Thanksgiving is just a few days away – and it’s the perfect opportunity to express your thanks to everybody you encounter at work: clients, customers, co-workers, employees, supervisors, vendors and other service providers.
But many of us feel awkward expressing our gratitude or don’t know the most appropriate ways to show appreciation. Office dynamics, company policies and a fear of appearing disingenuous make it tough to thank others effectively.
If you’re looking for the best ways to say “thank you” at work, keep reading. Today, Wood Personnel provides four practical tips:
Push through the awkwardness. Showing your gratitude in a work setting can feel a little uncomfortable. You may worry that your efforts will be misconstrued as “sucking up,” or simply miss the mark – but you need to overcome your hesitancy.
As a general rule, if you thank others when it really matters – not when you’re trying to score brownie points – your efforts will be well received. Be honest and specific; simple and sincere. Demonstrate the connection between what the other person did and how it made a difference.
Take the lead. If your culture doesn’t seem to value expressions of gratitude, show some initiative. Start small, making a goal of thanking customers and co-workers whenever they “go above and beyond.” Then, talk with the appropriate people in your organization about creating processes that will help build the right culture. Discuss ways you can (and should) formalize showing thanks, citing the benefits listed below.
Use your creativity. If you struggle to choose the right ways to thank people at work:
- Invest in “think-time” to develop fresh and interesting ways to show your appreciation.
- Conduct a little online research to develop an idea list.
- Survey others to find out what expressions of thanks they value most. Use their insights to brainstorm new ways to show your gratitude.
As you can see, the ways to say “thank you” are extremely diverse – and so are the reasons you should do it. Showing gratitude at work:
- boosts morale;
- demonstrates that you value others – their contributions, their insights and their hard work;
- builds stronger, more trusting business relationships;
- reinforces your brand (both for companies and for individuals);
- fosters a more positive organizational culture.
Plus, it makes you feel really good! People who show thanks regularly are more positive, happy and well-liked. They create a cycle of positive energy that is undeniably infectious.
Thanksgiving is the perfect time to reassess the methods, frequency and effectiveness of the ways you express thanks at work. In fact, just writing this post makes us want to thank you!
So whether you’re a client, a candidate or a field employee, Wood Personnel wishes you Happy Thanksgiving. You’re essential to our success!
