The Anatomy of a "Thank You"

There are few things as simple or powerful as the act of saying “thank you.”

Studies show that daily gratitude benefits individual mental and physical health, while also improving organizational health and business results. In fact, research by Harvard Business School and Wharton shows a 50% increase in productivity when frequent appreciation is given in the workplace.

While a thank you is enough to make someone’s day, here at Kudos, our most successful clients follow a “recognition recipe." Follow these steps to start giving amazing recognition today:

Express Gratitude and Appreciation‍

A thank you should immediately show gratitude. The range of recognition could go from appreciating a thoughtful gesture like bringing in cookies for the office, to recognizing an act that benefited the entire organization, like speaking at an event or hosting a webinar.

Your first sentence could start with something like this:

“Thank you…”

“It really made my day when…”

“You did an amazing job at…”

On the Kudos platform, you can choose from four distinct levels of recognition and appreciation. This proprietary approach to recognition provides valuable insights into individual and team performance. Learn more here.

Be Specific‍

Details highlight the action's value, strengthen professional bonds, and increase the likelihood of the action being repeated. Everyone loves to be recognized for their contribution, big or small, and they’ll appreciate the spotlight on their actions. We’re all a little curious, so we want to know why gratitude is given with all the details.

Describe the Impact‍

Let the recipient know how their contribution affected you or the organization. The goal of this step is to provide perspective on the scope of their actions. You may not realize the full effect of your contribution in the moment, and it’s even harder to gauge in larger organizations, so be sure to highlight how a small act can have big results.

Connect to Values‍

Tie three or four of your organization's values to your message; it helps define how that individual is living the organization’s culture. Tying each recognition message to your core values helps team members be mindful of what matters most. Employee experience platforms like Kudos make this easy by providing a built-in selector for your organizational values whenever you send recognition.

Deep Dive‍

Once you’ve tied corporate values to your employee recognition program, you can begin measuring your culture and changes in your culture quantitatively. Book a call with us, and we’ll show you how to do it!

Try following this recipe the next time you give recognition and see for yourself how effective it is. Better yet, get your entire team or company onboard with giving more meaningful recognition — you’ll see an incredible difference in your organizational culture and performance.