There are many opportunities to write thank-you notes at the workplace. While you should make an effort to say thank you whenever possible, there are several occasions where writing a thank-you message is worth the effort.
Sharing your gratitude and appreciation can help you demonstrate your soft skills. Thank-you notes can be handwritten in a lovely thank-you card, sent in an email, or an instant message (such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, etc.).
Knowing how to write a good thank-you note is key. Your thank-you note should be specific, including why you are saying thank you and why you are grateful.
When you benefit from receiving help from a mentor, coworker, or boss, take a few minutes to send them a thank-you email or write them a handwritten note.
While it may feel like you are thanking someone for doing their job, extra appreciation can help people feel that their time or knowledge is valued, especially when they’ve gone above and beyond to help.
While you, as an employee, may feel entitled to an annual raise and not feel like you need to say thank you, remember that a raise is only guaranteed if written into your employment contract.
When writing thank-you notes for your raise, it’s best to leave the amount or percentage out of your message. Your boss knows how much your raise was (or can find out).
Team lunches can be fun but let’s be honest–sometimes they are awkward, or you feel too busy for a longer than typical lunch. However, the lunch could help with bonding and getting to know newer team members.
One reason to consider writing a thank you note is because the boss, another teammate, or an assistant put in the time and effort to organize the lunch. And the company likely picked up the tab.