25 Work Birthday Wishes That People Will Appreciate

Work birthday wishes congratulate employees on a personal milestone. If you read our complete guide to celebrating employee birthdays, you already know the importance of acknowledging these dates.

Studies have found that recognizing birthdays is beneficial for retention and morale. And more than that, other employees like sharing birthday celebrations with their coworkers. Many organizations don’t go all out for birthdays (and they really don’t need to), so some simple, sincere recognition gets much of the job done. 

Even if you do nothing else, the happy birthday message is a must. So today, we’ve got dozens of examples and ideas of birthday greetings for work colleagues and employees.

Tips for crafting a happy birthday message for employees

Equity, specificity, personalization, and restraint. Before we share examples, review these quick points on delivering birthday wishes to employees.

🧁 Short and sweet ways to say happy birthday to an employee or coworker

Do you freeze up when it’s time to sign a card? Backspacing a million drafts in chat? Here are a few brief well wishes that you can’t go wrong with.

1. Wishing you the best birthday yet!
2. Congrats on another trip around the sun!
3. Happy birthday! Wishing you a lovely day.
4. Cheers to another year. Happy birthday!
5. Enjoy your special day–you deserve it!

🧡 Heartfelt birthday greetings for work colleagues 

There’s nothing wrong with being a little extra nice when saying happy birthday to a co-worker in a message. If you’ve made a good friend or collaborator at work, these examples can inspire you to keep it honest and from the heart.

6. You make every day fly by. Thanks for being a joy to work with, and happy birthday!
7. Happy birthday to the best teammate I could ask for. It’s a pleasure to work with you.
8. Working with you gives me something to celebrate every day. Happy birthday!
9. From sharing laughs to crushing deadlines, it’s been another fantastic year with you. 
10. Wishing you a birthday as big and bright as the energy you bring to the job!

Bonus: Birthday wishes are great, but saying thank you throughout the year is even more important. Here are tips, ideas, and examples for writing thank-you notes for coworkers.

🏫 Professional birthday wishes for employees

You don’t need to have built up much rapport to make an employee’s birthday a little brighter. Here are some straightforward birthday message ideas for work.

11. Thank you for all of your contributions this year. Have a very happy birthday!
12. We deeply appreciate your dedication over the last year, and hope you have a wonderful birthday.
13. Wishing you continued success on your birthday. We’re proud to have you on the team.
14. Looking forward to another year of collaboration. Happy birthday!
15. Your continued effort is always appreciated. Hoping you have an outstanding birthday.

🤣 Light, funny employee birthday wishes for coworkers

Save these for the coworker who’s practically allergic to sincerity. They’re also great for the person who’s always cracking dad jokes–just know your audience. 

16. Happy birthday! Everyone’s jealous you got to work with me for a whole year more.
17. Remember, getting older is mandatory, but growing up is optional. Happy birthday!
18. Of everyone I know, you are the one whose birthday is today. 
19. Happy birthday! You’re just one year closer to retirement.
20. Like an iPhone, you upgrade every year. Happy birthday!

🤖 Customize greetings for a birthday Slack bot

Messages to be distributed via Slack bot for birthdays should showcase the best of company culture. Make the most of the medium and attach cute or funny GIFs, images, or emojis.

21. Happy birthday! Here’s to another awesome year of exciting challenges and massive successes! 🙌 🚀
22. It’s your special day! May all of your birthday wishes come true 🎂
23. Clear your mind, and take a deep breath–I’m sending you amazing vibes on your birthday 😎 🧘🏽‍♀️ 🔮
24. Happy birthday, (name)! I couldn’t imagine my inbox without you 📥 🥳
25. Cheers to your personal new year 🥂 Now let’s party!

🌮 Celebrate Milestones with HeyTaco

Before you fire up the Slack birthday bot, we’ve got some news. 

HeyTaco is launching Milestones, a feature that automates milestone recognition like birthdays and work anniversaries. Use it to start a waterfall of well-wishes on employee birthdays, build stronger connections with virtual teams, and as always, make people feel appreciated. 

And hey! Now you’ve got plenty of different birthday message ideas to get it off the ground before the next b-day. Give HeyTaco Milestones a try and let us know what you think.