Being Thankful for Workplace Colleagues

Cathie Leimbach • November 22, 2022

Employees everywhere want to be valued, respected, and appreciated. They want to be thanked for the contributions they are making at their workplace and be supported to become even more effective at their job! 69% of employees say that the recognition they receive impacts how likely they are to stay with the company. 

Being thankful at work really matters! Human beings are emotional beings. We are more content and motivated to achieve when we feel appreciated for who we are and what we offer. When an employee’s manager treats them well, employees feel supported by the organization. This encourages them to engage more fully, enhancing the organization’s success.

Too often, supervisors believe that an employee’s paycheck is reward enough.  They don’t express thanks at work unless an employee is meeting or exceeding expectations in all aspects of their job.

However, when employees don’t get feedback, they don’t know if they are meeting expectations. If they don’t know what they are doing well, they may not continue to do their best in these areas. When they don’t realize they are underperforming, they don’t realize they need to improve.  Not knowing where they stand leads to insecurity and declining motivation. 

Many managers say they don’t know how to show appreciation at work. Let’s consider 3 simple ways.

  1. Use words to thank your employees. 
  • During a one-on-one conversation or a small group meeting, thank them for a specific task that they are doing well and explain how this work matters to other people - customers, the organization, the department, or a colleague. Thank them for their reliability, their thoughtfulness when others need help, or their high-quality work.
  • Share your thanks by email or in a text or phone call.
  • Write a thank you card or jot a note on a post-it and leave it on their desk.

 

   2.  Use an appropriate form of physical touch.

  • Congratulate a job well done or a group accomplishment with a high five, fist bump, or pat on the back.
  • Help them when they have a task that will be easier with two heads or two sets of hands.
  • Hold the door or help carry boxes when they are loading their vehicle for a trade show.

 

   3.  When they have an urgent deadline and you can spare 20 minutes, ask how you can help.

  • If you are a spreadsheet whiz your 20 minutes could save them 2 hours.
  • If you’re a grammar nerd, you might quickly improve the readability of an important document.

 

Who in your department receives little recognition for the value they add in the workplace? How could you make them feel appreciated during this Thanksgiving season and beyond?

What Problems Disappear When Leadership Gets Stronger?

By Cathie Leimbach • April 14, 2026
Most workplace issues don’t start big. They build slowly—through missed conversations, unclear expectations, and more people leave. That’s where disengagement shows up. And when it does, the cost is real: 78% higher absenteeism 51% higher turnover 63% more safety incidents These differences come from comparing the 25% of organizations with the strongest employee engagement to those in the bottom 25% (Gallup). And across the U.S., the bigger picture is hard to ignore— disengaged employees cost organizations nearly $2 trillion annually in lost productivity (Gallup). These aren’t just HR problems. They’re leadership problems. When people don’t feel connected, clear, or supported: They call off more More people quit Mistakes and risks increase The good news? These patterns are preventable. Strong leaders reduce these issues by: Addressing problems early Creating clarity instead of assumptions Having consistent, direct conversations Reinforcing expectations before things drift It’s not about doing more. It’s about leading differently—every day. A question to consider: Which of these challenges is quietly costing your organization the most right now? 👉 Join our upcoming Leadership Conversation on April 27th, 3:00 PM—this is not a webinar . This is a candid conversation with leaders comparing their employee engagement challenges and successes. Most organizations are tolerating more of this than they realize. The question is—are you?

What Changes When People Actually Feel Engaged?

By Cathie Leimbach • April 7, 2026
Most leaders don’t struggle because they don’t care. They struggle because engagement feels hard to influence. But when people are engaged, the impact is hard to ignore: 18% higher sales 23% higher profitability 70% higher wellbeing These differences come from comparing the 25% of organizations with the strongest employee engagement to those in the bottom 25% (Gallup). And the stakes are bigger than most realize— disengaged employees cost U.S. organizations nearly $2 trillion in lost productivity each year (Gallup). This isn’t about perks or programs. It’s about how people are led every day. Engaged teams are clearer on expectations. They feel supported. They know their work matters. And most importantly—those conditions don’t happen by accident. They’re created in conversations: Clarifying priorities Reinforcing what good looks like Checking for understanding Following through consistently Small leadership habits drive big business outcomes. A question to consider: Where could stronger day-to-day leadership conversations improve results in your team? 👉 Join our next 60-minute Leadership Conversation: Inspiring High Performance — Monday, April 27 th at 3:00 PM ET (this is not a webinar) It’s a small-group discussion with other leaders looking at a simple question: What’s actually driving engagement—and what’s quietly holding it back?  If a shift in leadership could impact sales, profitability, and wellbeing… it’s worth exploring what that might look like in your world.