Warm fuzzies at work: how to run the activity, plus 100 note starters
Four ways to run warm fuzzies with your team, the rules and a script. Plus 100 note starters to copy and a sheet you can print.
Warm fuzzies are short, kind notes people write to each other, and at work they turn into one of the simplest appreciation activities there is: everyone gets an envelope, everyone writes, and everyone goes home with a handful of specific notes about their work. This guide covers where warm fuzzies come from, four ways to run them (a 20-minute circle, a week-long envelope wall, a remote version and a manager version), the rules that keep them kind, a facilitator script and debrief, 100 note starters with copy buttons, and sample appreciation notes for a coworker, a team and employees.
What are warm fuzzies?
A warm fuzzy is any small act of kindness, and the name has a story behind it.
The term comes from A Warm Fuzzy Tale, a fable the psychotherapist Claude Steiner wrote around 1970 and later published as The Original Warm Fuzzy Tale. In it, everyone in a village carries a bag of soft warm fuzzies and hands them out freely, until a witch convinces people the fuzzies might run out. They start hoarding them, trading cold pricklies instead, and the village gets colder.
Teachers and camp counselors have borrowed the idea ever since. In some classrooms a warm fuzzy is a small pom-pom dropped in a jar for a kind act, and a warm fuzzy note is a few kind words written for a classmate. At work, warm fuzzies means the note version: coworkers write each other short, specific appreciation notes, usually collected in an envelope or bag with each person’s name and read in private.
Why it works at work
- It comes from peers, not the org chart. A thank-you from the person at the next desk lands differently from a company award. Warm fuzzies make that kind of thanks the whole point.
- It's written down. A kind word in a meeting is gone by lunch. A note can be kept in a drawer and read again on a bad day.
- Everyone gets some. Awards go to a few people. Run well, warm fuzzies reach every single person, including the ones whose work nobody sees.
- It costs almost nothing. Envelopes, slips of paper and twenty minutes. Remote teams need even less: a shared folder and a week.
Warm fuzzies differ from a gratitude wall or other gratitude activities in one way: each note goes to one person and stays private. For bigger, public ways to say thanks, see our employee recognition ideas.
How to run warm fuzzies at work: 4 ways
Pick the one that fits your team's size and setup. All four work with the printable sheet of name cards and note slips.
The 20-minute warm fuzzies circle (in person)
- Time: 20 minutes
- Group: 6 to 10 per table; run several tables for bigger groups
- You need: One envelope or small paper bag per person, a stack of note slips, pens
- Names on envelopes (2 minutes). Everyone writes their own name on an envelope and lays it on the table, open side up.
- Explain the rules (3 minutes). Read the short script below: one specific thing per note, kind only, signing is optional, nobody opens their envelope yet.
- Write (12 minutes). Each person writes one slip for everyone else at the table and drops it in that person's envelope. With 8 people that's 7 notes, about a minute and a half each.
- Hand out and close (3 minutes). Everyone takes their own envelope. Ask people to read it later, on their own, then invite anyone who wants to say how the writing felt.
The week-long envelope wall
- Time: One week, about 5 minutes a day for each person
- Group: 10 to 200 people on one floor or site
- You need: One envelope per person, tape, a basket of note slips and pens, a sign with the rules
- Build the wall on Monday morning. Tape one named envelope per person, in alphabetical order, on a wall people pass every day. Put the slips, pens and the rules sign right beside it.
- Seed it. Ask five people to write the first notes before you announce it, so nobody faces a wall of empty envelopes.
- Check every envelope on Wednesday. Look for envelopes with nothing in them. Write to those people yourself and ask a couple of their closest teammates to add one too. No envelope stays empty: that's the organizer's one job.
- Take them home on Friday. At the end of the day, everyone takes their own envelope down. Leave the empty wall up for a few days; people like seeing that it happened.
Remote warm fuzzies (shared docs or a team chat)
- Time: One week, or 15 minutes live on a call
- Group: Any remote or hybrid team
- You need: A shared folder (Google Drive, OneDrive or similar) or your team chat
- Make one doc per person. Create a folder with a doc for each teammate, titled "Warm fuzzies for [name]". Share each doc with everyone except the person it's for.
- Give it a week. Ask everyone to add a few signed lines to as many docs as they can; a shared doc's version history shows who wrote what anyway. Check midweek for thin docs and fill the gaps yourself.
