# Birthday messages for work

> Birthday messages for a channel post, a note to teammates and a private message, for people who choose to share.

Category: Praise and celebrations

Canonical: https://shuffl.ai/templates/birthday-messages

## When to use it

Not everyone wants their birthday shared. Ask first, and give people a private option.

In Shuffl each person is asked before their day whether to share it.

## Birthdays in a channel

A post on each person’s birthday, for people who add it and say yes to sharing. Shuffl replaces {name}.

```text
Happy birthday, {name}! Wishing you a wonderful day.
```

## Tell the team about birthdays

A direct message to each teammate on someone’s birthday, if they say yes. Shuffl replaces {name}.

```text
It’s {name}’s birthday. Wish them a happy birthday!
```

## Private birthday notes

A private birthday note from Mello to each person who added a birthday. Nobody else is told. Shuffl replaces {name}.

```text
Happy birthday, {name}! We hope you have a great day.
```

## How to adapt it

- Keep it short. The colleagues who reply make it personal.
- Never mention age.
- Choose a private note for teams where people prefer less attention.

## Ask first, then celebrate

- **10%** of employees are asked how they like to be recognized and appreciated (Gallup, 2023) [gallup-great-manager]
- **20%** of employees worldwide felt lonely a lot of the previous day (Gallup, 2024) [gallup-lonely]
- **2 in 10** US employees report having a best friend at work (Gallup, 2022) [gallup-best-friend]

## What the research says

People rarely get asked how they like to be appreciated. Gallup and Workhuman research found only 10% of employees are asked how they like to be recognized.[gallup-great-manager] Birthdays are a clear case: some people enjoy a channel post, others would rather nobody knew.

Small moments of connection still count. One in five employees worldwide said they felt lonely a lot of the previous day in 2024, rising to 25% among fully remote workers.[gallup-lonely] In the US, just two in ten employees report having a best friend at work.[gallup-best-friend] A short, opt-in birthday message is an easy way for colleagues to reach out.

## Common mistakes

- Joking about getting older. Age is a protected characteristic in the UK,[govuk-discrimination] and US federal law protects workers aged 40 and over from age discrimination, including harassment.[eeoc-age]
- Remembering some people and missing others. Use a calendar so nobody is left out.
- Collections or gifts that feel compulsory. Keep contributions optional and private.
- Posting a full date of birth from HR records. Information about an identifiable person is personal data under UK GDPR,[ico-personal-data] so share the day only, with the person’s say-so.

## Common questions

**Should you celebrate employee birthdays at work?**
Yes, if people want it. Ask each person first, offer a private option, and keep it short so it doesn’t become a burden for the team.

**What do you write in a birthday message to a coworker?**
A warm, simple line is enough: happy birthday, a hope that they enjoy the day and, if you know them well, a nod to something they love. Leave out age and in-jokes others won’t get.

**Is it OK to share an employee’s birthday?**
Only with their agreement. A birthday is personal information about an identifiable person, so ask before sharing it and use only the day, never the year.

## Sources (read 2026-10-13)

- [gallup-great-manager] Gallup, “A Great Manager’s Most Important Habit” (May 29, 2023 (updated February 16, 2026)): https://www.gallup.com/workplace/505370/great-manager-important-habit.aspx
- [gallup-lonely] Gallup, “1 in 5 Employees Worldwide Feel Lonely” (June 11, 2024): https://www.gallup.com/workplace/645566/employees-worldwide-feel-lonely.aspx
- [gallup-best-friend] Gallup, “The Increasing Importance of a Best Friend at Work” (August 16, 2022 (updated January 19, 2024)): https://www.gallup.com/workplace/397058/increasing-importance-best-friend-work.aspx
- [govuk-discrimination] GOV.UK, “Discrimination: your rights” (No date stated; read October 2026): https://www.gov.uk/discrimination-your-rights
- [eeoc-age] U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, “Age Discrimination” (No date stated; read October 2026): https://www.eeoc.gov/age-discrimination
- [ico-personal-data] Information Commissioner’s Office, “What is personal data?” (No date stated; read October 2026): https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/personal-information-what-is-it/what-is-personal-data/what-is-personal-data/

## In Shuffl

Use in Shuffl: [Celebrations settings](https://shuffl.ai/app/celebrations/settings?template=birthdays-channel). Opens Celebrations settings with the channel post filled in. Nothing is turned on until you save it.

Guide: [Turn on Celebrations](https://shuffl.ai/docs/celebrations#administrators)

## Related terms

- [Employee recognition](https://shuffl.ai/glossary/employee-recognition)
- [Employee experience](https://shuffl.ai/glossary/employee-experience)

All templates: https://shuffl.ai/templates

Agent documentation index: https://shuffl.ai/llms.txt