I’ve been fortunate to have had some really great bosses who were generous with their gratitude. They said “thank you” regularly and often to me and to others. They acknowledged the time and effort I had given. As a result, even when things were busy and stressful, I continued feeling the same amount of commitment and dedication not just to my job but to them as my bosses.
I’ve also worked with leaders who withheld appreciation. In many cases, it didn’t seem intentional or mean-spirited – they just didn’t think about it. Saying “thank you” didn’t seem to be important. One leader in particular was in landscaping, which in and of itself is already a pretty thankless job. Landscaping employees arrive to a site, do their work, and then leave, often without any thanks from anyone else. We all expect landscaping to look pretty, so we tend to notice it much more when it’s not done correctly than when it is. The employees were used to this. However, they didn’t receive a lot of thanks from their boss either. In his mind, they were hired to do the job, they should be grateful to have a job, and it wasn’t necessary to thank someone for doing what you hired him or her to do.
While some employees appeared more bothered by this than others, the practice of not showing appreciation spread throughout the department, resulting in a general lack of camaraderie and respect. What they didn’t know was that their boss really did appreciate them and cared deeply about them. I know because he told me – with examples of things he had done for them personally and professionally. But they had no idea how he felt because he didn’t tell them! Turns out, he hadn’t experienced a lot of appreciation himself. He had worked his way up in a very labor-intensive career, often with little thanks from others around him or his leaders. He was leading the same way he had been led and didn’t understand why it wasn’t working or why his employees weren’t appreciative of what he had done for them.
A recent study from USC about employee appreciation showed that almost half of employees aren’t even thanked once a week by their leaders and that employees tend to be thanked more often by colleagues than by their bosses. Think about the work environments you’ve experienced. What’s happened when you felt appreciated? What’s happened when you didn’t? As you and I both know, when we feel appreciated by our bosses, we’re happier, more content, more engaged, and we probably even work harder. When my bosses were generous with their gratitude, their appreciation grew my loyalty. I wanted to find ways to demonstrate my appreciation to them and make their lives easier. Of course, the opposite is also true.
Too often, we think of employee appreciation being only in the form of gifts or free food. Now, don’t get me wrong, those things can be meaningful. Food is definitely one of the keys to my heart, and there are all kinds of elaborate gestures you can take to recognize employees and show appreciation. But if there isn’t a foundation of simply saying “thank you,” then those gestures will seem empty at best. After all, why should a big gift basket at the end of the year mean a lot when so much went (seemingly) unnoticed day-to-day and week-to-week?
Make it a priority to thank your employees regularly for what they do, whether it’s a routine part of their job or going above-and-beyond. Yes, you hired them, but they don’t have to do anything. They could just as easily choose to not do their jobs and make your life incredibly difficult. Be generous with your gratitude toward your employees, not in order to get something in return, but because you want them to feel appreciated, seen, and valued.
Make sure the appreciation is timely. Time matters. If a lot of time lapses in between, the appreciation seems more like an afterthought. Saying “thanks in advance” at the end of an email doesn’t count either. If we’re being honest, that’s more about efficiency than anything else. True appreciation comes afterwards – when the time, energy, and effort can be seen and realized.
Show appreciation verbally and in writing. Verbal appreciation may be the easiest method, and it’s certainly valuable. Keep in mind, though, that written appreciation can be extra meaningful. The USC study found that, “…employees value expressions of thanks in writing because of the time and effort it takes, the specificity of the gratitude expressions and the ability to use it as a record of their performance.” I can personally vouch for that as I still have a note that one of my bosses wrote me on a post-it. The note was short and probably took her about 15 seconds to write, but it has meant so much to me. She left it on my desk during a time when we were short-staffed and putting in a lot of hours. I still remember coming back from a meeting to find it on my desk. I kept it at my desk and still have it today.
Show appreciation one-on-one and in group settings. Sometimes, we think so much about publicly thanking employees that we forget the value of one-on-one appreciation. If an employee only hears “thank you” when it’s done in a public setting, he or she may start to feel like it’s not as genuine; maybe it’s more for show. So, make sure to individually thank employees for their contributions. That way, what’s said in a group setting mirrors what’s said one-on-one.
So, when your employee sends you the weekly financial report, say thank you. When your employee regularly meets productivity metrics, say thank you. When your employee works overtime to get the extra holiday orders shipped, say thank you. When your employee sticks with you during a hiring freeze that results in being short-staffed for a time, say thank you. When your working parents are juggling work, childcare, and schooling during COVID-19, say thank you. Employee appreciation doesn’t need to be complicated. Be generous with your gratitude. Thanking employees can be one of the most meaningful things you do as a leader.
Photo credit: By marekuliasz / Canva
This is so true! I think sometimes we get so caught up in the day to day and “the work”, that we forget to acknowledge the small things or the things in general. I have often been in situations where it was customary to rarely give praise and to often give negative feedback. And I must say those situations never motivated me to work harder. My motivation was always intrinsic. As a leader in my industry now I make it a point to always show appreciation to my team for what they do and I try to make the appreciation genuine and specific. As a result, I have a team that cherishes one another and works really hard just because, and I love it! Thanks for this article. It was confirmation.
Thank you so much! It’s tough when you don’t receive a lot of praise, but you can learn a lot about how important it is, and you’ve certainly put that learning into action! That’s great how intentional you are with showing appreciation to your team. I’m sure it’s made an impact on them personally as well as professionally. You’ve created a wonderful dynamic! Keep it up!
This is so true and often so overlooked in the workplace. Great reminder of why we should take time often to say a simple “thank you” to those we work with… and our families too!
Great point! We can easily overlook those closest to us. Taking the time to thank them for the big things and the little things is important!
Love this article! As a leader myself, this is a great reminder that a thank you goes a very long way. I like how you outlined the idea of thanking employees in person and in writing. My organization has an appreciation kit with thank you cards that I need to use more often!
Thank you so much! It really does go a long way. I love that your organization has an appreciation kit that’s already stocked with cards. What a great idea that makes it a little bit easier to send a quick note!