Organisations often neglect their employees after a long and tedious week at the workplace. We are not talking about complex presentations or long detailed chats with them, either.
We are simply talking about how often you say a simple ‘Thank You’, and show that you appreciate their work.
When was the last time you genuinely took the time to show gratitude and thank employees for their great work? Perhaps it is about time you start writing those ‘Thank you’ emails to them.
According to research, saying thank you has benefits to both the person saying it and the one receiving the thanks. It is linked to improved wellbeing, happiness, as well as improved physical health. Taking the time to focus on the good and not the bad leads to a positive outlook on life. This will in turn bolster culture and morale.
Saying thank you improves trust and bolsters relationships. In addition, studies now support the fact that the benefits of saying thank you extend beyond the recipient and the giver. Those who witness the thanks also benefit. They too become happier and it inspires the desire to help others.
The purpose of the ‘thank you’ letter or email is to show appreciation for the people who have helped you succeed or make your work life enjoyable.
By sending out these emails to your employees, it will be of benefit to you as your employees will be encouraged to perform better after receiving these tokens of appreciation. Treat it as a morale booster for your employees. They will reiterate your employees’ belief in the job and will make them feel wanted and important at their workplace. But how do you offer a thank you that will be meaningful and appreciated by the person getting it? These tips on giving a meaningful thank you can help.
Be genuine
When you thank employees for their great work, make sure your sentiments and words are genuine. Exaggerating or using insincere language will undermine your thank you email.
Make it specific
Mention what exactly the person did to elicit gratitude. A blanket ‘thank you’ without a reason behind it will not be as impactful. In fact, someone might feel like you aren’t being sincere and are just doing it to keep up appearances.
Share how it impacted the entire organisation
A thank you email might go out when someone has done something that benefitted the organisation. Mention what that is. It may have saved the company money or improved morale.
Mention what it meant to you
When applicable, mention how the person’s contribution specifically impacted you. Did it give you extra time to do something else? Or help you rest when you were feeling overwhelmed? If so, include this in the email.
Here are some ideas of email templates you can use to thank your employees. Smart leaders make it a regular habit to show gratitude to various team members. You could even set up a recurring reminder in your calendar to do just that.
Thank you for a job well done
It feels good to be thanked for a job well done. The notion that people shouldn’t be thanked for doing their job well is completely wrong. Imagine the joy and motivation to continue doing a good job if an employee opens their email to find that their boss has sent them a thank you email.
This email can be particularly meaningful if an employee has made an improvement, has taken on a new role or gotten new responsibilities. In addition, that thank you will give them the confidence needed to keep excelling. It will signal to them that they are on the right track.
Here is a fairly commonly used email template to thank employees for their great work and a job well done. You can write an email that would be along these lines:
| Dear Bob,
On behalf of XXX management, I would like to extend our appreciation for the amazing work done by you on the High Five project. The endless hours that you have spent working on this project, and the professionalism that you have shown has impressed the entire team immensely. Your diligence, self-motivation as well as dedication have been a source of inspiration for the rest of the team. Thank you once again for all your effort. Best regards, The Management Team |
Thank you for your hard work
Every company has those times when some teams tend to work more than they ordinarily do. For accountants, this tends to be tax season. They are required to go above and beyond to meet their targets in time.
At such times, managers might observe people putting in extra hours, they might see others give assistance to other team members to ensure that everything gets done on time. This shouldn’t be neglected. Show that you see their efforts by sending an email to thank employees for their great work.
While we try not to encourage employees working past their usual office hours, a little thank you note would be great as employees would realise that their hard work has not gone unseen.
| Dear Sarah,
Thank you for assisting Project Manager, Alice Lee on the recent project. It only goes to show how dedicated you are in wanting to achieve the best for the company. The management team could not have done it without your help. Regards, Tom and team |
Thank you for volunteering
Not every employee has the time to volunteer their time and services after work hours. So when you do see someone do something along these lines, make sure that you don’t forget to thank your employees for giving back to the community.
This email will do two other things: it will encourage your employee to keep pursuing interests outside of work, these interests can end up enriching their work. Secondly, it will show employees that you support them having a work-life balance.
| Dear Robert,
The 6Q’s management team would like to thank you for volunteering and stepping in for Project Manager, Rachel during the period of her absence. We were impressed with the work produced by you and you showed leadership qualities that the rest of the team could look up to. On behalf of the team at 6Q, thank you once again. Regards, Management |
Thank you for your sales performance
At the beginning of a quarter, a manager might give teams or individuals sales targets. Don’t take it for granted when people meet or even exceed those targets. As opposed to setting a new target and moving on like nothing special happened, send a thank you email.
At the same time, sometimes, due to situations outside of an employee’s control, they may fail to meet their target. This can be demoralising and affect morale of the individual or the whole team. How a leader reacts at this time can be critical in determining future performance.
An observant leader will be aware of the circumstances leading to the failure to hit the target. As opposed to berating staff, send a thank you email to them to give them a high five for doing their absolute best. This will show that their manager sees their contributions in good and bad times.
