Why The Simplest “Thank You” Can Change Your Culture - Our Highlights From DisruptHR Glasgow
In June we joined a room full of people who care deeply about people at DisruptHR Glasgow. Ten punchy talks in one evening, lively debate and real stories you can take back to your team the next morning. I had the privilege of sharing a 5-minute talk on something very simple that too many organisations overlook - the power of a genuine thank you. I left the event with a head full of ideas.
👉 Watch my talk: The Power of Appreciation: Don’t Forget the Basics
If you missed the event, Hunter Adams pulled together a great summary with the full speaker lineup and links to every talk. You can read it here: DisruptHR Glasgow 2025 - event summary.
Nailing the basics sets the tone
During my talk, I took the opportunity to talk about something that is very dear to me: how recognition programmes often get wrapped in complexity. Points, badges, leaderboards. None of it matters if people don’t feel seen. Your culture is shaped by the everyday cues your team receives - do their efforts get noticed, do managers say thank you when it counts, do colleagues lift each other up when someone has a win or hits a rough patch. A simple thank you says I see you and you matter. That feeling sticks. It invites people to bring more of their best at work.
So my advice is: Start with the basics and do them consistently. A specific thank you builds trust. Trust feels like safety - the soil where great work grows. It makes people more open to share information, to try new ideas and to recover faster from setbacks. Those are performance multipliers.
I presented two snapshots – both represent Jane's experience
Company A - perks over appreciation
Jane joins with a great salary, strong career path, two bonuses and comprehensive benefits. It looks perfect. But the focus is always on what goes wrong. Wins go unnoticed which causes her enthusiasm to fade. It’s simple - she doesn’t feel recognised.
Company B - appreciation over perks
Similar salary, no shiny extras. But Jane’s ideas are heard and considered. She gets support and feels valued. She hears feedback like, “You were super prepared in that meeting,” and “I saw the extra work you put in.” She feels seen - and her best self starts showing up.
Have a think to yourself – which workplace would you chose?
Here is what we advise our clients start with tomorrow:
Open meetings with recognition
Kick off by acknowledging a specific individual contribution - for example, “I want to start by recognising Jane for going above and beyond on the report.” It sets the tone and it’s contagious.Celebrate the effort, not only the outcome
Call out the long hours, the prep and the dedication. Recognising the process keeps motivation high on long projects.Create peer-to-peer moments
Encourage teammates to recognise each other. Trust is built in the spaces between people and peer recognition often lands stronger than top-down praise.Send simple thank-you notes
A quick, genuine message shows you care. Small gesture, big impact.Keep it spontaneous
Let appreciation show up when people least expect it - not just at big milestones. That’s when it feels real.
For the number-minded
I know many of our clients face the push back from their numbers driven team so I provided a few stats to help them along the way:
It costs roughly 6 to 9 months of salary to replace an employee - for a £40,000 salary that’s around £30,000 per leaver.
And employees who feel appreciated are 36% more productive. Appreciation is a practical lever for performance and cost.
Measure what matters
Some of us feel we’ve already got this nailed - but without measuring it, how do you know you’re doing enough? Track appreciation. It doesn’t have to be complex - a light-touch survey or a simple appreciation platform keeps you focused on the basics and shows where the habit is strong or slipping.
If you are looking for a simple assessment, then take a look at our 2-minute Appreciation quiz. Once completing it, you will get a jam-packed Appreciation playbook with practical advice.
👉 Take our Appreciation quiz
Gratitude isn’t fluffy - it’s how you move faster
If you want higher engagement, lower attrition and sharper execution, don’t start with a new perk. Start with the basics. Build a rhythm of genuine thanks and watch how trust, information flow and problem solving improve.
We’re grateful to Hunter Adams for hosting a brilliant evening, to the speakers who shared openly and to everyone who stopped for a chat.
Ready to see appreciation in action
If you want to make appreciation a daily habit across teams and locations, book a quick demo with our team. We will show you how Thankbox helps you build the rhythm of genuine thanks that moves performance.
