“I loved that company. I thought I’d stay there forever. But do you know in the 6 years I was there, my boss never thanked me, for anything? He was so focused on build, build, build. It was like he didn’t even see me. Anyway, as soon as I started looking, I got another job that paid me twice as much….”
This was from a conversation I had with someone who’d been at tech startup. If you asked that boss, he’d probably say, “Well, she took a salary for twice as much, nothing I can do about that.” But what he’s missing is that if he’d taken the time to appreciate her work, she never would have been looking in the first place.
I have been stunned by the statistics on gratitude at work. One study found that only 15% of people regularly say thank you at work, and 35% say their boss has never thanked them. Do you say thanks at work? Does your boss thank you?
The end of the year is a great time to express gratitude for your team members.
A sincere thank you, either in person or by email (or a handwritten note!) makes people feel seen and appreciated. It means a lot; a compliment from the boss is worth more than money in terms of motivation. It doesn’t need to be long or poetic, just authentic and personal to the individual team member. And by the way–when we express gratitude, we boost our own well-being, too.
Create a list now of those you’d like to be sure to recognize before the end of the year–and start making your way through that list.
2 Responses
Thank you, Katharine, for your text today. What you shared truly resonated with me. I always say words are cheap, but gratitude is something we can give freely — and it means so much when it’s real. Especially in seasons like this, being authentic, thankful, and transparent matters more than ever. Thank you for reaching out and for speaking from the heart.💕
Absolutely! It makes such a difference, as I know you know. Thanks for your comment!