Benefits of saying thank you to employees
Taking time out to send a thank you email to an employee who went above and beyond can have a big impact. Similarly, writing a thank you note to a team member who accomplished an important goal can make a significant difference in morale. Here are some benefits of using thank you letters:
Low cost, high impact
The costs of writing a thank you letter are low and sending a thank you email to an employee costs even less. As a result, letter writing is an inexpensive form of employee recognition.
Culture of gratitude
Expressing your thanks in simple ways can foster a company culture of gratitude and positivity. This might encourage others to be mindful of how their colleagues help them instead of focusing on the negatives.
Increased motivation
Seeing that their efforts make an impact can motivate employees to continue working hard, leading to an increase in productivity. A well-written thank you letter can also help team members see how their everyday duties and achievements benefit the entire organization. When employees can see the big picture, they’re more likely to be engaged and feel encouraged to continue contributing.
Better morale
A quick word of thanks can make an employee’s day, putting them in a better mood and setting them up for more positive interactions with coworkers. In addition, they’ll feel valued and may come away with a more positive view of the workplace. As a result, consistently saying thank you to employees can lead to better employee morale over time.
Improved retention
People want to feel appreciated at work and are more likely to remain with an employer who values them. By acknowledging their contributions through thank you letter writing, you can show your gratitude and allow them to be seen. Saying thanks can foster loyalty, reduce employee turnover and increase retention.
Spotting opportunities to send a thank you letter
You don’t always need a reason to show appreciation to your employees. Team members like to know their employer is grateful for what they do every day. However, there are also specific reasons you might want to thank employees. Some reasons include:
- Exceeding performance goals
- Performing hard work
- Volunteering
- Landing a new client
- Making a big sale
- Doing more than what’s required
- Exhibiting leadership skills
- Showing innovation
- Solving a problem for the team
- Achieving monumental service anniversaries, such as 10 or 20 years with the company
- Remaining positive in difficult situations
How to write a thank you letter in 7 steps
Take these steps to write a thank you letter to a member of your team:
- Choose a method
- Write a salutation
- State the reason for your letter
- Explain why you’re grateful
- Close with high hopes
- Proofread carefully
- Address it appropriately
1. Choose a method
This choice often comes down to company culture, timing, the nature of the accomplishment and your relationship with the recipient. Decide if a formal letter, handwritten note or email is the most appropriate venue. A letter is the most formal, while a handwritten thank you note is more personal.
2. Write a salutation
The greeting sets the tone for your thank you letter to staff members. Always personalize the email by addressing the recipient by name. Start your letter with a salutation, such as “Dear” or the less formal “Hi,” depending on company culture, followed by the person’s name.
3. State the reason for your letter
Express the reason you’re writing in the first sentence so that the employee knows what tone to expect in the message. Be clear and specific. This might be as simple as saying you’ve noticed their recent efforts and you want to thank them. This sets the stage, and you can go into more detail in the body.
4. Explain why you’re grateful
Write a few words or sentences about how the accomplishment benefitted the company, improved the work of colleagues or optimized a process. Be specific about the employee’s impact and be sincere with your praise. You want to include enough to make the employee feel appreciated without being so long-winded they stop reading.
5. Close with high hopes
End the letter with a note about the future. You might say you look forward to continued success or more wonderful ideas. This shows the employee that you have faith in them, and it might inspire them to be more innovative and hardworking.
6. Proofread carefully
Employee thank you letters don’t have to be super formal, but they should be grammatically correct. If it has errors or typos, it might seem like you threw it together quickly and didn’t really care, which detracts from its meaning.
To make the best impression, review your thank you letter carefully before sending it. Reading it aloud can help you spot errors and ensure the wording is easy to understand.
7. Address it appropriately
If you’re providing a hand-written note or a typed letter, place it in an appropriately sized envelope to keep the message private. Write the employee’s name on the front to identify the intended recipient.
When sending a thank you email to an employee, use a clear, attention-grabbing subject line just as you would when sending an introduction email to clients or a meeting request to your team. Examples of effective subject lines include “Thank you, [Employee Name]!” or “Job well done, [Employee Name]!”
