Overuse of Thanks

I'm not sure if it's the happy and optimistic millenials flooding the job market or the newest generation of students who feel entitled to everything and expect rich praise for even the most basic of tasks, but I've noticed a serious increase in the use of "Thanks" in business writing.

I'm of the opinion that we should reserve our "Thanks" for when we really mean it, when we ask someone to go above and beyond their job responsibilities, to do us a favor, or when their work resulted in a particularly successful outcome and so we are especially pleased with what they have done. However, thanking people for doing what they are supposed to be doing everyday seems like a waste and can only add to the pervasive sense of exaggerated onus held by some people.

We've already agreed that writing "Thanks in advance" is terribly presumptuous in its assumption that you will accede to whatever we've asked, and this kind of presumption leaves no room for negative response. Even saying, I'm home sick or out on vacation and can't take care of this seems like an enormous let down to some one who's already assumed you are going to follow through and thanked you for doing so. This kind of thanks may cause guilt and/or resentment.

So I think we can go a step further. Thanking people everyday for their regular responsibilities makes it seem as if they are regularly doing more than they are asked, even though they are doing exactly what they are paid to do. Which means that when people actually go over and above their job responsibilities, there is no sincere word to show that appreciation. We are diminishing the value of incredible and exceptional work (I'm suddenly reminded of my feelings about grade inflation).

Instead of replacing the closing of emails with an empty word of "Thanks," let's keep that closing reserved for when we are in fact appreciative of what the other person has done. As I wrote about in my previous post, there are quite a few other closing words and phrases to choose from. You may even invent your own.

Make "Thank you" meaningful by only using it when you mean it.