How to Send a Message of Gratitude to Your Employees This Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is all about sharing and giving thanks—to your friends and family, your loved ones, and also to your employees! After all, they serve your customers and make your company run smoothly and efficiently every day. 

Employees who are appreciated regularly are more engaged. Harvard Business Review research found that leaders who were rated in the bottom 10% for providing recognition had employees at the 27th percentile on engagement, while leaders in the top 10% had employees at the 69th percentile. Plus, sharing a warm holiday message of gratitude is a great way to increase the frequency of recognition for your team and boost engagement!

From interactive virtual games to heartwarming messages, Cooleaf helps you foster a sense of togetherness during the holiday season.

Expressing gratitude for a job well done should happen all year round—it’s not only for the holiday season, of course. Thanksgiving Day, however, is a great time to add in some recognition and appreciation opportunities since it’s a whole holiday based on gratitude. 

But as the Thanksgiving season approaches, you might find yourself at a loss for exactly what to say in your Thanksgiving message to employees. It can be hard to be authentic, creative, and appreciative all in the same message (especially at a busy time of year). To help you out, we’ve created a list of happy Thanksgiving messages you can deliver to employees in person or remotely to wish them a happy holiday. 

These messages are just a starting point so feel free to adjust them as you see fit—after all, recognition and appreciation mean more when they’re specific and personal!  But they will give you a template to begin with so you can come up with the perfect, personal message. 

10 Great Thanksgiving Messages for Employees

1. Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on what we’re grateful for — and this year, that’s you! Your contributions and positive attitude make the team work more smoothly and happily together, and we couldn’t have gotten the great results we did this year without you. 

2. Happy Thanksgiving to a wonderful employee and person. Your hard work, dedication, and sense of humor have helped our team through a busy time, which is why you’re such a great team player. I hope you have a restful, relaxing Thanksgiving holiday with your loved ones. 

3. It’s a great pleasure to work with wonderful people like you every day. Warm wishes from [company name] — we couldn’t do it without you. Have a fantastic Thanksgiving! 

4. Thanksgiving is a great holiday, and you’re a great addition to the team! Your drive to do excellent work, calm attitude, and expert Excel skills have been an essential part of our department’s success this year, and we can’t wait to see what you accomplish in the coming year. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

5. Very happy Thanksgiving wishes to all of our employees! In this season of gratitude, we’re grateful for your hard work, high standards, and everything you do each day to help our company delight and help our customers. Have a great holiday! 

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6. Before the day we give thanks, I wanted to express my gratitude for everything you do at work. With a ready smile, you tackle our most complex customer problems and find the best solution to keep them happy. I hope you have a great Thanksgiving! 

7. On behalf of the management team at [company name], I wish all of you a joyous Thanksgiving! Our company is successful because of the wonderful people who come into work every day committed to their roles, their teams, and our customers. May this be the start of a very happy holiday season! 

8. Wishing a happy Thanksgiving to an incredible employee! Your positive energy, work ethic, and deep curiosity make our workplace brighter every day, not to mention your recent work on a vital project that is ensuring our future success. Have a wonderful holiday!

9. This holiday season, we wanted to express our gratitude for the tireless work and dedication of the whole team. Each team member has been an integral part of our success this year, and we’re so grateful to have you all as a part of the team. Have a very happy Thanksgiving full of good food and loved ones! 

10. Today, I’m giving thanks for you! You’re a thoughtful, cheerful, creative employee who brings your expertise and curiosity to every work project. I hope you have a fun, restful Thanksgiving holiday filled with all your favorite foods and some well-earned relaxation. 

How to Deliver a Message of Gratitude to Employees 

Want your Thanksgiving message to have the maximum impact on engagement and truly delight them? Here’s how to make your Thanksgiving greetings even more special!

Sending best wishes for Thanksgiving via email is certainly the fastest choice, and it’s much better than not sending anything at all. But if you have the opportunity to send hand-written notes, those are extra-meaningful to employees. It shows the extra time and thought you put into the message, and gives employees a tangible reminder of how valued they are. They can even look back on the note later—many people have treasured lovely notes like that for years. 

You can also combine a message with a thoughtful Thanksgiving gift or a team-building gift. While a lot of gift-giving in the workplace traditionally happens in December, getting ahead of the holiday crush can make the gift stand out even more. And if you’ve just come out of a busy year, or are heading into a packed holiday season in the office, a heartfelt message with a gift attached can boost morale and stave off burnout. 

And you can think of additional ways to celebrate Thanksgiving and share a spirit of gratitude with your employees through team bonding activities too. Deliver a catered lunch or delicious holiday goodies to the office if your employees work in-person, or have a fun Zoom trivia game one afternoon for remote employees. 

You can also check out how Connexus used the Cooleaf platform to develop a remote team bonding strategy to increase engagement and retention, and get inspired for your own celebrations (their “Cards Against Normality” and “Jack-O-Lantern Challenge” are especially fun!) 

Looking for more great ideas about upcoming holidays and how to celebrate them? Cooleaf’s HR holiday calendar and DEI holiday calendar has got you covered.

Strengthen bonds, boost morale, and create lasting memories with Cooleaf. This Thanksgiving, let's connect and celebrate like never before! Learn more today.