How To Write A Thank You Note To A Colleague (With Examples)

Thank-you notes should be personalized and specify exactly what it is you’re grateful for. Working with others means that you’ll end up receiving help on projects, career advancement, and building professional skills. Any of these instances would be an excellent time to send the person who helped you a thank-you note.

Making sure to thank others who help you is a great way to build connections, positive relationships, and is the polite and thoughtful thing to do. It’s important to go about writing a thank-you note in the right way so that it doesn’t seem stilted or inauthentic, and this article will help you to hit that sweet spot.

Key Takeaways:

• Writing a thank you note to a colleague will show your appreciation and help build a better relationship with them.

• Make sure that you tell them what you are thankful for to make your appreciation clearer.

• You can send a thank you letter to a colleague when someone mentors or trains you, or when someone recommends you for a promotion.

How to write a thank you note to a colleague

Thank you letters should be authentic, professional, and specific. While there’s no single way to write an appreciation letter to a coworker, there are still recommended guidelines to follow. Here are some things to keep in mind as you write the draft of your letter.

1. Pick a suitable format. It can be an email, an instant message, a written letter, or even a card. The circumstance matters, of course — an IM or a card would be shorter and less formal, while a written letter or email can accommodate a longer thank you message.

2. Identify the person by name. That makes it abundantly clear that the note is addressed to the recipient, as well as showing that you remember who they are. A message with no heading or salutation can be confusing (with the possible exception of an instant message), and is definitely less formal.

3. Tell them what you’re thankful for. It’s important to specific in your thanks. You don’t need to go into excessive detail, and sometimes more generic thanks can be warranted. However, if they helped you with a project, say that you appreciate their help with the project — and specifically what they did.

   Not only does this make it clear to them exactly what they did that was helpful, but it shows attentiveness on your side. It means that you’re aware of what they did and how much time they spent on it. That makes the thanks feel more genuine.

4. Compliment their talents. It’s a good idea to mention how your colleague’s specific talents helped you complete your project. If they helped you edit a report, you could specifically note that their expert editing skills helped you wow your boss.

5. Mention any feedback. Sometimes the projects you collaborate with your teammates on get reviewed by supervisors or management. If you get any positive feedback from their review that involves your friend’s work, definitely mention it in your letter.

6. Look forward to the future. If you enjoyed working with your colleague, you could mention that you’re excited to work together again in the future. It will clarify that you appreciated their work and are willing to work with them again in the future.

7. Offer your help. Collaboration isn’t a one-way street, and you should offer your help to your co-worker in your appreciation letter. It’s a way to pay them back for their support, and it creates an opportunity to work with them again.

8. Make it personal. Don’t be afraid to include personal details or mention specifics about your relationship. Go ahead and say you’re happy you finally had the chance to work with this person if you’ve never worked with them before.

9. Use a handwritten signature. If you can, include your handwritten signature instead of just an email sign off or your name. It will make the letter more personal, which is precisely what you want for an appreciation note.

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Example thank you notes

Now that you know the basics, let’s take a look at some examples of appreciation letters. We’ve drafted templates for written letters and email notes so you can see both in use.

1. Appreciation letter 1

   Dear Sam,

   Thank you for all of your help in completing the annual budget report. I would’ve never gotten it done without your support, and I’m so grateful for all that you did.

   Your spreadsheet skills were impressive, and I appreciate you taking the time to help me figure out the data processing and your willingness to teach me along the way. The supervisor board was very pleased with the data analysis and particularly liked the pie chart that you made.

   I really appreciate your help with this project, and I look forward to working with you again in the future. If you ever need a helping hand, I’m here whenever you need me.

   With gratitude,
   Jane (signature)

2. Appreciation letter 2

   Dear Christie,

   I would like to formally thank you for your help and support as we restructured our department over the past month. We couldn’t have done it without your expertise and valuable opinions.

   I’ve never seen someone handle so many moving parts so easily and keep organized. You made the process extremely smooth, and I know it would’ve taken so much longer without your help. I especially appreciate your communication with the weekly updates and your collaboration with everyone in the department to make sure they understood the changes. Our department head, Deborah, even noted your ability to smooth this transition for us.

   Thank you again for your hard work. If you ever need anything from me, please don’t hesitate to ask.

   Kind regards,
   Jim

3. Appreciation email 1

   Hi all,

   I’d like to thank you all for your work on our most recent marketing campaign. It truly took all of you to bring it to fruition, and I’m already impressed by the results that we’re seeing. Without all of your late nights, early mornings, and dedication, we would’ve never gotten this campaign off the ground.

   I appreciate everyone’s work, and I have let our directors know how amazing everyone was on this project. I speak for myself and them when I say huge thanks to the whole team.

   I’d also like to recognize Susan for her great creative thinking in solving the data tracking problem, as well as Bill for his beautiful content creation. Our campaign wouldn’t be successful without the effort they put in, and of course, the support you all gave them in bringing their ideas to life.

   Thank you for your hard work, and I look forward to working with this team again soon.

   Best,
   Peter

4. Appreciation email 2

   Dear James,

   Thank you for all of your contributions to our new blog launch. Both my supervisor and I greatly appreciate your creative thinking and expert writing skills.

