Reporter Katherine Reynolds Lewis has written a valuable article for FORTUNE that sheds light on how employers and managers can best show appreciation for their employees – fittingly published at a time when Americans are focused on giving thanks. Lewis’ story, “The best way to give thanks at work,” is introduced with a couple lines that get to the root of where there’s disconnect and the point of the piece: “Bosses may think they’re showing gratitude to their staff, but more often than not, those thanks are not heard or believed. How to bridge the gratitude gap.”
Lewis notes that “for a thank-you to be perceived as meaningful, it should be specifically connected to the recipient, her preferences, and her accomplishments.”
To illustrate this advice, Lewis uses an example of McManus & Associates Founding Principal John O. McManus expressing his thanks in a special, individualized way for the firm’s beloved team member Elizabeth Fojtu:
…when John McManus was looking for a way to thank one of the wealth advisors at his estate and tax-planning firm for pushing through a recent deluge of work, he decided on a trip to Le Chateau Frontenac, a Quebec hotel that captures the Old World charm of Europe. The employee has children the same age as McManus’, who loved their own Canadian vacation, and she met her Europe-born husband in a similarly charming venue: Prague. “That connection had even more meaning to her,” McManus says.
To read more about what Lewis found exploring the topic of giving thanks at work, go to http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2012/11/21/the-best-way-to-give-thanks-at-work/.
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