A great way to show appreciation to employees is with a thank you message. Bosses and managers can write thank you notes or emails to say well done to their employees.
A company culture of expressing gratitude can boost morale in the workplace.
The key to a genuine thank you note is using your own words to thank the employee. I have provided examples for inspiration.
When should you thank employees?
Appreciation messages can be written to employees anytime they deserve recognition for excellent performance or hard work. A word of thanks and praise can help them feel that their work is valued.
National Employee Appreciation Day, celebrated on the first Friday in March, is another excellent day to express employee gratitude. Managers can read through the Employee Appreciation Day thank you guide.
The employee’s work anniversary or company milestones are other opportunities to recognize achievements.
When an employee leaves the company, a farewell thank you message can be written to them. In the farewell messages guide, you can read an example thank you letter to an employee when leaving the company in the farewell messages guide.
You may also want to write holiday thank you messages to them at the end of the year, which can be used to recognize the year’s accomplishments.
There is also a separate list of thank you messages to thank employees for great customer service.
Writing Thank You Messages to Employees
Here are some tips and guidelines when saying thank you to employees with a thank you note or email.
- Be specific. Thanking your employees for something specific is best, especially in a thank you note to an individual. Saying, “You are great, thanks for all you do,” the employee may wonder if you know how they spend their time. It needs to be less generic to be meaningful.
- Write team thank you emails. A thank-you email can be sent to all employees on the team, thanking the entire time for their efforts on a specific project, task, achieving company goals, etc.
- Be professional. Don’t include anything confidential such as raise or bonus amounts, in the thank you message. Other employees may see the email or thank-you note, so it’s best to leave out the numbers.
When writing thank you messages to employees, you will likely be thanking one employee or group of employees. So, the example thank-you messages are divided into sections based on who you are addressing.
Other Ways To Thank Employees
Here are a few more ways management can thank employees in addition to a thank-you message. I am mentioning them, as when I was an employee, I was always grateful for the appreciation that involved food or time off.
- Provide food. The boss can bring breakfast (bagels, donuts, healthy breakfast items) to the office as a thank you to the team. The boss should write a thank-you email or announce the reason for the thank-you at a meeting.
- Lunch Another idea is to take the team or individual out to lunch or dinner. Or have lunch ordered in. You can ask the group what they prefer!
- Extra Time Off. If you have the power, letting your employees leave early or an extra day off (paid, of course) is usually highly appreciated!
Employee Appreciation Thank You Quotes
Here are some thank-you sayings perfect for employee appreciation day or anytime you need to thank employees with a generic thank-you message.
These examples are best for thanking a group of employees, and you cannot mention specifics about an employee or team.
- Thank you for all your hard work! We appreciate each of you.
- I appreciate your teamwork and collaboration. The last project was a huge success. Kudos to all of you.
- Happy Employee Appreciation Day! Thank you for your contributions to the team and the success of the company all year long.
- This team is a valuable asset to the company. We are so thankful for your teamwork and ability to achieve goals together. Happy Employee Appreciation Day!
- Thank you so much for your hard work! Please stop by the cafeteria tomorrow for an employee appreciation lunch.
- Thanks for everything! This is a fantastic, successful company because of all of you.
- We appreciate your commitment to the company. Thank you for your hard work and loyalty. So, please enjoy the donuts in the breakroom this morning.
- Thank you for helping the company reach its goals! Each employee can choose a $50 gift card through the employee portal as a thank you.
- We had a great year! Thank you all for your contributions and extra hours. Your time and efforts made a difference as we work hard to serve our clients.
- I’m so thankful to be leading our fabulous team. Thank you for going above and beyond last month to keep the customers happy.
Employee Thank You Note Messages to the Team
Here are examples to help you say thank you to team members. These thank-you messages are designed for a group email. While you could write individual thank-you notes, sending a thank-you email to everyone on the team is most common.
#1 Thank you to each of you for your hard work on [project name]. Because of your extra efforts, we were able to meet the deadline. [Client Name] is very pleased with the presentation and promotion materials. You’ll find some bagels and donuts for your enjoyment this morning. And we will plan a team lunch to celebrate soon!
#2 The productivity of our team during [Month of the year] exceeded the internal goal set by management. I thanked all of you for focusing this month on the project work that matters the most and contributing revenue. The exercise we did on setting priorities was worthwhile, and I appreciate that each of you embraced the change. I am happy that you are on my team!
