Giving Thanks to a Remote Team — How Comma Shows Gratitude
Pies are in the oven, the fireplace is going, and my mind has turned to the topic of the season: gratitude. But let’s be honest, gratitude is something I think about all year long — because it’s the main focus of my job.
As the Team Support Manager at Comma, my main responsibility is to foster an environment where our writers feel valued and appreciated. I’ve come to learn that when we invest in our team, our team invests in Comma.
Whether you’re a team member, manager, or somewhere in between, we all need gratitude in the workplace. Let’s explore why and how we can share gratitude with our team.
What is a Team Support Manager?
Sometimes I think I have the best job at Comma. It’s certainly not an easy job, with many moving parts and staying on top of details, but it’s one that fulfills me.
So, what do I do?
I support Comma’s president in creating and maintaining Comma culture.
I recruit, hire, and onboard new writers and Managing Editors.
I get to be a cheerleader and advocate for our writers.
As a team-facing member of the leadership team, I have the opportunity to see the perspectives and needs of both parties. If my time as Team Support Manager has taught me anything, it’s that, regardless of our position, to do our best work, we all need to feel and give gratitude.
Why Gratitude Matters in Every Work Environment
Showing gratitude is a big deal to Comma. Comma’s founder, Crystalee Beck, conducted an award-winning, internationally published study on gratitude in the workplace. As a result of her study of 883 full-time employees, she found that the majority of workers prefer 1:1 gratitude from their boss even over monetary bonuses.
Crystalee also learned there can be “dark sides” or net-negative impacts of thanking employees if managers are not timely, sincere, and personal with their communication. She’s spoken at international and national conferences on the topic, helping business leaders see how their team perceives their gratitude (or lack thereof). I am a personal witness that Crystalee practices what she preaches.
In an interview with Revunit, Crystalee explained, “Most people don’t leave their job, they leave their manager.” She goes on to describe that leaders who give genuine praise to their team yield happier and more productive team members. Workers who feel respected are more likely to stick around.
We’re intentional about thanking our team at Comma, and these little touches impact business performance. From sharing profit through on-time bonuses and spontaneous thank you cards to weekly peer-recognition prompts in our internal communication hub (we’re Basecampers!), we try to inject gratitude into all communication with our team. Saying “thank you” is free. Giving and receiving gratitude is a win-win situation for everyone.
Best Practices to Show Gratitude with a Remote Team
Showing gratitude goes beyond the words “thank you.” A huge part of gratitude is helping people feel appreciated and valued. In my interviews with our team recently, I was pleased to hear from a Comma team member that they felt “heard, seen, and acknowledged.” It’s worth mentioning that since our founding in 2016, Comma has been 100% remote.
We had practice pre-pandemic in creating connections (which we call “Comma-unity) without physically seeing each other. How can someone feel a sense of belonging without being in the same building with their team? That sense of belonging is made possible by these key practices of gratitude:
Spotlight Team Members
We want each of our writers to have the chance to show off the unique qualities and quirks that define them. Each new writer is invited to complete a survey with questions about their hobbies and areas of expertise, along with fun get-to-know-you questions like, “What song would you sing at a karaoke night?”
Every couple of weeks I share a different team member’s response to the “spotlight” survey on our team message board. The best part of the spotlight is reading comments from team members about how much they like and appreciate the person being spotlighted. We can make so many connections when we take a minute to accentuate the good in each other.
Invite Team to Highlight Each Other’s Wins
It’s nice to have an individual share a compliment or praise with you personally, but receiving that feedback in the presence of others seems to give an extra boost.
We use the Automatic Check-Ins feature on our team’s Basecamp platform to invite team members to share a compliment, success story, or general positive feedback for a team member. These posts are viewed by our whole team and are often followed by (digital) high-fives and kind remarks from others.
Acknowledge Birthdays and Work Anniversaries
We enjoy any occasion to celebrate at Team Comma. (Our team throws a business birthday party each year! See pictures and video recap from 2022.) We especially love celebrating the lives (and births) of our talented team members! Each team member receives a handwritten birthday card from us, along with a special birthday post on Basecamp so our whole team can share birthday greetings.
Work anniversaries are also important to acknowledge. Each year a team member spends with Comma is a gift to our satisfied clients and us. So, why not give a gift to our team members on their “Comma-versary?” We send a note and gift to our team members on the anniversary of their start date with us. Some of these gifts include
Comma swag (e.g., sweatshirt, water bottle)
a surprise box from Care Crates
the Bucket List Grant
Put Life First
Comma is a life-first company. What does that mean? We want each team member to live their best life and help make that possible. During onboarding, our new writers create a bucket list with 50 items they would like to accomplish in their lifetime. After a team member has worked with Comma for three years, they are eligible to receive the Bucket List Grant — a $1,000 check to fund one of their life goals. We’re talking about swimming with dolphins, seeing Broadway plays, building a dream treehouse – you get the picture.
In addition to our check for Kurandza to send girls to school through our Comma Cares program, bucket list grant checks are one of our favorite checks to write the whole year. It is fun to see team members mark items off their bucket lists, like traveling to a new place, revamping a home office, or getting equipped with a travel trailer for lifelong adventures.
Conduct Regular 1:1s and Simply Listen
Holding interviews with Comma writers is possibly my favorite part of my job. During these 1:1 calls, I get to know our writers better, see how they feel about their Comma experience, and ask for feedback on how we can improve as a company. I’ve found our team is the best source of knowledge as we strive to enhance the way we work. For example, after I learned there was variance in how our teams assigned and collaborated on projects, we standardized those processes. Now all of our internal communication on projects takes place in Basecamp.
Why I Give Thanks For Comma
It’s always easier to express gratitude to those whose actions merit thanks. With a team full of talented and supportive writers, I have a lot to be grateful for.
A leadership team that cares. I wish our writers could be a fly on the wall during our weekly leadership meetings. If they could, they would witness the immense time and care that Comma leadership puts into creating a happy, healthy environment for all to thrive. We look at all of our team members’ names each week and talk through ways to ensure they’re getting the most from their Comma experience. I treasure working with leaders I want to follow.
Writers who genuinely want to be here. During our hiring process, we seek writers who leave their egos at the door and are passionate about writing. It’s so refreshing to rub shoulders with team members who own their work and show humility when feedback is given.
I learn something new from our team every day. There is no set mold that our writers have to fit. We work with writers with diverse backgrounds and experiences. With that diversity and inclusivity come so many opportunities to learn from each other.
Life is just better with Comma. My experience with Comma has made me a better writer, researcher, wife, and mother. I may have been hired to support others, but I feel privileged to feel supported too.
I have my share of praise to give my team members, but I’m not alone. Learn what our amazing clients have to say about Team Comma.
Looking to join a team that appreciates you and your work? Check out our Careers page. We’re always open to applications from talented B2B and B2C writers. And by the way, thanks for reading!