Stories of Writing Thank You Notes at Work

Many people spend more (non-sleeping) hours at work each day than at home. This makes for plenty of opportunities to thank those around you.

Below are actual stories of when I’ve written thank-you notes at work. I hope they will inspire you to write some to your co-workers!

I forgot my purse and needed some cash!

I had a hair appointment that evening in the same city where I work. My commute to the office is 1 hour, so going home quickly to retrieve my purse was not the preferred option. I also didn’t want to take a half day of vacation to be able to go home and get back in time for the appointment. So I decided to ask a co-worker for a short-term 1-day loan. She said yes!

She didn’t have the cash and had to find an ATM during lunch. She was happy to help me out even though it inconvenienced her. I wrote her a handwritten thank you note thanking her for helping me in my time of need and placed the cash inside the note card.

Help with a project

During one of my busiest months at my former job, I worked with someone other than my team for the final stage of a project. Her involvement and the hours put in were more than what was expected. However, she also did excellent work and helped this project phase go smoothly. When it was finished, I wrote her a thank you note.

Earlier that same year, another co-worker discovered issues with another project. The problems were my fault. He stepped in, helped me find the problem, explained the part of the process where I had gone wrong, and smoothed things over with the client. I was very thankful that he helped as he saved me hours if I had to solve it by myself. He also received a handwritten thank you note.

People, including your co-workers, like to be recognized for their efforts!

At my former job, there was a system to thank coworkers where they could receive a monetary reward. However, the amount can vary depending on the impact of whatever you are thanking them for. So, I gave them a handwritten thank-you note and submitted the thank-you through the company’s system so they would get the monetary reward.

Earning Employee of the Month

One time, I was awarded Employee of the Month within my department. This came with a monetary reward given to me (through the company’s thank you note system). This was given to me by my boss’s boss’s boss’s boss’s boss. The hierarchy may have another level, but you get the idea.

This woman worked in a different office location. I had to track down her office mailing address to thank her. An email would have been much more manageable!

I wrote and sent her a handwritten thank you note. I also gave a thank you note to my boss and his boss, as they were responsible for nominating me. If not for them, I would not have had the opportunity to be chosen.

The Response

The response I have received from co-workers has varied. Some still have not acknowledged the note (which is okay). On the other hand, others thanked me for the note and displayed the notecard in their cube.

The boss’s boss’s boss’s boss’s boss said in response to the note I sent for employee of the month: “Heidi, I appreciate you sending me the thank you note…..what a nice surprise….” Her assistant told me she was impressed as she doesn’t get many!!! Thank you notes can make you stand out.

I hope these stories have given you some inspiration to thank your co-workers!

Getting a Raise/Bonus/Promotion

I’ve been writing a handwritten thank you note for many years when I’ve received a raise, bonus, or promotion.

However, there was one year where I was disappointed with my annual raise. I sent an email thank you note that year as I didn’t want to put in the extra effort for a handwritten note card. 

Here Are Some Was You Can Say Thank  You At Work

  1. Thank You Note for Boss
  2. Thank  You For Your Coworkers
  3. Top 5 Opportunities To Write Meaningful Thank You Notes at Work

Do you have a question or story regarding thank-you notes? You can submit it to Heidi here.

Author: Heidi Bender

Title: Writer

Expertise: Thank You Notes

Bio:

Heidi Bender is a writer and author who founded Tons of Thanks. She aims to help people write thank-you notes by providing examples and tips. She is the author of She is the author of A Modern Guide to Writing Thank-You Notes.

4 thoughts on “Stories of Writing Thank You Notes at Work”

  1. Thank you notes in the workplace are so rare! My coworkers threw me a baby shower and when I came the next day with thank you notes, several of them asked me what it was. They literally had never received a thank you note before! I’m just loving this series!

    • Thanks Laura! I was nervous about taking the 31 day challenge but it’s working so far.

      I’m glad to you know you are a thank you note writer! Perhaps, some of your co-workers were inspired by your notes to write some of their own.

  2. I had written a thank you to my boss at work. She was very nice to me one day. I used a Suzy zoo thank you that had dogs on the front–she is also a dog lover. She has it taped on the wall beside her desk!

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