#3 The dedication this team has to each other is fantastic. Once again, I watched you all pitch in and help each other to meet the goals for [project]. I was also impressed that you worked together to solve problems and presented me with possible solutions.
#4 Thank you, team, for coming together during the crisis with [project/Customer situation]. I was impressed that all of you put in extra hours without complaining (at least not to me!) to get the work done to resolve the situations as quickly as possible. I spoke with [boss’s boss’s name], and she has approved 2 hours off on your chosen day. We will need to coordinate to ensure you select a different day! Thanks again for your dedication.
#5 I appreciate the efforts of each of you in the past year. I am proud that you all pulled together as a team after the reorganization. You’ve proved that new teams can be successful quickly while working on [project name] together. I look forward to the coming year and seeing how far we can go together. Keep up the excellent work!
#6 Your teamwork during the past week was very impressive. I am grateful for all you all pulled together to get the work done for [Client name]. Because of your hard work, we’ve secured the contract with [Client name] for another year. So please enjoy donuts this morning, and we will do a team lunch or happy hour as soon as the schedule allows.
#7 Thank you for being the team willing to go the extra mile. Each of you is an essential and valued member of the team. As a result, the client is pleased with our work.
Employee Thank You Note Messages to an Individual
The thank you messages in this section are for thanking one employee for something specific. You can write a handwritten note card, send an email, or use the company’s recognition program (if they have one).
#1 Thank you for stepping up and leading the team while I was out unexpectedly. With your leadership, the projects stayed on track. I also received many compliments about how well you handled things from others on the team.
#2 I was very impressed with how you handled [difficult situation]. Thank you for reassuring [Customer Name] by sharing the details of how we will solve the problem and the steps we will take to prevent this problem from occurring again. I am grateful for your easygoing manner that comforts the customers, and [Customer Name] loves having you on their account.
#3 I appreciate all the time you’ve spent mentoring [newer employee’s Name]. [She/He] has told me how much better they understand their role because of your help. You’ve been able to show [him/her] how to use our internal programs in a way that makes sense to [him/her]. I am grateful that you’ve helped her round out her skills. [She/He] is progressing nicely, thanks to you!
#4 Your event planning skills are outstanding! Thank you for helping to organize the volunteer event last week. Everyone liked the event, and the timing worked out perfectly. I am grateful for your time planning and working out the details with the [Volunteer Organization Name].
#5 Thank you for volunteering to take on [name of the new initiative]. With your years of experience, you are the perfect fit. [Name of the initiative] is very excited to have you as part of the team. I hope it is a rewarding experience for you.
#6 Your pursuit of excellence is inspiring! Thank you for your innovation which leads to many improvements to the product. I want you to know that you deserve all the praise, and your efforts are appreciated daily.
#7 Your professionalism and leadership are excellent examples of the department. Thank you for all that you do.
#8 Thank you for your positive attitude and for meeting the weekly sales goals every week this month.
#9 Your presentation to the department about [Topic] was excellent. Thank you for putting so much time and effort into it. It was very beneficial for the new employees.
Example Thank You Note Messages For Employee Anniversary
This section is for examples of work anniversary thank-you messages for employees. Managers can use the employee’s anniversary to express gratitude, and acknowledge loyalty, and accomplishments.
Remember, if you can, mention something specific in you thank you message. The employee will appreciate the appreciation more if your message doesn’t feel like a template.
#1 I want to recognize your years of service with [Company Name]. [#] of years is admirable! This team is better because of you. Your skills with [whatever team uses] are exceptional, and I appreciate your time mentoring the newer team members.
#2 Thank you for another year! We appreciate your loyalty, strong work ethic, and hard work. Also, your new ideas last month for [Project Name] are innovative. Thank you for always looking for new ways to improve our processes.
#3 On behalf of the management team, I want to thank you for your 10th year with [Company Name]. You’ve grown into a good leader, and we appreciate your amazing work on [Whatever the employee works on].
#4 Congratulations on another year as [Job Title]. I am grateful for all of the talents that you bring to the team. You are a well liked team member and I thank you for your willingness to help out new colleagues.
#5 On your work anniversary, I want to thank you for everything you do. I appreciate your dedication and diligence. The client was pleased with your improvement to the monthly reports. Thank you for taking the initiative to make them better.
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