By: Marlene Cosain

Often times, HR blogs are written with the intent of helping HR managers better understand and appreciate their team.  Leadership is all about lifting your team’s mood, appreciating them, adding value to them, and developing other leaders. While this is a crucial component to creating a positive atmosphere, let’s flip the script. How do you show signs of appreciation to your boss?

While looking in from the outside, we may not realize how much work our bosses really do. From creating a friendly and productive work environment to making sure everything is running smoothly, our bosses handle many tasks on a daily basis.  A successful team works together to get work done through multiple different fronts. Everyone plays an instrumental part. Just like you may go above and beyond to pull your side of the weight, your boss is handling their side as well. Acknowledgment goes a long way because hardly ever is your boss just sitting in their office enjoying the day. Much stress, busyness, projects and phone calls may be going on behind closed doors, and it is important to see that. Although there are multiple ways to show your appreciation and bring a smile to their face, here are a couple of ways of appreciating your boss without having to necessarily buy a gift.

Say thank you by…

Offering to help

Many times I run into people who stay secluded to their job title and job description.  When asked to do something, under their breath you can hear, “that’s not my job,” mumbled.  This is probably one of the worst attitudes to have because when push comes to shove, you should have the heart of helping out as best as you can. Whether you’re picking up a shift, picking up someone else’s load who is out sick or participating on a project, offering a helping hand is always the way to go. It shows your support and alleviates the burden off of your manager’s or boss’s shoulders. Management will not only appreciate your thoughtfulness but remember it.

Say thank you… and mean it

Believe it or not, after having a discussion with a handful of business owners, the words “thank you” don’t come around as often as we imagine.  Sometimes the occasional slip up happens, you’re late to work and your boss decides to not dock you for it. Let them know that you are thankful for giving you that extra time off or anything you appreciate about them in general. Your words mean a lot, and everyone likes to feel appreciated, so when you are sincere about the value they added to you, your “thank you,” can go a long way.

Appreciation goes both ways. It’s important for teams to realize that one cannot function without the other. Employees are the gasoline that fuels a car and keeps everything running smoothly. Your boss is the navigation system that guides the team into the right direction.