How Do You Respond When Your Boss Keeps Saying "Thanks"? Seeking Advice on Workplace Etiquette

Hi friends,

I just want some opinions on the behavior of my boss. He is a very professional person who hails from South Africa. In every small thing, he tells us "thanks, thanks, thanks." I can't understand if we should thank him every time when he says thanks. Is it necessary to reply to him every time he says thanks?

Regards,
Sweta

Dear Sweta Patel,

Since he is appreciative of even small things, I believe there is no need to always respond with "You are most welcome." Instead, you can simply acknowledge him with a smile.

Regards,
Alphonse 😂 😂 😂

GTE

Dear Sweta,

It is a very formal behavior which is used globally, and expression of thanks comes gradually in the normal behavior of a profession with the course of time. Usually, it is replied to by a slow chant of 'pleasure, sir' or 'most welcome'. This chanting completes the dialogue; otherwise, others feel like the talk is incomplete.

Manoj.

Hi dear,

You can end the conversation by saying things like "OK, SIR" or "YOU ARE WELCOME, SIR". Moreover, certain people have the habit of repeating certain words or phrases, so don't take things too seriously. And then they say "Thank You". Lucky girl! Many people do not have a boss who would even say "Thanks" for any task, so just cheers!

Dear Sweta,

Your boss, or for that matter, a person who has returned from South Africa, is very professional. He shows his professionalism by expressing gratitude for even the smallest things with repeated "thanks." It can sometimes be confusing to know how to respond every time he says "thanks."

When your boss expresses gratitude, the appropriate response would be to say "You're welcome." This simple acknowledgment reflects your own courtesy and appreciation in return.

Regards,
Zakir Malik
zakir.malik@suzlon.com

Hi All,

I heard in one of the BC radio networks the following conversation:

I: Thank you.
He: You are welcome.
I: My pleasure.
He: Jolly well.

Thank you,
Neiraj

Dear Sweta,

First, I appreciate the quick response from many of our friends. It shows the love and affection among the members. I would suggest one more thing, i.e., try to find out his response if somebody else tells him "Thank you"!

Sankar

Hi Sweta,

If your boss says thank you quite often, as a matter of habit more than as a matter of gratitude, in my opinion, it doesn't require a response except for a quick smile while looking up at him, and you may nod in acknowledgment. However, you could use any of the common phrases that members have suggested here when your boss says thank you for the first time or when you think some of your actions really warrant a "Thank You."

I have a feeling his responses are so conditioned that most of the time he may not even be aware of his thank yous and thus would not even notice if you don't respond with any of the common phrases.

Regards,
Ashim R Parida

Hi Sweta,

It's good that your boss says thanks; it's better than the ones who do not say anything. I don't think that with every thanks he expects a reply. It must be a polite habit from his side, which even he does not think of, but still, you can't be sure. So, to be on the safer side, do reply.

I feel "my pleasure" or such statements would not be comfortable to be used often, so make it simple by smiling and saying "welcome." You can even smile and nod if he is looking at you as he speaks. The other way around, in a possible situation where he might have helped by facilitating you in any tiny way, make sure to add the same "thanks." It must definitely be termed as basic manners to him, and he might similarly be expecting one for the most trivial helps he offers.

Sam Amose
Student of Human Resource Management
Alliance Business Academy, Bangalore

Dear Sweta Patel,

From my point of view, every person who comes from abroad, their behavior changes. In a foreign country, people tend to say "thanks" for every small thing. Therefore, you only need to say "you're welcome," nothing more. They are accustomed to this kind of language, so do not feel guilty when you do not reply. You also know how Gujarati people's behavior changes after returning from the USA. It is the same in this case, but he is your boss, which is why you are facing difficulty.

Okay, bye.

Pranav Patel

Dear Sweta,

Whenever he repeats his "Thank you," you can always say, "You're welcome." This way, he may realize that he says thank you too often. Another option is to simply ignore and delete the excessive gratitude.

Regards,
Vijaya

Hi,

In the professional world, this happens only at an international level. Even my ex-boss was the same. Whenever he used to say "Thank you" to me, I used to say, "No problem, Anurag" (as he told me to call him by his name). It's all part of my job. Or "You are most welcome."

