15 Free Ways to Say “Thanks!”

By Latoya Simmons

During this season, many of us begin to reflect on the year’s accomplishments, experiences and those who have helped us achieve our goals. A great way for employers and employees to let their team, peers and coworkers know how valuable they are is by simply thanking them.

1. Invest in your employees’ dreams. As a leader or manager, it’s important to be aware of your employees’ personal goals. Do you know what they are? Find out, then see if you can help. For example, if you have an employee who wants to become a homeowner but doesn’t know where to start and you have a friend in real estate, connect them.
2. Mail a handwritten letter to their family. Thank them for sharing their loved one with your organization.  The lines of work and home life have blurred with the advent of technology, sometimes resulting in the sacrifice of family time.  This will show the person’s family that their hard work is noticed and appreciated and will have a much greater impact than a simple email.
3. Acknowledge team members’ contributions in front of their peers. Making other colleagues and managers aware of how thankful you are for your team members will add confidence while providing them with deserved recognition, especially in a work environment that doesn’t traditionally take time to publicly praise employees.
4. Create a “pay it forward” atmosphere.  Encourage an environment where workers perform small, simple acts of kindness for one another. Create a list of ways to do this, including getting documents off of a shared printer, e-mailing meeting notes to a sick coworker or encouraging positive feedback for pitched ideas and successful projects.
5. Invite employees to shadow colleagues in superior positions to which they could eventually be promoted.  This will show you’re interested in team member development—what better way to say thank you to your employees than helping them to continue to grow?
6. Have a lunch and give employees the floor.  Hold it in a comfortable, round table setting. Highlighting the organization’s open door policy will help ease unsure employees that the company wants to hear their ideas.
7. Arrange for a CEO or high-ranking member in the organization to mentor a stellar employee.  Relationships are currency in business. Extending the opportunity for an employee to share in the knowledge of someone she admires and helping her navigate to create a successful career is priceless.
8. Transfer an Executive Perk.  Businesses often have perks extended to their executive staff. If your company gives out benefits like complimentary car washes, a club membership or a restaurant coupon, raffle off an opportunity to share this benefit with your staff.
9. Offer flex day opportunities. Give your employees the option to come in late or early, still working their eight-hour schedule but adding flexibility. Some people do their best work at 9PM, not 9AM, and giving employees options shows you care.
10. Update your dress code for casual day.  Consider allowing the employees to wear jeans on the day of their choosing or based on business needs. Help your employees save money by allowing them to wear jeans, even if it’s just once a month.
12. Create a “hot seat.” The goal is for each team member to sit for two minutes without saying anything and have the rest of the team tell their colleagues why they value their contributions. This a great team-builder that takes very little time and will leave everyone feeling valuable.
13. Send out an employee-of-the-month newsletter. This will highlight how they have contributed to the team, and you can share something unique that others wouldn’t know. Focusing on your employee’s strengths and letting others know will create positive employee relations and help employees learn more about their colleagues.
14. Managers/executives can volunteer with employees.  What better way to say ‘thank you’ to spend time helping others? They will see that the organization truly has a vested interest in not only the employee, but the community as well.
15. Smile and engage with each coworker, manager and employee every day. Ask how they’re doing. Saying hello and inquiring about people’s wellbeing goes a long way.

Remember, a genuine “thank you” will never go out of style and will always be appreciated, regardless of what status you have reached in your career.

Latoya B. Simmons is a human resource professional/social entrepreneur with more than 10 years of human resources experience. Latoya’s recipe for success includes leading with love, eliminating fear and producing supernatural results. She resides in Atlanta and enjoys working with non-profits and small business organizations.