How to say “Thank you” and show appreciation to employees.

Saying “thank you” and showing appreciation to an employee might be the single biggest contributor to employee satisfaction, engagement and motivation. Managers can ensure that their employees feel heard and appreciated by delivering words of value to their work.

Today, we are going to look at how to curate the ultimate “ Thank you”.

You might be thinking: it’s just a few words- surely it’s not hard. Of course, you would be correct, it’s not hard. However, making it impactful comes with adding a twist to the words “ Thank you”.

Appreciation does wonders to a company’s productivity and engagement. Moreover, the benefit of appreciation is the reward of behaviours you would like to be repeated.

Formulating ” Thank you” and appreciation.

Formulating appreciation is simple, yet impactful. It brings the intensity and meaning of  “Thank you” to a whole other level.

Here it is:

Thank you + Specific task/ accomplishment/ attitude + Impact + goal or value of the company

Let’s break this down.

1. Thank you. You are letting them know that you appreciate and value them, as well as their work.
2. Specific task/ accomplishment/ attitude. Be specific about the task that you enjoy, or the attitude you notice, the accomplishment the employee has tackled.
3. Impact. What impact does it have on the overall organisation? Or perhaps on the objective? Or on the overall structure and logistics of an organisation?
4. Goal or value of the company. How does this task align with the goal of the company? Additionally, how does this accomplishment align with the values the company preaches?

By doing so, you ensure that employees are shown the overall roadmap of the company. As such, you are showing them the larger picture that they are part of. When employees have a sense of belonging, and have their work impact the overall success is a powerful combination that leads to motivation and engagement.

On top of this, if you’d like to add extra special spice, be sure to make it personal. Thank the individual and relate it to their characteristic that supported the achievement.

For example, if the employee was resourceful and positive whilst doing a project, be sure to make them understand how their positive energy effected other and lifted team spirit.

Saying “Thank you” and appreciation is simple, but let’s make it meaningful.

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