You know, guys, this is what I like about them - that they appreciate what you do and make you realize that you are important to the company, unlike other bosses who don't even know that you exist in the company. 😊

Cheers,
Nidhi (HR Executive)

Mita,

You can make a small presentation about your company and requirements. Give the presentation on campus; since you will be visiting the campus, your requirements will be for freshers. You can also ask colleagues to provide you with a list of students along with their grades, and then you can shortlist from there. Furthermore, you can conduct a written test followed by a personal interview or group discussion after shortlisting from the process. You can finalize the selection at the campus or ask the candidates to come to your office for the finalization.

Just say:

Pleasure, Sir, or "my pleasure" every time he says thanks! This makes the communication complete and is apt for soft skills. Being the Head HR, even I say thanks every time.

Thanks,

We have a film, a PPT, and also a test. I am doing as you have advised. I have to document a campus recruitment process for the organization's internal usage (a module and a total process). They want to have a defined process that must be understood by fresh joiners in the campus recruitment team of our organization. I think they want a ready-made process that can be understood by anybody at any time; on the one hand, and on the other hand, if anyone leaves the organization, the campus recruitment should not suffer. We are in the telecom industry and visit T-schools and B-schools.

Hope someone can help me.

Thanks,
Mita

Hi, Sewta,

Since he is saying thanks for small things, I think you need not always say "You are most welcome," but you can just smile at him.

Regards,
Kaushalendra

Yes, you must reply at all times to thanks. There are many ways of replying to "thanks" or "thank you." The easy and efficient ones are:

1. "You're welcome" or "You are most welcome."
2. "My pleasure" or "The pleasure's mine."

Hope this helps.

Much Love, AL

Hi,

I liked your post a lot because this post isn't about a problem or seeking something, but on how to be courteous to your boss. I would suggest that next time when he says thank you, tell him "pass it on." Initially, he's not going to ask what you meant, but after you say the same twice, he's going to ask what you mean by the phrase. At that time, tell him, "What I am doing is my work, and I don't feel the need to be thanked very often, but if you liked my work, then I would like you to pass on my good work by helping someone else also perform better." You will, this way, stand out from the crowd.

Thank you,
Octavious

Hi Sweta,

I hope you now have an idea of how to respond when your boss says "Thank you." You can reply with "You are welcome," "It is my pleasure," "It is a pleasure indeed," "Please don't mention that," "I am just doing my job"... If your boss keeps repeating "thank you," a gentle smile can suffice.

Please let me know if you need any more assistance.

Hi,

I think your boss is very professional and would like to keep it going. If he says "Thanks" through email, I think once you can reply telling "It is my pleasure" or "Welcome" based on the context. But if the thanks are verbal, then a mere "It is my pleasure" or "You are most welcome" will do.

Hope this will do!

Regards,
Mary

Hi,

I hope this reply from Sankar will work out. Please let us know about his formal reply.

Regards,
Vennila N

As somebody has already said earlier, in a global professional environment, this would be a common behavior. You just smile and leave it at that or shrug your shoulders and say no problem :)

Every country carries a different culture, and therefore, these foreigners have a culture of thanking every time you do something for them.

Give your boss some time to adapt to the Indian culture. In the meantime, you can simply smile or, at times, say thanks or use other words or phrases that our friends have suggested before. Enjoy having a good boss.

Continuing from the comment above, it helps a lot if you understand other cultures. It gives you a perspective as to where the other person is coming from. As known universally, Hofstede's cultural dimensions can be the starting point for you. Read about them here: http://www.geert-hofstede.com/

Hi Sweta,

It's very common for foreigners or for people who have been in foreign countries for some time to bid 'thank you' for all the help we extend to them, be it small or big. They do it for all, irrespective of grades or cadres, from chauffeurs or office assistants to you. You could simply extend a smile and say 'you are welcome.'

If he is your appraiser, you can also tell him, "thank you, sir, and my appraisal is overdue!"

Thank you!

Dear Shweta,

You are a lucky person. In India, no boss is saying "Thanks" except... So enjoy life and forget about the thanks.

Ajay