Thanking Staff: Tips for Appreciating Employees

In honor of this year’s Employee Appreciation Day, when we’re reminded to thank our colleagues, here are simple ways to recognize employees in your office.

Should you thank your staff? If you think that thanking employees, in general, is unnecessary, you could be among the 37% of managers who avoid providing any “positive reinforcement.” You may oppose giving thanks at work because it seems “forced,” “fake,” and “fluffy,” and “undermines authority.” You may also fail to recognize employees because you are busy, do not know how, are uncomfortable doing so, your office does not have a process, or another reason.

Be aware that gratitude in the workplace has positive consequences, however. Expressing appreciation can motivate your subordinates and make them feel valued. Recognition also increases employment engagement, productivity, loyalty, and retention. A 2012 American Psychological Association survey found that feeling valued motivates workers to do their best, feel engaged with their office, and avoid looking for new employment. Thanking people may help foster a warm and appreciative workplace.

Thanking your staff is in your interest. Not thanking employees could decrease morale and cause unnecessary and costly turnover. According to Gallup, employees sometimes feel that their best contributions are ignored on a regular basis. Gallup also reported that when employees feel like they are not adequately recognized, they are twice as likely to leave their jobs during the upcoming year. If your employees find new positions, you will have to spend time and money hiring new staff.

When thanking employees, be specific. That has more of an impact than saying something general, such as “good job.”

You can express appreciation to employees in a variety of ways. Due to workplace rules, you may be unable to spend large amounts of money (if any) on such purposes. Even so, you can recognize staff by, for instance, holding staff appreciation events for departments or the entire workplace. These gatherings foster community and help people feel valued, but remember that they are not as effective as programs that celebrate individual or group contributions.

Easy and lost-cost methods of showing thanks include:

• Getting to know your staff. Your employees may think that you care about them as people, not just a source of labor.
• Thanking staff frequently, not only during annual reviews. Thanks may come in the form of a simple e-mail, which could be a reply when an employee submits work to you. You also can give thanks in a group e-mail to your entire office, a statement delivered at a staff meeting, or both. As leaders often shape their office culture, public thanks could encourage employees to be kinder to each other.
• Leaving thank-you notes on people’s desks or computers (if your office is in-person or hybrid).
• Including appreciative statements in employee files.
• Posting on social media about your employees and their valuable contributions. An added benefit is that job applicants may see these posts and want to work in such a warm workplace.
• Creating a video, which could feature you complimenting your staff member. Your employee may share it with loved ones and others.
• Having employees write down, on a piece of paper, one form of appreciation they prefer, and then place those papers in a jar. When you recognize an employee, that person randomly picks from the jar and receives the form of appreciation listed on that paper.
• Allowing your employees to dress casually on some days.
• Celebrating Employee Appreciation Day, which occurs on the first Friday in March.

More elaborate ways to show thanks include:

• Giving staff monetary awards, such as bonuses or raises. 
• Promoting them.
• Assigning them more responsibility.
• Giving them additional time off, especially after major deadlines or events. You could let people arrive to work late or leave early. If you do, make it clear that they will not be penalized for taking the time.
• Creating a “Wall of Fame” (Wall) for exceptional employees. The Wall may include photographs of workers above text that explains the reason for the recognition.
• Creating a Top Employee trophy that rotates on a regular basis, i.e. weekly or monthly. You could send an e-mail announcing the new recipient and the reason for the honor.
• Providing upgrades to the physical office. You could provide ergonomic chairs, enhanced lighting, and more. Superior work equipment may also improve productivity and work products.
• Putting free food and drinks in your office’s kitchen for employees to enjoy.
• Providing opportunities to attend training and conferences. At these events, your employees could benefit your office by learning new skills and networking.
• Hosting staff-appreciation events.
• Celebrating birthdays. On employee birthdays, you could hold a brief birthday party with cake and a birthday card, which other staff could sign before the special occasion.

There’s no doubt that thanking employees can help workplaces and employees. All would benefit.

Look out for my next piece, titled “How to Thank Staff at Major Office Events,” to learn about appreciating your employees at large-scale, public occasions.

Miriam Edelman, MPA, MSSW, is a Washington, D.C.-based policy professional. Her experience includes policy work for Congress. Miriam’s undergraduate degree is from Barnard College, Columbia University, with majors in political science and urban studies. She has a master’s in public administration from Cornell University, where she was inducted into the national honorary society for public administration. She has a master’s of science in social work (focusing on policy) from Columbia University. She is a commissioner of the DC Commission on Persons with Disabilities. Miriam aims to continue her career in public service. She is especially interested in democracy, civic education, District of Columbia autonomy, diversity, health policy, women’s issues, and disabilities.

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