Have you said “thank you” today?

My massage therapist recently let me know she’s changing careers. She’s going to become a city bus driver. That’s quite the change for a woman in her 40s—from heated tables, quiet waterfall music, and lavender-scented oils to the driver’s seat of a city bus that weighs at least 20,000 pounds!

After talking with her regarding the decision to switch careers, it was clear that there were various issues are at the root of the career change. As someone who writes about the people side of the business, there was one that was very disappointing.

This massage therapist has been at the same spa for 10.5 years. She’s never received any recognition or appreciation from the owner.

Sigh. That’s not okay.

Why would I mention this in a LinkedIn article?

For those of us working in HR or the HR marketplace, we must be leaders in demonstrating how easy it is to show appreciation—for our employees, our colleagues, and our clients.

Appreciation breeds appreciation.

This year Employee Appreciation Day is Friday, March 2. Make sure you have a plan to appreciate and recognize your employees. Share this date with your colleagues, clients, friends and family so they can plan, too.

(Not sure how to demonstrate appreciation? Start with these five questions.)

One person at a time, my hope is that together we can make sure no one goes 10.5 years without recognition and appreciation for a job well done.

And before I sign off: thank you for reading this post. I appreciate it.