Thank you letter examples and templates
Seeing samples of employee thank you letters can spark ideas and make it easier for you to write them to your staff. You can use these templates as the foundation for your letters and include specifics related to your employees to customize them. Here are two templates to help you write thank you letters to employees:
1. Hard work/accomplishment thank you template
[Date]
[Employee name]
[Title]
[Company]
[Address]
Dear [Name],
I wanted to write a note expressing my appreciation for the effort you put into [name of the project, accomplishment, task]. You showed a level of excellence that I greatly appreciate.
I also want to express my gratitude for [additional accomplishment].
Thank you again for the continued effort you contribute to [Name of Company]. It’s not going unnoticed.
Sincerely,
[Name]
[Title]
2. Leadership thank you
[Date]
[Employee name]
[Title]
[Company]
[Address]
Dear [Name],
Thank you for your effort in leading the [Name of department, project or initiative]. Your exceptional leadership skills are demonstrated by the performance of your team and the goals they’ve achieved.
Thanks to your efforts, we have [Improvement made by the company due to the employee’s efforts]. You are an essential part of the [Name of] team, and I’m confident that your colleagues feel as lucky to work with you as I do.
Again, I would like to express how happy I am with the contribution you made. I can’t wait to see what else you and your team accomplish.
With appreciation,
[Name]
[Title]
Best practices for thank you letters
Every appreciation letter will be slightly different, but they should all have some basic qualities to make them more meaningful. Here are some best practices for thanking your employees.
Show sincerity
Think about what the accomplishment meant and how it made work easier or benefited the team. Use genuine and simple words.
Be specific
Details help people feel recognized. You can ask others on the team for feedback to add more specifics to the note.
Personalize your message
Think about the unique skills and personality your employee brings to work. Make sure to acknowledge these attributes in your letter. Even if you intend to send a thank you letter for the same achievement to multiple team members, write a unique letter for each person, tailoring your message to their specific contributions as much as possible.
Make your message timely
To make the most impact, write and send the letter soon after the accomplishment or event. If you can’t say thank you to employees immediately, set a calendar reminder to make writing your letter a priority.
Keep it brief
Keep your letter concise. Employees should only need a few minutes to read your note.
Be consistent
Commit to writing thank you letters regularly. Challenge yourself to send a set number of letters on a weekly, monthly or quarterly basis.
Practice inclusion
To promote inclusion, consider all employees’ contributions when writing letters. Doing so will help all team members feel valued and prevent anyone from being left out.
One way to keep things inclusive is to maintain records of your thank you letters. You can retain a physical copy, save files on your computer or simply compile a list of letters sent and update it regularly.
Periodically review your records and take note of any employees who have yet to receive letters. Assess whether you may have missed opportunities to recognize them. If so, consider sending a general thank you letter to show appreciation for their ongoing work.
FAQs about employee thank you letters
What are other ways to thank your employees?
A thank you note is an easy way to show appreciation, but you might want to do something different occasionally. For example, you may choose to plan something special for a major accomplishment or keep things fresh by using a variety of methods. Here are additional ways to show appreciation:
- Offer extra time off
- Implement formal employee appreciation programs
- Give small gifts
- Say thank you
- Provide company-wide recognition at a meeting, in a team email or in the company newsletter
- Extend a social media shout-out
- Gift company swag
Can I send a thank you email to employees instead of a letter?
Yes, a thank you email can be a meaningful way to recognize your employees. Just keep in mind that some employees may prefer a written note that they can save as a keepsake. You may want to use email to recognize small achievements and reserve paper letters for major accomplishments.
Can employees send thank you notes to their coworkers?
If you want to create a culture of teamwork and respect, encouraging your employees to recognize one another can help. By making thank you notes a regular part of your strategy, you might encourage other employees to express their appreciation to teammates. You can even suggest that employees speak up when they’re grateful for what a coworker does. However, don’t make it a mandatory thing, or it loses its sincerity.
Thank You Letter to Employees Templates for PDF & Word
Use these thank you letter templates to help express your appreciation to your employees.
*Indeed provides these examples as a courtesy to users of this site. Please note that we are not your HR or legal adviser, and none of these documents reflect current labor or employment regulations.
