Sample Thank You Emails to Send to Employees and Coworkers

Templates to Guide You As You Develop Your Own Letters

This illustration list different types of thank you emails including "For running a meeting," "For a job well done," For filling in for a coworker," and "For a training session."

 Kelly Miller © The Balance
By
Susan M. Heathfield
Susan M. Heathfield

Susan Heathfield is an HR and management consultant with an MS degree. She has decades of experience writing about human resources.

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Updated on 01/06/21

Thank you, emails don't have to be lengthy and involved. They just need to follow the guidelines for effective employee recognition so that they have maximum impact for the time you invested in writing them. Quick emails that thank an employee, coworker, or manager are treasured and show your respect to the recipient. Following are several sample emails that you can use as templates as you tailor these thank you emails to meet your own needs in your organization.

Quick Thank You Emails

Following a Training

In this email, the employee is thanking his supervisor for the opportunity to attend a training session.

Example Thank You Following a Training (Text Only)

Hi Margaret,

Just a quick note to thank you for the opportunity to attend the training session on dealing with conflict in the workplace. As a conflict-averse person, I thought the training would help sharpen my conflict resolution skills, and it did. 

I'll have to see how well what I learned will transfer back to the job, but I'm confident the training provided me with a lot of insight and necessary tools. Without your support, I would not have been able to attend.

Many thanks,

Dan 

Everyday Job Done Well

In this thank you email, please note that the manager is specific about what she is thanking Tom for doing.

Example Everyday Job Done Well Letter (Text Only)

Dear Tom,

Just wanted you to know that I thought you did a terrific job updating the customer service database. Now that we have returning callers identified, we are building those necessary relationships with customers. It is far better than treating return customers as if we don't know who they are. Again, bravo Tom, for a job well done. We really appreciate your efforts—as do the customers.

Thank you.

Tricia

From a Supervisor for Filling in for a Coworker

This email thanks Marty for his help providing coverage while (department head) Julia was on leave and mentions positive outcomes from the coverage. It also passes the baton back to Julia beginning the day she returns to work.

Filling in for a Coworker Thank You Example (Text Only)

Hi Marty,

Thank you for covering for Julia while she was out on maternity leave. Her staff appreciated that they had you to go to for questions and support. The staff feedback was that they got some new ideas from your sales group's approach to identifying potential customers.

Now that Julia is returning from leave, I hope that you spend a few days with her to update her about anything important that occurred during the past twelve weeks. She'll be returning next Monday and working part-time for the first few weeks, but her staff will report to her beginning Monday when she returns.

I trust that you will make this transition as smooth for everyone as you did when you took over Julia's staff leadership role during her absence. Again, I can't express how much the organization appreciates your efforts on our behalf.

Best,

Brian

Reward Thank You

This thank you email specifically notes several contributions that Paula made. Most importantly, it rewards Paula with a day off.

Example Reward Thank You Letter (Text Only)

Hello Paula,

Thanks for your help in hosting our first-ever weekend training sessions. Without our staff volunteers, the training department would never have been able to pull off such a great event for our customers and friends.

You were one of the volunteers who took registrations in the morning and stayed late to clean up after dinner. On top of that, you participated in the sessions. I hope you enjoyed the weekend and took away some valuable training points. 

It's tough to tell busy, dedicated employees to skip work, but if you'd like to take a day off to recuperate this week, please do, at no charge to your PTO bank. A much-deserved day off will give you the chance to get all those weekend errands done that you couldn't get to because of work.

Once again, my sincere thanks. We could not have pulled this off without you.

Best Regards,

Sharon

From a Coworker

This is a casual note and a good example of the kind of thank you letters that coworkers are encouraged to send to each other. 

Example Thank You From a Coworker (Text Only)

Hi Larry,

Once again, a great time was had by all at the ballgame. I can't believe that you have the energy to set up this event for 100 people each year. Just arranging a date, securing tickets for everyone, and renting buses for the game is mind-boggling.

I promise I will continue to attend every year as long as it is such great fun. It also helps that you do the work, so I don't have to (haha).

Again, Larry, thank you for another great company outing. I hope you feel the love from enough of us that you decide to put the trip together again next year. 

Dave

For Running a Meeting

This note comes from either the manager of the team or a coworker who is the team leader. It's a good example of the type of note that probably made Beth's day.

Example Thank You For Running a Meeting (Text Only)

Dear Beth,

I can't tell you how much I appreciate you filling in for me at today's marketing meeting. The group could not afford to lose a week if we plan to have the campaign ready for launch next month. The product appears to be on schedule, which makes our timely preparation even more critical.

I can't believe that my daycare closed because of the weather on the day of the most important meeting this month. But, thanks to you, we are still on target. I also appreciate the minutes that Cheryl forwarded to me. It looks like you had a most productive meeting and the notes kept me in the loop.

Once again, thank you, Beth, for jumping in at the last minute and doing such a great job.

Sincerely,

Stephanie

Conclusion

Thank you, emails don't require a lot of effort or time, but they are appreciated by employees and coworkers. Whenever possible, create a work culture that encourages people to thank employees more often—not less. The written recognition of a thank you email, no matter how brief, is something that is cherished and remembered.

Sample Employee Thank You and Recognition Letters

You may also like to read some of these, other, thank you letter examples.