It’s OK to Say Thank You

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You can learn a lot about the important things in life by raising children. One of the things that my wife and I have been teaching our 5-year-old since the day that he uttered his first words is to say thank you. We often focus on the large thank yous, like for gifts at a birthday party or presents for a holiday. But the more I see him interact in the world, the more I think it is the small thank yous that make the difference. Thank you to a stranger for holding the door, thank you to a shopkeeper for helping me get something off a high shelf, and thank you to a grandparent for a fun day of activities.

Sadly, I have found that many of the organizations I work in seem to have forgotten some of the simple lessons that we all learned as children. Employee recognition casts a large shadow in the world of Human Resources and is often combined with rewards. The question is always the same: If I am paying someone to do a job, why do I also have to say thank you? The simple answer is you don’t, but saying thank you costs nothing, and research has shown time and time again that this simple act can impact an organization across a variety of measures.

“Workplace recognition motivates, provides a sense of accomplishment, and makes employees feel valued for their work. Recognition not only boosts individual employee engagement, but it also has been found to increase productivity and loyalty to the company, leading to higher retention.”¹

So why aren’t we doing it? I think too often, we get caught up in the formal aspects of recognition, employee forms, and programs, or we intend to but don’t make it a priority, so it falls by the wayside. If you want to make an impact in your organization starting today, here are five ways to drive employee recognition that take less than five minutes and cost your company nothing. It’s a win-win.

Easy and Free Recognition Activities

1. Team Thank You: If you manage a team of any size, take a moment to shout out your team members when they do good work. Recognition can come from you as a leader or from the other members of the organization or team. It’s wise to recognize any one member in front of the whole team. (I use our team message board.) This allows the other members of the team to chime in and offer support and encouragement. Quickly, that one point of recognition amplifies five-fold.

Second, I always frame it as “This is what Jennifer did. Great job! It’s another good example of what our team does every day, how our team wins.” That way, the whole team gets to feel a sense of accomplishment as well in being part of the bigger structure that facilitates this type of activity.

2. Thanksgiving Thank You: Once a year, I send a series of emails to say thank you. I personally choose Thanksgiving as an easy reminder.

During the year, I keep a list of names and send each of those colleagues a thank you. The list consists of all the people who make a company run but who might otherwise go unrecognized. Executive admins, office managers, interns, all the people who are there for you when you need it. It’s amazing how many of these key figures never get thanked.

3. Weekly Thank You: Every Friday, I look back on my week and try to send one short thank you email to someone who helped me. If someone goes above and beyond their daily tasks, I just want to make sure they know I appreciate it. Sometimes I cc their boss, sometimes I send an email to them and a separate email to their boss, and sometimes just a simple thank you to them. You would be surprised to know how many emails I get back from leaders appreciating the recognition of their team or from a colleague saying how much they needed those kind words today.

4. Senior Leader Thank You: I am able to work on a lot of large-scale strategic projects, and in every one of them, I add a thank you from the senior leader to the team at the end of the project. It can be to the whole team or to individuals if they have the time. At the end of the day, they don’t even need to write it; I often do. But it goes a long way.

Too many colleagues have never heard thank you from a senior leader or had acknowledgment that their work meant something. The impact of a well-written thank you from an executive is worth its weight in gold.

5. Peer-to-Peer Thank You: I challenge my team to do the same. If you manage a team of three or 300, challenge them to say thank you—to share when they are impressed by the people on their team, when they learn new things, or when they see a junior person shine. It doesn’t take away from our success as leaders or high performers to acknowledge the strengths of others, and it paves the way for all our colleagues to feel recognized and stay engaged.

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It’s very simple, just like I tell my 5-year-old: We say thank you because it’s the right thing to do. Not because someone tells us to but because we know how it feels when people say it to us.

The smallest of steps can really make a difference in the culture of an organization, the engagement of its employees, and the lives of people around you. Before this article ends, please think of one person on your team, project, or organization whom you can thank today and write them an email, send them a note, or give them a call. It’s really that easy. Thank you.