- Reveal on Friday. Share each doc with its owner. A short message works: "Your teammates wrote you some warm fuzzies. Read them when you have a quiet minute."
- Or do it live in 15 minutes. On a video call, give everyone two or three names. Each person sends those teammates a short private message in the team chat, then anyone who wants to reads one note they received out loud.
The manager version
- Time: 10 minutes per note, once a month or once a quarter
- Group: A manager and their direct reports
- You need: Note cards or a short typed message, and a list of who you've written to
- Write one warm fuzzy per person. Pick one piece of work from the last month for each direct report and write two or three sentences about it.
- Keep it separate from feedback. A warm fuzzy never ends with "one thing to work on". Save coaching for your one-on-ones.
- Track who you've written to. Keep a simple list so nobody goes a whole quarter without a note. The people who never ask for attention are the easiest to miss.
- Add a team note now and then. After a hard project, write one appreciation note to the whole team as well. There's a sample to copy further down.
Planning it for Employee Appreciation Day, the first Friday in March? Our Employee Appreciation Day guide has ideas for the rest of the day, and a warm fuzzies swap is also one of our fun Friday ideas.
Rules that keep warm fuzzies kind and specific
Say these out loud before anyone writes, or print them on a sign next to the envelopes.
- Name one specific thing. "You're awesome" is nice. "You rewrote the onboarding guide and now new hires stop asking me the same five questions" gets kept for years.
- Kind only. No backhanded praise, no inside jokes at someone's expense and no "for once". If a note could sting, it doesn't go in the envelope.
- Work and character, not looks. Write about what people do and how they treat others. Leave appearance, age and personal life out of it.
- Signing is optional. Some people write more honestly without a name. If you allow unsigned notes, keep them in envelopes or private docs, never on an open wall.
- Everyone receives. Writing can be optional, but every person gets notes. The organizer checks for empty envelopes before they're handed out.
- Nothing is counted. No prizes for the most notes received or written. It's thanks, not a contest.
- It stays out of reviews. Warm fuzzies belong to the person who got them. Don't collect them for performance reviews or quote them without asking.
Facilitator script
Read it as written or put it in your own words. It takes about three minutes.
Warm fuzzies script for the facilitator
Thanks for joining. This is warm fuzzies: everyone has an envelope with their name on it, and for the next 12 minutes we're going to fill them. Write a short note for each person at your table and drop it in their envelope. Two or three sentences is plenty. Three rules. Be specific: name one thing they did, not just "you're great". Keep it about their work and how they treat people, not looks. And keep it kind; if a note could sting, don't write it. You can sign your notes or leave them unsigned. Both are fine. Please don't open your own envelope yet. Take it with you and read it later, when you have a quiet minute. (At the end) Thank you, everyone. If anyone wants to share how it felt to write the notes, not what's inside yours, we have two minutes.
Debrief questions
Ask one or two at the end, or at the next team meeting. Ask about the writing, never about what anyone received.
- Which note was the hardest to write, and why?
- What did you write today that you had never said out loud?
- What did you notice about a teammate this month that they probably don't know you noticed?
- What would make it easy to do this again in three months?
- Who outside this room deserves a warm fuzzy this week?
100 warm fuzzy note starters to copy
Blank page? Copy a starter, fill in the brackets and add one detail only you would know. That last detail is what makes a note worth keeping.
For their skills
For the things they're simply good at.
1. I watched you untangle [the budget sheet] in one afternoon. I would still be staring at it.
2. Your notes from [the planning meeting] are the ones we all go back to. They say who does what, and by when.
3. When you explained [the new system], it finally clicked for me. You make hard things sound plain.
4. Your first drafts read like other people's final versions. I learn something every time I read one.
5. You spotted the problem in [the numbers] before anyone else did, and you pointed it out kindly.
6. Every slide you make has one point, and it lands. I've started borrowing your layout.
7. You ask the question everyone was thinking and nobody said. [Monday's meeting] went better because of it.
8. The way you handle an upset customer is something I want to learn: calm, warm and still firm.
9. You can take a messy whiteboard and turn it into a plan by the next morning. Not many people can.
10. I asked you a quick question and got a five-minute lesson I'll use for years. Thank you for that.
11. Your reviews of my work are the kind I hope for: you catch the mistake and explain why it matters.
12. You walked into [the vendor negotiation] ready for every question they asked. We got a better deal because of it.
13. Nobody runs a meeting like you. We start on time, stay on topic and leave with answers.
For helping out
For the favor, the save and the extra hour.