   You had some wonderful ideas for content, and I really appreciate how you acted on them immediately with pitches and outlines. Your motivation is truly impressive.

   If I can ever help you, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I’d be more than happy to lend a helping hand whenever you need it. Thank you again for your hard work.

   Best regards,
   Kim

Why send a thank you note to a colleague?

Showing appreciation to colleagues is extremely important and an excellent way to build workplace relationships. A bit of recognition can go a long way in ensuring that your coworkers will be willing to work with you again, as well as gaining you as a reputation of someone who’s a good collaborator.

A lack of appreciation can make employees feel undervalued and unappreciated, which can lead to low productivity. On an individual level, if you don’t show gratitude when someone helps you out, they’ll be far less inclined to help in the future, making your job harder. After all, who would want to work with someone who never says thank you?

When to say thank you to a coworker

Make sure to send a thank you when you’ve worked directly with a coworker, a colleague does you a favor, you’re given a gift, or if a goal is met — or exceeded. While you don’t want to send out so many thank you notes that it becomes trite, there are several situations that call for one.

Here are some appropriate times to send out an appreciation letter:

1. When you’re working on a project one-on-one with someone. If you work closely with someone on a project, you should consider sending a quick appreciation note to that person once you’re finished.

   It doesn’t need to be long: You can simply thank them for their help or guidance and let them know that you enjoyed working with them.

2. When your team reaches a goal or finishes a project. If you’re working on a team, you can send out a group letter or email to thank everyone for their help in reaching your goal.

   You can include specific shout outs here, like thanking your team leader for their guidance. You could also just note that you appreciate everyone going above and beyond to meet your deadline, or whatever you’re thanking them for.

3. When someone mentors or trains you. If someone takes the time to train you on new software or mentor you, you should send an appreciation letter, especially when you’re a new employee.

   Writing a thank you note will show that you learned from them and appreciate their time and mentorship. It’ll also make them thankful that the company hired a thoughtful new employee.

4. When someone recommends you for a promotion. When someone writes you a letter of recommendation or otherwise assists you with getting a new job, promotion, or even a raise, it’s appropriate to write a thank you note.

   It doesn’t need to be long, but taking the time to express your gratitude is a gracious thing to do and will strengthen that relationship.

5. When someone gives you a gift. This may seem like a no-brainer, but it’s easy to forget that you should write your coworkers a thank you note after they give you a gift or throw you a party.

6. When you’re leaving your position. When you leave your coworkers for a new job, consider writing them thank you notes to express your appreciation for your time together. You can thank them for their friendship, their hard work, and how they impacted your career, and ask them to keep in touch.

7. When a coworker is leaving or retiring. Similarly, when someone else leaves the company or your department, you might want to write them a quick note thanking them for their work and letting them know that they will be missed.

Thank you note FAQs

1. How do you express gratitude to colleagues?

   You express gratitude to colleagues by writing a thank you note. You can do this via email or handwritten note and send it to a group of people or an individual. Whatever method you choose though, taking the time to formally say thank you for specific things you appreciate is a good habit to get into.

2. How do you write a thank you letter to a colleague?

   You write a thank you letter to a colleague by sending an email or handwritten note that specifies what you appreciate about them or their work. Your thank you letter doesn’t need to be very long or flowery, but it does need to be specific.

   Name exactly what you’re thanking the person for, and if you can, share the positive results of their actions with them.

   Close with a note about how you hope to work together again and that you’d love to return the favor at some point, and sign your name. Then you can send the email or deliver the note, and your work is done.

3. How do you say thank you professionally?

   You say thank you professionally by writing a thank you note or email. In that note or email, you can include phrases such as, “Thank you for your meticulous work,” “I truly enjoyed working with you,” and “I deeply appreciate you taking the time to help me learn our new software.”

   Being specific and personal while still professional is key to saying thank you to a colleague. You should also make sure you send your note within a week of the project ending to make sure the recipient knows you appreciate them.

4. What are some fun ways to say thank you to coworkers?

   Fun ways to thank coworkers can include throwing a party, giving them a gift they like, or bringing them something you’ve made. In general, however, unless you know your coworkers really well, being more conservative and writing a note is often the best way to go.

   If they’re your employees or direct reports, then in most cases employees would prefer some sort of monetary thanks rather than something too creative. But gift cards, having a celebratory dinner, or gift bags are usually welcome.

5. How do you write a thank you note to a group of coworkers?

   When writing to a group of coworkers, email is likely the best way to go. Often this is the case when thanking a group for finishing a project, which means that sending out a group email is usually ideal. You can also write individual letters to each coworker, which would be the most personal way to thank each of them.

   The basic format of a thank you note doesn’t change even if it is to a group, though you can also make references to specific people who truly went above and beyond. Just make sure you don’t only leave one or two people out — that’ll feel personal.

References

1. Harvard Business Review – How to Write a Meaningful Thank You Note

2. HR Cloud – The 40 Best Thank You Messages for Colleagues

3. Chapman University — Why Thank You Notes Matter

Author

Amanda Covaleski

Amanda is a writer with experience in various industries, including travel, real estate, and career advice. After taking on internships and entry-level jobs, she is familiar with the job search process and landing that crucial first job. Included in her experience is work at an employer/intern matching startup where she marketed an intern database to employers and supported college interns looking for work experience.