8 Ways to Say Thank You at Work
Gratitude is the best predictor of a happy marriage, according to a recent University of Georgia study, but saying “thank you” to coworkers, managers and employees can also go a long way in helping people like and respect you.
Employees who feel valued and appreciated are more likely to go above and beyond for a company, hold themselves accountable for projects and be happier in their roles, said a Forbes article on how to show employees you care. This doesn’t just apply for manager-employee relationships, but with peer-to-peer relationships as well.
With Thanksgiving around the corner, show you appreciate your work relationships with the eight tips below.
- Offer to help. Regularly ask your employees and coworkers if there’s anything you can do to assist them with a difficult work load or intense project, and don’t forget to ask your boss as well. If you notice your boss has been extra-busy lately, offer to take something off his or her plate.
- Care about their personal lives. You don’t have to get involved in coworkers’ marital squabbles, but do ask them little things that show you’re paying attention, like what their children dressed up as for Halloween, what they’re looking forward to most about the new house they’re moving to and how the concert they recently attended was. This shows them you don’t just view them as worker bees.
- Value their time. Show up to meetings on time, avoid staring at your phone or computer the whole time you’re meeting with them, turn around and face them when they talk to you at your desk, respond to emails from them in a reasonable amount of time and call when you said you would. Valuing coworkers' time shows them you respect them.
- Get something nice for the team. Mostly, this can be taken care of with food or hot beverages, so bring in a dozen bagels, pick up some fruit and arrange it on a platter in the break room or bring in a traveler of hot chocolate from a coffee shop, then send a short email to the team that they are welcome to it. Or you could take the team or a coworker out to lunch.
- Praise them to a supervisor. Either publicly praise them in a meeting or in an email to their manager and copy them on it. Mention specific tasks that were done well or goals that were met.
- Send something out of the blue. If you know an employee or coworker is having a rough time or has a particularly heavy work load, put flowers on their desk, send a small gift card or pick up their favorite coffee when you make your morning coffee run.
- Relate to them. Giving a little information about yourself is a way of saying thanks, too. When you open up about your own personal experiences similar to theirs, you’re saying you care about them by sharing your own life experiences that they may find valuable, helpful or personable.
- Say thank you. Don’t underestimate the power of simply saying thank you, whether in person or through an email. Again, mention specifically what you’re thankful for to sound sincere, such as their good attitude, work handed in well before a deadline or an instance they went above and beyond to help.
