There are different ways of responding to compliments. Sometimes, we don’t say anything at all. We just wear a smile. That is one good response.
Other times, we really have to say something. There are several reasons you may want to say something. They are elucidated in the list of suggested responses below.
When you are told to Keep up the good work, you can respond by saying ‘It’s my job sir’ or ‘I will not let you down’.
Below are other responses you can consider and what they mean.
20 Great Responses to “Keep Up The Good Work”
- Thank you, sir. I sure will.
- I’m glad you appreciate that. Thank you.
- It took sleepless nights to get this done.
- It is my duty sir.
- I will not let you down.
- I have no choice.
- We will need more resources for that, sir.
- Actually, that was my colleague, sir.
- I am just doing my job, sir.
- All thanks to my colleague here
- It took a lot of my leisure time. Glad you like it
- It’s a joint effort, sir.
- By the grace of God.
- All thanks to you, sir.
- We need more hands, sir.
- It’s what I’m getting paid for, sir.
- I promise, sir.
- It’s what I do. Part of me
- I think that should be to my colleagues.
- We can do better with the management’s assistance, sir.
Thank you, sir. I sure will
One of the most recognized ways of responding to a compliment is accepting the compliment. One of the ways of accepting a compliment is to simply show appreciation for the compliment that has been said to you.
‘Keep up the good work’ is an indirect compliment. You are being indirectly told that you are doing a great job and your efforts are recognized. It is totally right and natural to respond with ‘thank you, sir’ or ‘thank you, ma’.
You can also add ‘I sure will’ if it is someone you are comfortable speaking to. Not everyone is very comfortable with speaking to the boss so you don’t have to force it if you are not.
It is usually very much easier to say things that everyone else is expected to say in certain situations. One of these things is ‘Thanks’.
I’m glad you appreciate that. Thank you
This is another response you can give when your boss tells you to keep up the good work. However, this statement is tailored as a response to a special work you are doing for the first time.
You may be doing your daily job but choose to step it up a bit by putting extra time or effort into some parts. People don’t put extra effort into anything for the sake of nothing, and neither do you.
Sometimes, we only put extra effort because we want to be noticed and praised. Sometimes, it starts as an experiment of how far the work can go and how better it can be.
However, we will always appreciate it to see someone else appreciate our efforts. You can imagine having sleepless nights or putting more money into a particular job and having its outcome rejected. That would be extremely heartbreaking.
Similarly, we appreciate it when a person commends us for the product of our efforts.
It took sleepless nights to get this done
Here is another response tailored for special works and extra efforts. You shouldn’t be saying this as a response to a compliment on your everyday work. That would sound really weird.
You can’t keep having sleepless nights over a job you do every day, not that it isn’t possible.
When you have done something special, you may want to point out the amount of sacrifice you made over it.
It is normal for your boss to want you to continue making the same great outcome on a daily basis and that could be torture to you, especially if they don’t know how difficult it is for you or how much effort you are putting in.
It is my duty sir
This is like saying ‘don’t worry about it, sir’. It will definitely put a smile on the face of your boss. However, note that you are agreeing to keep up the good work. Of course, you can’t say no to your boss’s request for you to continue doing your good job.
However, he or she may be referring to one job you’ve done perfectly and taken a lot of time to execute.
If you say this, you are agreeing to continue and your boss may not understand how difficult it was for you to put it together. You have already made it seem like an easy task.
I will not let you down
Here is another response that will make you appear as diligent as possible. Your boss does not expect you to say otherwise anyway but making a promise not to let him or her down will still go a long way in creating a smile.
You will also be building your boss’s confidence in you.
I have no choice
You can say this to your boss or your friend. It will sound a bit casual but nothing stops you from saying it to your boss.
By saying you have no choice, you are agreeing that you will continue doing a great job for whatever reason you have.
Although quite unlikely, your boss may ask why you say you have no choice, you can say it’s your job. You can say it’s what you are getting paid for.
You can also say it’s just who you are. All of this will make your boss even more confident in your ability.
We will need more resources for that, sir
You may want to quickly point out the flaw in the work you just did; not the imperfection of your work but the possible imperfection of later works.