14. You stayed late to help me finish [the launch checklist] when it wasn't even your project. I haven't forgotten.
15. While I was out, you answered my customers as if they were your own. Not one of them noticed I was gone.
16. No question is too basic for you. You answer the fifth one as kindly as the first.
17. The shortcut you showed me saves me time every single day. That's a gift that keeps on giving.
18. You saw I was swamped and took [the report] off my plate without being asked.
19. I watched you walk [the new hire] through the whole tool, twice, with real patience.
20. Every time something breaks, you're the first to say "I'll take a look." The team leans on that more than you know.
21. You shared the credit on [the project] when you could have kept it. That told me a lot about you.
22. Thank you for reading my draft at nine at night. Your two comments fixed the whole thing.
23. You introduced me to [name], and that one conversation changed how I do my job.
24. The template you built is now used by [three teams]. Most of them don't know it's yours, so I'm telling you.
25. You always leave the shared drive tidier than you found it. Small thing, big difference.
26. When the deadline moved up, you rearranged your week so we could make it. Thank you for that.
For their attitude
For how they show up, even on a bad week.
27. You have a way of turning the Monday standup into something people look forward to.
28. When things go wrong, you look for the fix before the blame. I'm trying to be more like that.
29. You find the good part of every idea before you point out what's missing.
30. You say thank you for the small stuff, every time, and people can tell you mean it.
31. Even in the worst week of the quarter, you were kind to everyone you talked to.
32. You disagree with people without ever making it personal. That keeps our meetings honest.
33. You treat the intern and the vice president exactly the same way. People notice.
34. You make it safe to admit a mistake, because you always admit yours first.
35. Your calm on [launch day] kept the rest of us calm too.
36. You cheer for other people's wins as loudly as you would for your own.
37. You keep your promises, even the tiny ones like "I'll send that today."
38. You bring stories, snacks and steady good humor. This place is better with you in it.
39. You never grumble about the boring tasks. You just do them well, and it sets the tone for everyone.
For their growth
For someone who is clearly getting better at the job.
40. A year ago you were nervous about presenting. Last week you owned the room.
41. You took the feedback from [your review] and turned it around within a month. That takes character.
42. I've watched you go from asking the questions to answering them. It's been great to see.
43. You volunteered for the project nobody wanted and learned a whole new skill doing it.
44. Your writing gets sharper every month. The last update you sent was excellent.
45. You tried something new on [the campaign], it didn't work, and you shared what you learned anyway. That's brave.
46. You're now the person people go to for [topic]. You earned that.
47. I've noticed you speaking up earlier in meetings. Your ideas are worth hearing, so keep going.
48. You took that course on your own time and you're already using it. I'm impressed.
49. Leading your first project is hard, and you made it look steady from the outside.
50. You asked for harder work and then delivered on it. That's how careers get built.
51. Watching you mentor [name] shows me how far you've come yourself.
For a new hire
For someone in their first months.
52. In [three weeks] you've already solved a problem the rest of us had learned to live with.
53. Your fresh questions made us see how odd some of our habits are. Please keep asking them.
54. You learned everyone's names faster than anyone I've met. It made you part of the team in a week.
55. You said yes to [the project] in your very first week, before you even knew where the printer was.
56. You fit in like you've always been here, and you still bring something new to the table.
57. I loved the idea you shared in your first team meeting. Don't wait to share the next one.
58. You asked to sit in on calls with every team. That kind of curiosity will take you far here.
59. Starting somewhere new is tiring. You've done it with good humor and a lot of patience.
60. You already make our team lunches more fun. I'm glad you're here.
61. You turned your first-week questions into a cheat sheet, and now every new person gets a copy.
62. It's clear you read everything before your first day. That kind of preparation shows.
63. You asked for feedback in your first month. That tells me you'll do great things here.
For a manager
Upward thanks, which managers rarely get in writing.
