How to Say Thank You to Your Colleagues at Work

Thank you, Danke, Gracias, Grazie, Obrigado, Kiitos, tack … no matter which is your language,
the reality is that we do not say thank you often enough at work.

I will show you in this post how to say thank you to your colleagues at work, why it is important to say thank you and examples you can use in your day-to-day work.

Normally we are so busy with our day-to-day job,
that we do not stop enough to thank our colleagues for the tremendous effort and support they are bringing to the organizations.

Okay, you may think it would be good to say thank you more often … but why is it so important?

The three main reasons why to say thank you to your colleagues at work

Imagine there is a way that you can foster a sense of camaraderie in the workplace.
Imagine in this same way you can increase the confidence of your colleagues and build a stronger team.

Imagine if you would simply would say thank you more often.

I bring you where the top three reasons why you should consider saying “Thank you” more often

It is free
Saying thank you, literally costs you nothing, zero, null…
and it will go directly to one of the main basic human needs.
Do you know which one?

It acts on basic human needs
It is human nature, people love to be appreciated.
And your colleagues are no different than this,
they will love to be appreciated for their hard work

It motivates the workmates
“Motivation is the fuel, necessary to keep the human engine running” Zin Ziglar.

If your workmates are motivated,
the engine of the team will keep running…and that’s when the magic happens.

The sky is the limit.

All this - you can achieve it simply saying two words: Thank you

How do you write a thank you email professionally?

For a 10/10 thank you email and that looks professional – include these 3 elements.

#1 Personal.
It is key to make the message personal

#2 What you want to recognize
Clearly state for what you want to thank person

#3 What behaviours you would like to highlight
and last but least, highlight the leadership behaviours you would like to recognize.

Example of a professional thank you email to one individual for leading a project:

Dear [Name of the person],

We are so busy on the day to way, working on [Name project] that we do not stop enough to say thank you.

[Name of the person], I want to say thank you for your leadership on [Name project and result]

You are truly making a difference and I would like to appreciate you for this.

Example of a professional thank you email to one individual for thinking outside of the box:

Dear [Name of the person],

I would like to thank you for bringing the innovation [Call the innovation].
You're not giving up attitude, taking risks and going the extra mile is truly remarkable.

[Name of the person], thanks to your work we managed to reduce [include how much efficiency was brought]

You are a role model showing that the sky is the limit, and I would like to appreciate you for this.

Example of a professional thank you email to one individual for support with backup:

Dear [Name of the person],

I am aware these last weeks have been very intense in terms of workload due to the low capacity in the team.
Only thanks to you we have been able to survive and deliver the business without any disruption.
Thank you [Name of the person] for doing the backup of two people during this period of intense workload. Your ability to call priorities, ask for support and deliver the business is truly remarkable.

You are a true team player and an inspiration for the whole team.

If you want to go for a “one sentence thanks option”,
I bring you below 50 different ways how to say thank you to a colleague at work.

50 different ways of saying thank you to a colleague at work

Let’s start with the classics:

Thank you so much!
(of course, the first one could not be different than this one 😊)

Thank you for all you do!

Thanks for your hard work!

Thank you for your assistance!

Thanks for everything!

Thank you for being so reliable!

Thank you for going the extra mile!

Thank you for going above and beyond!

Thanks a million!

Thanks for your help!

Thanks for the timely help!

Thanks for the awesome work!

Thank you for your expertise!

Thanks for being so helpful!

Thanks for your kindness!

When all is about “You”:

You're a lifesaver!

You're the best!

Your contribution is invaluable!

You're a huge help!

You're a star!

Your effort is greatly appreciated!

You're a real blessing!

You rock!

You really came through!

Your efforts are greatly appreciated!

You have my sincere gratitude!

You're a real asset!

You're an inspiration!

You're a champion!

Your help is greatly appreciated!

You're a superstar!

You make a difference!

You make my job easier!

Your help is much appreciated!

You're a real pro!

You make it look easy

You're a gem!

And finally other creative ways of saying thank you to your colleagues

I really appreciate your help!

I'm grateful for your support!

I couldn't have done it without you!

I'm so thankful to you!

I'm in your debt!

I appreciate your thoughtfulness!

It's great to have you on the team!

I'm so lucky to have you!

Cheers to you!

I'm deeply grateful!

I'm forever in your debt!

I owe you one!

I'm so thankful for your help!

In case you counted them,
indeed there were no 50 ways of saying thank you but just 49! 😀

FAQ how to say thank you at work

How do you say thank you professionally?

You can say thank you professionally, direct the message to one person, clearly state what you want to say thank you and highlight the behaviours that you would like to recognize.

Can I include more than one person in one thank you message?

Yes, you can include more than one person in the thank you message.
However, I would recommend you make the thank you message personal by including only the person that would deserve to receive the note.

Shall I include the manager of the person in the thank you message?

Yes, you should. As this would be a great way of giving visibility to the individual in front of leadership.
If you are curious about how to get visibility at work – you can read more here.

How to write a thank you note to a group of coworkers?

First, make the note personal, and clearly include the name of all the coworkers.
Highlight for what you want to say thank you and last but not least remark the behaviours you are thankful for. Pro tip, include their managers in the copy of the note.

How do you express gratitude?

The best way to express gratitude is by saying thank you. It cost nothing, it will increase the confidence of the person receiving the thank you and will increase the trust in you.  You can always add to the thank you a small reward such as a chocolate bar, or a bunch of flowers… time for your creativity here.

What are the best appreciation words?

You can start with a simple “Thank you” or go to more advanced quotes such as “I just want to express my deep gratitude for the superb job you do day after day”