Thank You Isn’t Said Enough
Two of the most important words in any language are thank you. There are many things that uplift and encourage people, and thank you is near the top of the list.
Recognizing an employees accomplishment should be accompanied by appreciation (thank you).
Let’s define our terms.
Definition of recognition: Positive words for good results such as an accomplishment. 1
Definition of appreciation: The focus is on the person, not the accomplishment. Appreciation involves acknowledging the
talents, abilities, or good qualities of someone even if they did their best but failed. 2
An example of recognition: “You did a great job on the report.”
An example of recognition and appreciation is: “You did a great job on the report. Thank you very much for all your effort!”
How important is it to say thank you? A UC Berkeley study shows that workers are 23% more productive when they are given recognition and 43% more productive when given recognition and appreciation. 3 All it takes is a well-timed thank you when it is appropriate.
Mike Robbins has an excellent TED Talk on appreciation available to watch here. At 12:43, you will hear Mike say that there is empirical evidence that when one person expresses appreciation to another, and it is received, the serotonin levels (which create a sense of satisfaction, happiness, and optimism) in both people are raised.
Appreciation makes us feel better. 4 Thanks, Mike!
Recognize above-average performance for a specific accomplishment as soon as possible. Please be sure to add a thank you. Go out of your way if you need to ensure it is timely.
Saying thank you costs nothing but is priceless.
1 Becki Hall, “Recognizing employees isn’t enough – and here’s why,” Interact, February 25, 2019, https://www.interactsoftware.com/blog/recognizing-employees-isnt-enough-and-heres-why
2 Ibid.
3 Ibid.
4 Mike Robbins quoted in “The Power of Appreciation,” TED Talk, https://www.ted.com/talks/mike_robbins_the_power_of_appreciation.