Ways To Show You Are Thankful At Work

Many of us focus on making sure our friends and family know we are thankful for them. It’s not usually hard to show gratitude towards those closest to us. Showing your co-workers and colleagues you are thankful for them is often trickier for people to do. There’s no need to spend a lot of money or feel awkward in order to show your gratitude for the people who make your work life just a little bit easier.

Say “Thank You”

It is important to never assume that your co-workers know you are thankful for what they do for you. Actually saying “thank you” to someone is the simplest way to show your gratitude. The words themselves should be followed by a specific reason you appreciate them. Seek your colleague out and give your thanks face-to-face. Taking the time to let someone know how grateful you are can often go a long way.

Give Public Credit

While taking the time to thank a co-worker in-person will be appreciated, using a public forum to credit their work will go the extra mile. Many of us are often involved in team meetings or in large all-staff meetings where other colleagues and managers are present.

If possible, mention how much you appreciate the help you have received from a certain co-worker or specifically mention the name of someone who has gone above and beyond to assist you on a project. The public recognition you give will probably have your co-worker feeling valued even more.

Provide Small Treats

Showing people you are thankful can be as impactful as saying you are. It doesn’t have to cost much to provide small treats or tokens to show that you appreciate people. You might decide to bake your team cookies for helping you meet a deadline or you might bring a co-worker their morning cup of coffee as a way to say “thank you”. Recognizing colleagues through a system of rewards can foster a more collaborative and gracious culture in your office.

Volunteer Your Time

If you notice a colleague is struggling with their workload or with a project, offer your time as a way to thank them for helping you previously. Be willing to take on a task for them or cover a meeting/call so they can focus on their top priorities. The gesture will be appreciated.

Even if a co-worker hasn’t specifically helped you in the past, don’t hesitate to offer up your time should you have it. It is a great way to nurture an environment of cooperation and support.

Offer To Pay For Lunch

You might feel the need to make a bigger gesture towards a colleague who has really helped you out. If you feel comfortable, offer to take your co-worker to lunch. You will have an opportunity to personally thank them for their help and to get any feedback you might need. This might give you an opportunity to connect more closely with a colleague that you otherwise haven’t been able to connect with.

Send A Card

While a face-to-face “thank you” is usually enough, you might also want to consider following up with a nice thank you note or card. It used to be more common to send thanks in letter form, but e-mail and texting has almost turned it into a dying art. Receiving a follow up thank you card will serve as a nice visual reminder to your co-worker that their efforts were appreciated. They will also know that it was important to you to spend the extra time to send them a nice note of gratitude.

Bring A Post-Vacation Gift

When you have a co-worker covering for you during a vacation, bringing them back a small gift is a nice way to show them your thanks. You don’t have to spend a lot of money or time thinking about what they would like. Bring back something specific to the vacation locale or something the destination is famous for. You can present the gift to them with a hand written note and your verbal thanks. It’s no small feat to cover the workload for two people. It will go a long way when you show your co-workers you understand that.

Loop In The Boss

You may have exhausted all your options when it comes to thanking someone you work with. When you’ve done all you feel you can do, it might be time to consider letting someone higher up know how much a colleague is appreciated. Telling their boss or someone in the company’s leadership how much that person helped you and how grateful you are will be a huge compliment to your colleague. You will have given positive employee feedback about your co-worker to their direct supervisor. This might benefit them during future personnel reviews.

While you don’t always have to thank your co-workers in multiple ways, it’s important to be thoughtful about when you should show your gratitude. Don’t be worried about thanking people too often or to publically. Being sure you show your appreciation to others will likely ensure others do the same to you.