Being thankful for colleagues on their work anniversaries

by Rick Joi Rick Joi is the founder of The Workiversary Group and author of the award‑winning book, Inspiring Work Anniversaries.

Are you aware of the benefits of gratitude and looking for a way to build it into your work-life on an ongoing basis?

Work anniversaries are a great opportunity to share meaningfully deep gratitude for your colleagues. They allow you to go deeper than you normally can without it getting weird and your colleague wondering what favor you’re about to ask for.

Too many people just type something superficial like “congrats on your work anniversary”. While that’s better than ignoring a work anniversary, it squanders a great opportunity. Not sure what to do instead? Keep reading…

How to have great work anniversary conversations

First, make it special by going out of your way to have a live conversation. If you work together in person, make sure you stop by to see them. If you and/or they work remotely, make a video call happen.

Second, here are three powerful topics to make the conversation extra special. The first two are optional and won’t make sense in all cases. The third is for everyone.

• Remind them of their wins. If their work is project based, remind them of the big projects they worked on. If their work is more operational, attempt to quantify the impact in terms of how many or how much of whatever they do that they did in the past year (you must have administered 800 vaccines! packed 2000 shipments! sent out 500 invoices! etc.)

• Remind them of interesting memorable moments the two of you shared. What did you do together for the first time in the past year? What happened that was funny? What happened that was touching?

• Share why you’re thankful they’ve been with the organization for the past year. The other two are just warm ups. This is the big one. Maybe describe how different your life would be without them. Maybe point out a special skill that they are amazing at. Maybe share the three adjectives you think of when you think of them.

How to have even greater work anniversary conversations

Want to make those conversations, and your work relationships, even more special?

Once you know the format of a great work anniversary conversation, you can actively collect material throughout the year (and maybe even take notes).

For each of the people you work closely with, you can build your relationship with them by asking yourself these questions:

• How do you connect with them on a human level? (Try to move beyond just making or responding to requests.)

• How do you support what matters most to them? (Do you even know what matters most to them?)

• When will you talk to them next? (Do you rarely talk live? Can you change that?)

• What question can you ask them about what they care about most? (Preparation make it easier to fit into the conversation.)

Can you commit to learning one new thing a month about each of your colleagues?

(This isn’t for everyone, but if you’re a nerd who this all doesn’t come naturally for, then you can create a spreadsheet with a grid of each of the people you work closely with and each month of the year.)

A small effort makes a big difference

However you do it, making connections takes a little time and initiative, but it’s well worth it.

• It helps them. Everyone wants to be seen and hear that what they’re doing is making a difference in the lives of others. Your conversation could be the highlight of their day or even their week.

• It helps you. In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness.

• It helps your organization. Strengthened interpersonal bonds increased team cohesion, trust, and something called psychological safety, all of which lead to improved team performance.

• It’s an investment in your future. You’ll find the internal network that it builds will greatly help you succeed at your current company and beyond!

Check out more work anniversary blog posts.