Easily Celebrate Thanksgiving at Work

Posted on October 14th, 2022 by Alicia Alexander

Thanksgiving at work can be made special!

Photo by Brian Penny on Unsplash

Millions of Americans will work on Thanksgiving.

Will employees at your company be spending Thanksgiving at work? If so, bring the gratitude (and treats) and make it a workplace celebration they’ll appreciate!

Spending the holiday at work isn’t where most of us want to be for this traditional at-home celebration. But with the right attitude and activities, sharing Thanksgiving at work with colleagues is an opportunity to highlight workplace gratitude and celebrate your work family.

If your company has employees spending Thanksgiving at work or in the office, now’s your chance to plan ahead and make it a celebration of success, teamwork and gratitude! Consider providing a meal, gift certificates, thank you notes and a positive environment full of appreciation.

Make Gratitude Your #1 Priority for Thanksgiving at Work

“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.” — William Arthur Ward

Employees in retail, law enforcement, health care, travel, utilities, freight, news and other industries all keep working through the holidays. And although they’re not alone, it’s crucial to let each employee know how much you appreciate their dedication and hard work by coming in on a holiday.

Whatever else you do to celebrate Thanksgiving at work — gifts, a communal potluck, or a catered turkey feast — gratitude comes first. A Thanksgiving at work gift or activity shared without gratitude is apt to feel shallow and impersonal.

Clearly expressed appreciation from company leadership is key. Employees will notice if managers and other leaders are truly appreciative of their sacrifice to work on a holiday.

A note of gratitude from the company CEO can make all the difference — and it doesn’t have to be big production. A simple acknowledgement and “thank you” is the right place to start. If budget allows, a gift or complimentary Thanksgiving at work meal is a great way to reinforce this message of gratitude.

Learn How to Write Your Own Thanksgiving Letter to Employees

Employees crave gratitude every day, but especially on Thanksgiving. Sadly, many leaders still subscribe to outdated ideas about employee recognition, such as a paycheck being “thanks enough.”

Yet studies show people love feeling grateful and love hearing appreciation from others. Leaders just need to pave the way by modeling gratitude first!

Grateful leadership has a ripple effect on employee engagement, inspiring better morale, higher quality and lower turnover. And one of the simplest ways you can become a more grateful leader is through a Thanksgiving letter to employees.

Our eBook guides you through the process. You’ll learn:

The business case for sharing a Thanksgiving “Thank You”
Real-life examples of memorable Thanksgiving letters from bosses in a variety of industries.
Best practices for thanking employees and ideas for brainstorming your own unique approach.
Tips on how to share your Thanksgiving letter.

This free eBook is for you — whether you’re an HR manager in charge of employee holiday gifts, a C-suite executive seeking practical advice for a company-wide Thanksgiving mailing, or a location manager who wants to hand-write individual thank you cards to the whole team.
Why wait? Download your free copy now!