When was the last time you truly thanked someone on your team—beyond just a quick “thank you so much!” or two-sentence shout out in a meeting? 

If you’re like most of us, it’s been a while. We all know that appreciation is critical.* But often meaningful praise falls to the bottom of our busy to-do lists. 

Good news: We got you. We’ve hand-picked our favorite unexpected, simple, and most powerful ways you can thank your team. They’re all free, fresh, and—bonus—increase the sense of Known, Matter, and Included that are critical to a thriving workplace culture. 

Ready to make your team feel truly appreciated? 

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1. Talk them up. 

Everyone on your team has professional expertise and experiences that haven’t been shared with the larger organization. It could be that they had a creative approach to solving a particular problem, that they have become the go-to person for a particular issue, even that they’ve stayed late and gone above and beyond in a specific way. 

Go outside your department to tell a peer or member of leadership about something one of your team members did—and then ask your peer/leader to reach out to the person on your team and share with that person how they heard about their great work. 

It doesn’t have to take them long—it can simply be an email saying, “Hey, I heard you knocked it out of the park with your work on the new product, and that’s the kind of work that inspires me and my team.” 

You’ll be astonished how much of a difference it makes for your team to know that someone else in the organization knows who they are, what they do, and cares enough to mention it. Talk about showing someone that their work matters! 

Want to uplevel your leadership? Ask your management peers if anyone on their teams could use some out-of-department recognition, and then reach out and recognize them! Start embedding cross-departmental appreciation throughout your culture.

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2. Get curious about their aspirations. 

This may not feel like an act of appreciation, but taking time out of your busy schedule to get to know more about your team's world is one of the best ways to make your team feel valued. 

If you’re not sure about their aspirations? Just ask. I’ve said, “Hey, I realized that I don’t know much about you beyond how you’re such an integral part of our team. I’m so appreciative of what you’ve done to help us reach our aspirations that I want to see if I can support your own aspirations in any way. I’d love to know more about what you want and like to do, either at work or beyond.”

Sometimes learning more about them can reveal ways you can help them (perhaps by connecting them to a group or person you know). But it doesn’t have to lead to any direct outcome. All it takes is you investing the time in them to listen and learn about what they want for themselves to make them feel truly valued.  

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3. Send a video thank-you note. 

Everyone loves and appreciates a good thank you note. But think how much better it would feel to see your boss express their thanks to you in their own voice. It takes the same amount of effort to record a video or send a voice memo as to write a note, but it dramatically increases the impact on your team. 

It doesn’t have to be long. It doesn’t even have to take any specific format—you can text it, email it, record it and send a link. Choose whatever makes it easiest for you.

If you’re willing to go the extra mile, consider getting out of your normal comfort zone. Hold up your cat (“even Fluffy is appreciative of your extra effort on the presentation!”). Make a few handwritten signs and hold them up to the screen. The more creative you get, the more memorable and meaningful it will be for your team.

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4. Support their personal passions. 

Don’t forget everyone on your team loves things beyond just work (impossible!). Take a few minutes to brainstorm how you can support them in these passions.

Maybe it’s a certificate to an online course in baking, a gift of a book on advanced woodworking, or even just a couple of hours that you ask them to set aside during the workday to use for their passion project. 

Don’t know what your team is into? Just ask. (See tip # 2 above.) 

It doesn’t have to take much time or any money, but anything you can do to support them in their passions will go much further than a corporate gift in making your team feel known and appreciated.

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5. Share your network. 

You’d be surprised how valuable this free gift can be to your team. 

If you know someone who could potentially forward their career, could mentor them, or could help meet a personal or professional need they’ve expressed, simply offer to set up a virtual coffee date or introduction. 

It doesn’t even have to be in your organization—consider all your connections from all your experiences.

Sometimes managers hesitate to do this because they worry that these connections might help your team leave the company. Here’s what we have learned through many years of culture work: People usually don’t leave managers who truly support their teams in being their best selves. And even if they do find a better fit, they go to that place and tell everyone they know about how supportive their last manager was—which inevitably leads to other top performers seeking you out.

Your network is something you’ve put years into building. Sharing it with your team shows that you are truly invested in their success and care about them as professionals and people.

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And if you feel like you really need to do something tangible but don’t have a ton to spend? 

A generic gift can make your team feel just that—generic. But if you feel you have to spend money, spend it on things that show you’ve taken the time to get to know them. For example, maybe they love Earl Grey tea, have a pet who might like a new toy, or could use a book that their kids would enjoy. Those gifts can be inexpensive but impactful.

Things people have told us they’ve loved receiving and giving include a sparkler (because they make the team sparkle), fun socks, Stabilo markers (basically a Crayola crayon box for adults), magnets with fun quotes, a Daruma doll (a Japanese traditional doll representing perseverance and celebrating accomplishments), and even pet rocks.

Whatever you do, if you must give them something physical, explain that it’s a “token of appreciation.” People can see gifts as indications of how much you value them. But when you say, “this is just a small token of my appreciation,” it’s clear that you’re not putting any price on how much their work is worth to you—just thanking them sincerely for it.

Our favorite example of a physical gift, though, is this.

Take a few minutes to ask your team members to email you a few sentences on what they appreciate about their peers, and put that feedback together in a tangible gift. It doesn’t have to be big or expensive—it can be a certificate they can put on their wall, a jar with notes that they can keep around and open when they need a boost, even just a card with the comments written in it. This will be incredibly meaningful.

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We appreciate who YOU ARE as a leader and your commitment in taking the time to consider meaningful ways to value and appreciate your team. You make the difference, really. Thank you.

‍Here's to meaningfully acknowledging and appreciating your team!

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* Research shows that genuine interest and appreciation is the highest driver of employee engagement and that 79% of employees cite a lack of appreciation as a key reason for quitting. Source: HBR, OC Tanner