Hey Bosses, It’s Time to Thank Your People—Like, For Real 🦃🍂

Alright, it’s that time of year when everyone suddenly gets all warm and fuzzy about gratitude. But here’s the thing: most leaders only remember to say “thank you” once there’s a turkey on the table. 🤦

If you want a people-centric culture that 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 works, you need to be thankful for your employees more than just one Thursday in November.

Here’s why showing real gratitude (year-round) is the secret sauce to building a company where people love to work—no pumpkin spice required. 🎃

1. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗶𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀

I've got news for you: without your 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲, your company is NOTHING. Zilch. Zero. Nada. Rien. Whether it’s the ones grinding through spreadsheets, the customer service warriors, or the janitors keeping the place clean—𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 are the ones making your vision happen.

So stop pretending 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦 are the genius behind your company’s success. You’ve got a whole army making it work.

💡 Companies with higher employee satisfaction are 21% more profitable. See? Being grateful 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 pays off.

2. 𝗔 “𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗬𝗼𝘂” 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵—𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝗽𝘁𝘀

Words are cheap. You know what’s not? Meaningful action. If you want to show your people how thankful you are, stop with the vague, generic “Thanks for all you do!” email blasts. You know they delete those anyway.

Here’s what real gratitude looks like:

• 𝗣𝗮𝘆 𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘆 (yes, that means equal pay for equal work—what a concept).

• 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸-𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲—not the “we pretend to care about your time” kind.

• 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 that aren’t just reserved for your inner circle.

👊 Don’t just say “we appreciate you.” Prove it with raises, respect, and real benefits that make their lives better.

3. 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱𝗻’𝘁 𝗯𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲, 𝗶𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗯𝗲 𝗮 𝗵𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁

Imagine if your employees showed up and worked hard one day a year and then slacked off for the rest of it. You’d be pissed, right? Well, guess what—gratitude works the same way. You can’t just drop a “thanks” bomb once a year and expect loyalty in return. 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲.

Start recognizing people’s contributions 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲, not just when your end-of-year report looks good. Small, consistent appreciation goes a long way toward creating a place where people actually 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 to work.

💡 Recognition isn’t a cost, it’s an 𝚒̲𝚗̲𝚟̲𝚎̲𝚜̲𝚝̲𝚖̲𝚎̲𝚗̲𝚝̲. And no, those cheap branded mugs don’t count. 🙄

4. 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁, 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

Here’s a simple equation for you: Gratitude = Trust. Trust = Retention. Retention = $$$.

If you consistently show your people that they’re valued, guess what—they’re way more likely to stick around. Employees who feel appreciated are 𝟮𝘅 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲𝗹𝘆 to stay at their company for the long haul. And they won’t be secretly scrolling LinkedIn job postings on their lunch break.

🚨 If the only time you “recognize” your employees is after they threaten to quit, you’ve already failed. Be proactive, not reactive.

5. 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 “𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿𝘀”

Stop playing favorites. It’s easy to shower praise on the person who’s pulling in all the numbers or winning awards, but what about everyone else? The quiet ones who don’t make noise but keep your business running? The ones in the back who don’t care about being in the spotlight but make sure the ship doesn’t sink? 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 need love, too.

💥 Fix it: spread gratitude across the board. Thank the support staff, the ones who make fewer mistakes than their flashier colleagues, the folks who come in early and leave late without looking for a pat on the back. Show 𝚎̲𝚟̲𝚎̲𝚛̲𝚢̲𝚘̲𝚗̲𝚎̲ they matter.

6. 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲-𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝘀 (𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁-𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀)

If your company is all about profits and “the bottom line,” you’re on the fast track to losing your best people. A truly people-centric culture starts with 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲 for the work your team does—not just the dollar signs they bring in.

Want to build a culture where people actually care about what they do? Start by showing them you care first. Grateful leaders create loyal teams, and loyal teams are the backbone of long-term success.

👊 Rule of thumb: happy employees = happy customers = happy bank account. It’s not that complicated.

𝗧𝗟;𝗗𝗥?

👉 Your employees are the only reason your company hasn’t collapsed—so show them some damn gratitude.

👉 Stop with the cheap thank-yous and start showing it with pay, respect, and real opportunities.

👉 Make gratitude a 𝚍̲𝚊̲𝚒̲𝚕̲𝚢̲ ̲𝚑̲𝚊̲𝚋̲𝚒̲𝚝̲ if you want a culture where people actually stick around.

So this Thanksgiving, while you’re stuffing your face with turkey, take a moment to think about the people who’ve got your back all year long. And then, start showing them some real appreciation—not just once a year, but every single day.        

Catch you on the rebellion side,

Stephan