64. You protect our time from meetings we don't need. Thank you for saying no on our behalf.
65. You told me the honest truth about [my presentation], and it was exactly what I needed to hear.
66. You notice when someone is overloaded and fix it before they have to ask.
67. You give us the credit in front of leadership and take the heat behind closed doors.
68. You come to our one-on-ones with real questions about my work, not just a status check. I always leave clearer.
69. You trusted me with [the client account] before I felt ready. That trust is what made me ready.
70. When a decision comes down, you tell us the reasoning, not just the result. It makes the work feel like ours.
71. You remembered [my kid's recital] and asked how it went. That small thing meant a lot.
72. You say "I'm not sure, let me find out" without any fuss, and that gives the rest of us permission to say it too.
73. You pushed for my promotion before I even knew you were doing it. Thank you.
74. You make room for the quieter people to speak in meetings. I see you doing it.
75. Working for you has shown me the kind of manager I want to be one day.
76. You answer quickly, decide clearly and stick to it. It makes all of our jobs easier.
For a remote teammate
For someone you mostly know through a screen.
77. We've never met in person, and you're still one of the people I trust most here.
78. I can read one of your messages and know exactly what you need, by when and why.
79. You join early calls from your time zone without a single complaint. We see it.
80. Your cheerful hello at the start of every call sets the tone for the whole meeting.
81. You answer my questions across [four time zones] like you're sitting at the next desk.
82. You document everything, so nobody is ever stuck waiting for you to wake up.
83. You take the time to chat before the meeting starts, and it makes remote feel a lot less remote.
84. Your Friday written updates are the best thing in my inbox all week.
85. You sent me a voice message when I was stuck on [the project]. It helped more than an email ever could.
86. Thank you for always turning a long thread into a short decision.
87. You remembered my birthday from an ocean away, and it made my whole day.
88. Working with you proves a team doesn't need to share an office to feel close.
For the quiet colleague
For the person who does great work without asking to be seen.
89. You don't say much in meetings, but when you do, everyone writes it down.
90. So much of what keeps this team running happens at your desk, out of sight. I see it, and I'm grateful.
91. Your work speaks for itself, so I wanted to add a few words of my own: thank you.
92. The careful way you check every detail has saved us more times than we'll ever know.
93. You listen better than anyone on the team. People leave a conversation with you feeling heard.
94. You never ask for attention, so here is some: [the report] you wrote was excellent.
95. I love that you think before you speak. Your ideas are always worth the wait.
96. You quietly fixed [the broken process] and never mentioned it. I found out and wanted to say thanks.
97. You're the steady one. When things get loud, you just keep doing great work.
98. You noticed I was having a hard day and left a coffee on my desk. I won't forget it.
99. Your written comments are thoughtful and kind, and they make every document better.
100. You may be the quietest person in the room, but you're one of the most respected.
Need more? Try our compliments for coworkers, these words of encouragement for a tough week, or finish a note with one of these hard work quotes.
How to write an appreciation note to a coworker, team or employees
Employee appreciation notes and other longer warm fuzzies follow the same three steps, whoever they're for.
- What you saw. One specific thing they did, with enough detail that they know exactly which moment you mean.
- Why it mattered. What it changed for you, the team or a customer. This is the part most notes skip.
- Thank you. Say it plainly and stop. No "but", no request, no feedback tucked in at the end.
An appreciation note to a coworker
Hi [name], I wanted to put this in writing. When [the client deck] fell apart the night before the pitch, you stayed on with me until it was fixed, and you made it feel like a puzzle instead of a crisis. We won the account, and part of that win is yours. Thank you for being the person I know I can call. [Your name]
An appreciation note to the team
Team, This quarter asked a lot of every one of you. We shipped [the new portal] ahead of schedule, answered every customer within a day and still found time to welcome three new people properly. I see the late evenings and the favors you did for each other when nobody was asking. Thank you. Lunch on Friday is on me. [Your name]
An appreciation note to employees (from a leader)
To everyone at [company], Behind every result we talk about this year is a person who answered the extra email, caught the mistake before it shipped or stayed with a customer a little longer than they had to. I don't get to thank each of you one by one as often as I'd like, so I'm saying it here: your work is noticed, and it matters. Thank you. [Name, title]
For short thank-yous rather than full notes, see our thank you messages for coworkers. Welcoming someone new? Pair a warm fuzzy with one of our onboarding activities.
Turn the thanks into a team event
Warm fuzzies take care of the quiet, written thanks. For the together part, Gratitude Games & Grins is a one-hour virtual game night built around appreciation: a live host runs themed games, small teams reshuffle with every new game, and all anyone needs is a pen and paper. It runs on Zoom by default (Teams, Google Meet or Webex on request) and books about 2 weeks ahead. Want something to send home too? See our employee appreciation gifts, or get a free quote with your date and headcount.
A hosted gratitude game night, with today’s price.
