Alex d'Eesterre FCIPD recently shared something that caught my attention: "Shout-Out to Our HR Superstars!" They thanked their HR team for "keeping our workplace running smoothly" and for helping people feel "valued every single day." Then they added a line that is easy to skim past, but hard to forget: "Ps. It’s the little things for me."

That combination of big appreciation and small, specific detail is exactly why the post resonated. It is also a useful reminder for leaders and teammates: most organizations do not have an HR problem, they have an HR visibility problem. The work gets done, the policies exist, the onboarding happens, the payroll runs, and the crises get managed. But the people doing that work often only hear about it when something goes wrong.

In this article, I want to expand on what Alex highlighted and turn it into something actionable: how to recognize HR in a way that strengthens culture, improves retention, and makes work feel more human.

HR is often the "invisible infrastructure"

HR is like good plumbing. When it works, nobody talks about it. When it fails, everybody notices.

Think about what HR quietly holds together:

Hiring and onboarding that shapes first impressions
Policies that create consistency and reduce risk
Employee relations that defuse conflict before it spreads
Benefits and payroll that keep trust intact
Learning, performance, and career pathways
Culture rituals that make belonging real

When Alex said HR keeps the workplace running smoothly, that is not a generic compliment. It is a description of operational stability.

Key insight: The more competent your HR team is, the less visible their effort becomes.

That is why intentional appreciation matters. You are not praising visible output. You are acknowledging the behind-the-scenes effort that prevents problems and makes everything else possible.

"Our people feeling valued" is a measurable outcome

I also like that Alex connected HR work to a feeling: valued.

Feeling valued is not a soft metric. It shows up in outcomes leaders care about:

Higher discretionary effort
Better manager-employee trust
Lower regrettable attrition
Stronger referrals and employer brand
Faster recovery after change or restructuring

When HR is strong, employees experience fewer "paper cuts" that slowly drain morale: unclear processes, inconsistent decisions, missing feedback loops, or managers improvising policies. Good HR reduces friction, and reduced friction makes people feel respected.

So appreciation is not just being nice. It is reinforcing the behaviors that protect your organization.

The little things: what appreciation looks like in practice

Alex wrote, "It’s the little things for me." That line is a playbook.

Big recognition moments are great: awards, bonuses, promotions, public shout-outs. But the daily micro-moments are what make HR teams feel seen.

For leaders: 7 small moves that land well

Name the specific impact, not just the effort.
- Instead of: "Thanks for all you do."
- Try: "Because you streamlined onboarding, our new hires hit productivity faster."
Credit HR publicly when they prevent a mess.
Prevention is invisible, so say it out loud: "HR helped us avoid a painful escalation by coaching the manager early."
Invite HR in earlier.
One of the best forms of respect is inclusion. Bring HR into planning, not cleanup.
Protect their boundaries.
HR is often the catch-all. If everything is urgent, nothing is sustainable.
Fund the basics.
Appreciation without tools is performative. If HR is drowning in manual work, invest in systems.
Back them when decisions are unpopular.
HR often enforces consistency. Leaders should share the weight of that.
Ask, "What are we making harder than it needs to be?"
That question signals partnership, not transaction.

For teammates: simple appreciation that does not feel corporate

If you are not a leader, you can still do what Alex did: acknowledge HR as humans.

Send a short note after a benefits question gets resolved.
Thank them after onboarding for being responsive.
Mention them by name when someone asks, "Who can help with this?"
If HR coached you through a hard conversation, say that.

Specificity is the difference between a compliment and a memory.

Turning recognition into a culture habit (not a once-a-year post)

Shout-outs are powerful, but the long-term win is building rituals.

Build appreciation into existing rhythms

Monthly all-hands: one quick "operational wins" slide that includes HR impact
Quarterly business reviews: include people ops metrics alongside revenue metrics
Project retrospectives: call out HR contributions when new policies or processes launch

Make the work visible without oversharing

HR often cannot share details, so help them highlight outcomes in safe ways:

"Time to onboard" improved
Training completion increased
Manager coaching participation rose
Employee feedback themes and actions taken

Recognize the emotional labor

Some of HR’s hardest work is sitting with stress that is not theirs: layoffs, grievances, burnout, conflict. When you thank HR, acknowledge the human cost.

Key insight: HR often absorbs organizational anxiety so others can focus.

What Alex d'Eesterre FCIPD’s post teaches about LinkedIn content strategy

Even though the message is about HR, the post itself is also a good example of why certain LinkedIn content travels:

Clear audience: "our HR team"
Simple emotion: gratitude
Concrete benefit: smooth operations and valued people
A memorable closer: "It’s the little things"
Community reinforcement: naming people and using relevant hashtags

This is not complicated, and that is the point. Viral posts often succeed because they are easy to agree with and easy to share, while still feeling personal.

A quick template you can adapt (without forcing it)

If you want to write your own appreciation post, try this structure:

Open with a direct thank you.
Name the impact in one sentence.
Add one specific example (the "little thing").
Invite others to recognize the team.

Example:

"Shout-out to our HR team. You made hiring feel human this quarter. The small thing I keep noticing is how fast you close the loop with candidates. It matters."

That kind of post does not need hype. It just needs sincerity.

A final note: appreciation is a leadership skill

Alex d'Eesterre FCIPD called HR "the heart of our organization." I would add this: appreciation is one of the cleanest signals of what a workplace values.

If HR is only contacted when something breaks, people learn that support functions are disposable. If HR is regularly recognized for prevention, care, and consistency, people learn that the organization respects the work that protects them.

And yes, it really is the little things.

This blog post expands on a viral LinkedIn post by Alex d'Eesterre FCIPD. View the original LinkedIn post →