You may have put so much effort, time, and resources into doing special work for your job. Since your boss appreciates it and wants it to continue, you have two things to choose from.
You can either just accept to continue and keep stressing yourself out every single day or you can mention how much effort you have put in and will be unable to continuously put in that work.
Actually, that was my colleague, sir.
Not everyone enjoys taking credit for someone else’s work. You should not enjoy it either. Your boss may appreciate a particular job that he or she thinks was done by you.
Once you get the compliment, it is good to let him or her know who exactly should be receiving the compliment.
You should do this if you don’t want to build enmity with a fellow worker. When you let your boss know who exactly did the job, you will be giving recognition to your colleague and his or her effort will not feel usurped by you.
I am just doing my job, sir.
Here is another statement that will make your boss more confident in you and your skills. This response will show your determination and diligence.
The job you have done may not only appear neat and perfect. It may be very clear that you have put a lot of effort and dexterity.
When your boss sees this, coupled with your diligence, he or she will like you even more, while understanding that you should not be stressed out for the sake of the organization.
You may also find yourself unable to keep up the ‘good work’ so you will have to mention your efforts.
All thanks to my colleague here
Another sweet thing to do is to share the compliment with someone else. You can’t just pick a random person, however.
You should mention someone who has actually helped you out in doing the job which you are being complimented for. You may be asked how you both came up with the job or how your colleague helped you out.
You can also say this if you did not have anything to do with the work. You can just point to the person who actually did it.
It took a lot of my leisure time. Glad you like it
Not everyone is willing to spare their leisure time for anything or anyone. The company should be paying you more money for taking extra time to make something that your bosses appreciate.
Pointing this out may bring the idea of you getting higher pay. It may also just make your boss understand that you will not be able to continue to do the same thing in your free time.
Asides from these, this response should also earn you your boss’s respect. As mentioned earlier, no one is willing or expected to spare their leisure time for the sake of the company when it’s unnecessary.
It’s a joint effort, sir
Not everyone will enjoy seeing you take all the glory for yourself when they all contributed to making it work.
The best thing to do is to make your boss know everyone played a magnificent role in that special job and everyone should be praised for it. This will put a smile on the face of your boss.
It will increase the confidence he or she has in you and in the team.
By the grace of God
This is an acceptable response too if your boss is a Christian. You may want to use a language that he or she is familiar with and this response is just it.
This implies that you will keep on doing your job perfectly, as long as you are allowed by God to continue working diligently.
All thanks to you, sir
You can also throw the compliment back to your boss. Your boss may have been saying a compliment on a huge task that has moved the company forward.
You can say this to imply that your boss or the speaker has been a great motivation to you.
We need more hands, sir
To avoid having to put so much effort band stress yourself out for a special result, you can make a suggestion on what will make the work easier for you.
You can talk about getting more resources or machines. You may also talk about hiring more employees so the beautiful production can continue steadily.
It’s what I’m getting paid for, sir
Say this if you feel free while talking to your boss. If you are the type who gets nervous, you may be unable to say this so you can just use a usual response.
When you say this, your boss will smile and may be even inspired to give you a raise just to see you out in more effort.
I promise, sir
If you are nervous, you should still find it easy to say this. This simply implies that you acknowledge the compliment and you will continue to do great in your job.
Your boss will smile at this, though there is nothing exactly special about this response.
It’s what I do. Part of me
You can say this if you are very close to your boss. If you are not, you may just stop talking halfway when you get nervous.
This simply implies that you will keep doing the job easily and nothing can stop you from doing just that.
I think that should be to my colleagues
Here is another way to attribute the compliment to your colleagues and fellow workers. You all may have worked together.
With this response, you will be giving all the honor to them and your boss will be impressed in the entire team.
It will also grow your boss’s confidence in you and the rest of the team.
We can do better with the management’s assistance, sir.
Here is a way to make a proposal on how to do better or at least continue with the special work you have done.
Since your boss is already impressed, there is a high chance you will be listened to. Say what you need, be it machines or new employees to assist.
You should also explain how they would function and how much it will be benefiting the company.