Thank You Notes for Coworkers

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."-John Fitzgerald Kennedy

We can never thank our friends and family enough for what they do for us but you can also not neglect coworkers with whom we spend some of our most precious moments. They are the witness of all our failures and achievements professionally, in fact there are people who find loyal friends in their coworkers, some even find family and companionship. Even if you don't establish a relation with your coworkers outside the office they still remain the best people who would understand when you say, "The boss is weird" or " This job sucks!!". Coworkers share the same relation as two soldiers share on the war front or two sailors share on the ship amidst the blue and seemingly unending ocean but do we ever thank them for the favors?

When to Send a Thank You Note for Coworkers

You can send a thank you note to an individual colleague or your entire team. Given below are some instances that demand a thank you note from your side.

• Your coworkers help you accomplish your personal/department target.
• Your team finishes a project well before the deadline.
• Your coworker goes out of his/her way to help you with your work.
• Your coworker handles your job profile while you were on a long leave.
• Your coworker(s) make special efforts to celebrate an important moment in your personal life.

Do Not Wait Until the Farewell

Death is imperative and you never know when you might just have to end this worldly journey so whenever you feel an emotion express it because tomorrow or day after you might not get a chance, let alone a suitable moment. You don't have to be verbal; you can just leave a thank you note and let him or her know how grateful you are for a certain gesture that you were shown.

Things to Remember When Writing

When you write a thank you note, try and personalize it since you are showing your gratitude which comes out best when you have written a note on your own. The note itself makes the person to whom you are sending it to, feel special - but when you write it yourself, there are chances of your coworker feeling overwhelmed. Given below are a few points that you should bear in mind while writing a thank you note on your own.

• If the coworker is fairly close to you, then you can use an informal form of address and not include your last name otherwise you might just want to keep the letter within the limits of professionalism.
• Mention the reason behind you thanking him or her and honestly describe how the help or the gift received from him or her actually helped you in other ways as well.
• Do not forget to mention the two magical words "Thank You" because these words will make your letter meaningful and will bear the gist of all the effort you took to send this note.
• If it is a project that your coworker or coworkers helped you to complete, do mention how it would have been impossible to complete it without their help.
• You can also ask your coworker about his or her family without sounding overtly inquisitive. You can generally ask about the welfare of the family members.
• Lastly please make sure that you mail your thank you notes and not hand it out to your colleagues or coworker at the office.

Thank you notes will not only make the bond between you and your colleagues stronger, but I can bet that they would be more supportive next time when you need help from them. Every one of us is craving for appreciation and nothing can be better than appreciating someone's sincerity, professionalism or concern than a thank you note.