17 Ways to Give Thanks to Your Team

On Thursday, thousands of people in the U.S. will give thanks, expressing their gratitude during the Thanksgiving holiday. 

During this season of giving, there’s no better time to think of ways to give back to your employees. With this in mind, here are 17 examples of ways — big and small — you can express gratitude for your team’s hard work.

1. Give $10 gift cards to Starbucks or a locally-owned coffee shop. 
2. Surprise hard-working staff with an extra day of paid vacation to take at their leisure. 
3. Write a hand-written note explaining why you’re grateful for an employee’s hard work, with specifics on what they’ve done well so they know it’s from the heart. 
4. Give employees a gift certificate for a 1-hour massage to destress. 
5. Send staff to a sporting event or concert. 
6. Take them out for a free lunch. 
7. Give them a bonus. 
8. Throw a themed party with a DJ. 
9. Give $20 gas cards. 
10. Send flowers or an Edible Arrangement. 
11. Send staff to a conference or training to support their continuing education. 
12. Cater breakfast for the team. 
13. Pay for a 3-month subscription to a popular streaming service like Spotify, Netflix or the new Disney Plus. 
14. If you live in a city where Uber and/or Lyft are popular, provide credits to an employee’s most often-used service. 
15. Send them on a weekend getaway with their spouse. 
16. Provide bluetooth headphones as a gift. 
17. Publicly thank employees on social media for a job well done. 

These are just a few ideas that hopefully will inspire you to give thanks to employees during the holiday season. If you have a way you show appreciation to staff each year, share it in the comments!