday greetings and a day free from pointless meetings. Happy birthday, [name]!

Birthday Quotes

When you don't have the right words for your birthday wishes for employees, rest assured that someone else does! Check out these birthday quotes that capture the joy (and humor) of growing another year older.

Quotes To Inspire

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” ― Les Brown

“It takes a long time to grow young.” — Pablo Picasso

“Don’t just count your years, make your years count.” — George Meredith

“It is never too late to be what you might have been.” — George Eliot

“The great thing about getting older is that you don’t lose all the other ages you’ve been.” — Madeleine L’Engle

“We grow neither better nor worse as we get old, but more like ourselves.” — Bernard Baruch

"The best birthdays of all are those that haven’t arrived yet.” — Robert Orben

"Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears." — John Lennon

"With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come." — William Shakespeare

Quotes To Encourage

“You don’t get older, you get better.” — Shirley Bassey

“Age is whatever you think it is. You are as old as you think you are.” — Muhammad Ali

“And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” — Abraham Lincoln

“No wise man ever wished to be younger.” — Jonathan Swift

"Age is a case of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it don't matter." — Satchel Paige

“Men do not quit playing because they grow old; they grow old because they quit playing.” — Oliver Wendell Holmes

“We turn not older with years, but newer every day.” — Emily Dickinson

"My life is better with every year of living it." — Rachel Maddow

Quotes To Laugh At

“The older you get the better you get, unless you are a banana.” — Betty White

“The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age.” — Lucille Ball

“You know you’re getting old when the candles cost more than the cake.” — Bob Hope

“Age is not important unless you are a cheese.” — Helen Hayes

"As you get older, three things happen: The first is your memory goes, and I can't remember the other two." — Norman Wisdom

“To me, old age is always 15 years older than I am.” — Bernard Baruch

How Will You Send Your Birthday Message?

Once you've decided what you want to say to your employee, your next decision is how.

A card or email is just the beginning of your options. If you're looking for creative ideas on how to make it an especially memorable birthday, you might send birthday wishes with a:

singing telegram to the office
food delivery that includes a note
compilation video that includes birthday messages from the entire team
shoutout during your daily morning meeting

Budget, employee preferences, and on-site/remote status are the biggest determining factors when you're deciding how to voice your happy birthday wishes.

Professional Birthday Wishes: Striking the Right Tone

The size and culture of your company is often a determining factor when you're deciding how employee birthdays will be celebrated.

Company Traditions for a Very Happy Birthday

The key to determining company traditions surrounding birthdays is to consider what celebrations you want to repeat for all employees, year after year.

Who is going to be involved? What's the budget for birthday celebrations? Determine your guidelines early so you can decide what traditions you'd like to implement on each person's special day.

Here are a few ideas to consider.

Desk or Cubicle Décor

Birthday décor can be as simple or elaborate as you have the time and energy for. Even the effort associated with a single happy birthday balloon demonstrates your choice to celebrate with a little extra pizzazz. You may choose to encourage teams to decorate for their colleagues' birthdays or go all out on milestone birthdays each decade.

If décor is a tradition you choose to adopt, make it easy by keeping a stash of birthday decorations on hand. Streamers, a few balloons, and a simple birthday banner are all it takes to put a smile on your employee's face when they arrive at the office on their birthday.

Birthday Awards

Celebrate what each individual does best with a birthday award. Before their birthday, take a quick poll from their team about what your employee's strong suits on. On their birthday, present them with a certificate honoring what their peers appreciate about them.

You may opt for character or performance-based recognition, like "Most Positive Team Member" or add in a little humor with "Best Email Signoffs" or "Most Knowledgeable Restaraunteer: Always Picks the Best Lunch Spots."

Paid Time Off

Whether it's a half-day or full day, paid time off allows employees to enjoy their day without the pressure of work commitments and makes for a very happy birthday indeed. This policy speaks to a company culture that puts people first and acknowledges the importance of personal celebrations.

If an employee's birthday falls on a weekend, consider if you want to offer PTO on the adjoining Monday or Friday, or if you'd rather, just allow PTO for weekday birthdays to ensure no one works on their actual birthday.

Birthday Breakfast

This could be arranged in whatever format works best for your organization. If employees are remote, you might send a virtual gift card to their favorite coffee shop or have breakfast delivered via DoorDash. For on-site employees, you could arrange a breakfast potluck or have an employee's favorite morning treat waiting at their desk.

Streamline Your Celebrations

Celebrating each employee birthday is one of a hundred ways you can engage your team and design the ultimate employee experience.

With Terryberry's Be Engaged platform, you can offer everything from employee recognition software to corporate wellness solutions to engagement surveys -- all in one accessible location. The end result? Less turnover, increased productivity, and higher profitability.

Let's chat about how Terryberry can meet your current needs.

Celebrating Your Team: 51 Thoughtful Birthday Wishes for Employees