This year more than ever, we’re seeing exhaustion and burnout plague our staff members. That’s why this is the most important time for you to thank your team for their hard work and provide them with a bit of encouragement as we enter the holiday season. Healthy and motivated teams are created through intentional leadership.
That’s why we’ve put together 40 simple ways to offer thanks to the people you interact with most in your life - your team. Try a few out and tell us how it goes.
- Deliver a hand-written thank you letter
- Buy $5 Starbucks gift cards or send staff a few dollars over Venmo for coffee
- Allow your team to take a few hours off that week to prepare for the holiday (or indulge in much-needed rest)
- Go to the dollar store and buy each of your team members their favorite snack or drink (you can find staff favorites on your team member’s Care Card inside Leadr. Not a Leadr customer? Request a demo to see how features like the care card can benefit your team.)
- Order in a meal for your staff one day this week
- Point out a job well-done as you see it
- Acknowledge an admirable trait about each of your staff members
- Help out with random acts of kindness that are needed around the office
- When you want to complain, share something you’re thankful for instead
- Cook or bake a treat for the office
- Allow your team to give back to the community through a food or clothing drive
- Offer a team-wide Wellness Day to use before the end of the year
- Take action - look for ways your team needs help that week, and jump in
- Have a raffle for staff to win small prizes throughout the week
- Announce end-of-year bonuses this week (these conversations are better to have 1:1)
- Host a Thanksgiving potluck and end the day early
- Bring in a massage therapist for the day to offer 15-min chair massages
- Send a small gift home for spouses and/or children
- Allow outdoor meetings all week - a little fresh air will be good for morale and creativity
- Get the team together to share their favorite Thanksgiving traditions - you’ll be surprised how much you learn about one another!
- Organize and announce a Secret Santa for the month of December as something to look forward to
- Give team members a gift card to your local grocery store to buy a turkey or ham
- Have a drawing for one leader to do something silly the day before break, such as wear a turkey costume all day, bob for apples, or have a pie in the face
- Write people a recommendation on LinkedIn
- Open up your calendar to offer 1:1 meetings to specifically discuss growth and development opportunities to refocus before break
- Offer to buy each person a book that will help them reach a goal before the end of the year
- Offer a kind gesture to one staff member once a day
- Leave sticky notes on each person’s desk naming something you admire about them
- Stock up the kitchen with festive snacks or drinks
- Hand out company swag
- Have a bring your kids/family to work day. With many students off the week of Thanksgiving, allow people to bring their home life to work
- Hire an ice cream or snow cone truck to come for lunch
- Hold contests throughout the week for prizes. Think trivia, games, or easy indoor activities
- Make a point to smile at everyone all week
- Bring in a carafe of coffee from a local shop
- Ask people about their holiday plans and invite them to yours if they don’t have any
- Offer to buy a Thanksgiving meal for a team member who has family members far away
- Have a voluntary community project day to allow your team to serve together
- Announce a holiday party for after Thanksgiving to give people something to look forward to
- Just say “thank you.”
We hope this helps you find ways to share your appreciation for your team in the midst of the busyness this Thanksgiving week.
Comment and let us know what we missed on our list.
Happy Thanksgiving from the Leadr Team. Lead on.