Here is another email template you can use to thank employees for their great work in the sales department.
| Hi Lauren,
Congratulations on achieving the sales target of the month! We also like to take this opportunity to thank you for an excellent performance. Your hard work and determination has paid off and we are truly grateful. The management team at 6Q know the amount of effort that you put into your job and we assure you that your efforts are significantly appreciated. We understand that in the hustle and bustle of the day, we may not show our appreciation as effectively as we might.
Regards, Management team |
Thank you for a great year
At the end of 365 days, people are bound to be worn out. End of year is a great time to send a thank you email to an employee or to employees.
Keep in mind that after a busy year, some people may have forgotten what they got up to in February or in May. This is where reports come in handy. With detailed reports you will have tracked what the organisation was up to over the year and what employees’ accomplishments were.
As an involved leader, you will know that your employees have worked really hard throughout the year. So why not send them a personalised email to wrap up the year, and end it with them smiling.
| Hi Sarah,
As we have come close to the end of 2022, I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for everything you have done to make this a successful, terrific place to work. Have a wonderful break and looking forward to seeing you in the new year! Regards, Management team |
Thank you for going the extra mile
Teamwork is all about people working together to achieve a common goal. It entails everyone doing their part. Strong teams and healthy team dynamics are such an important part of performance that organisations invest a lot in team building and in creating high performance teams.
The ideal scenario is for everyone to have their role and execute it excellently. In reality, this might not always be the case. Sometimes, for one reason or another, the team may end up having to lean on some people to fill in for an absent colleague or on an individual’s expertise to get to the finish line.
I am pretty sure that we all have that one employee who provides help even without being asked. Here is an email template to provide some gratitude just for them.
| Dear Owen,
The management team at XYZ would like to extend our gratitude and thank you for your contributions in helping our company move into the new premises. While that is not part of your job description you took the time out of office hours and helped out without being asked. You went well above and beyond our expectations. We could not have done it without your help. Best regards, The Management Team |
Thank you for being a great leader
Even leaders and managers need some employee recognition, and not just during bosses day. Managers have a big impact on employees’ wellbeing and performance. Some have stated that the manager-employee relationship is the most important component for workplace success.
A great leader is one who is easy to approach with a question. Employees are not afraid to approach them when they make mistakes either; this is because there is enough trust that an employee knows a mistake will not result in dire consequences.
On top of that, they go beyond being leaders to become advocates for their teams. These are the types of leaders who will set up training opportunities for staff and alert people to advancement opportunities they should aim for.
Such leaders are not everywhere so if one of your employees is one of them, why not drop them an email to thank them for being a great leader.
| Dear Janet,
With lots of positive feedback from your team members, we would like to thank you for your outstanding job leading the web redesign project. The project met its goals and serves as an example for the company about how a project team can set goals and obtain support from the organisation. You recognised each member of your team in a thoughtful, deserving way, and I am certain that your team members feel rewarded and recognised under your leadership. Once again, I am so happy with the contribution that you have made to XYZ through your leadership of the web redesign team. I hope to make use of your leadership skills in the future. Best regards, The Management Team |
Thank you for being YOU!
We exist in a culture of performance and that can create a situation where a thank you is only given when someone does something exceptional. But some people contribute to a better workplace just by virtue of who they are.
Their character might help to lift the mood when others are down, they might be that employee who most can approach to talk about a work or even personal problem, they might be the individual who suggests fun activities or they can be the one who always brokers peace when there is tension between colleagues. Think about how these people contribute to the workplace simply by being themselves.
It may sound silly but there are some employees who are not themselves. Mainly, they are afraid of not being accepted, just because they are different. Take some time off your busy schedule and thank the ones who are authentic for being… them!
| Dear Sam,
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for being you! Your jovial and optimistic work attitude among your peers have been wonderful. You are truly an inspiration to the team and definitely an important role in the company. Keep it up and thank you once again! Best regards, The Management Team |
In Summary
Some organisations set aside a specific time to focus on appreciation and to thank employees for their great work. They might have an employee appreciation week or quarterly appreciation ceremonies. A thank you email however, can be sent out at any time. Here is a summary of the types of thank you letter templates:
- Thank you for a job well done
- Thank you for your hard work
- Thank you for volunteering
- Thank you for your excellent sales performance
- Thank you for a great year
- Thank you for going the extra mile
- Thank you for being a great leader
- Thank you for being YOU!
These employee thank you letters are a perfect way to show the company’s gratitude to some employees or even peers for their hard work and effort, as well as their accomplishment to a project.
Alternatively you could use Design Wizard’s Add Text To Image Feature and add a thank you message to an image. Adding text to your images helps convey or emphasise a particular message or piece of information. This is no different when it comes to thanking employees!
Regardless of the types of letter sent out, always remember the employees who have been there for you or your company. You can also view our post on other simple ways to thank your employees.
Good luck!
