15 Gratitude Wall Ideas for Work, and How to Set One Up

A gratitude wall is a shared space where people post short thank-you notes to colleagues for everyone to see. It can be a noticeboard in the kitchen, a sheet of brown paper in a corridor, or a channel in Teams or Slack for a remote team. It costs very little and takes about an hour to set up. The hard part is keeping it alive after the first fortnight. This guide gives you 15 gratitude wall ideas, from a sticky-note wall to a thank-you tree. It also covers what to write on the notes, what you need to buy, how to include remote and shift workers, and what to do when the notes stop coming.

What is a gratitude wall?

A gratitude wall is a dedicated wall space used to publicly express positive feelings and foster joy at work. Coworkers take a few minutes to thank one another, whether for help with a hard task or as a welcome note for a new team member.

15 gratitude wall ideas

1. Sticky-note wall

Put up a board or clear wall, with pads of sticky notes and pens beside it. People write a note and stick it up. It is the cheapest and quickest option, and it suits most offices.

2. Thank-you tree

Draw or cut out a tree on the wall. People write thanks on paper leaves and stick them on the branches. The tree fills up over the weeks, so everyone can see progress.

3. Brown-paper graffiti wall

Cover a wall with a long sheet of brown paper and leave markers next to it. People write or draw their thanks straight onto the paper. Replace the sheet when it is full.

4. Pegged photo line

String a line of twine along the wall and peg up notes and printed photos. People pin a thank-you next to the photo of the team or event that earned it.

5. Jar wall

Fix a shelf or a row of clear jars to the wall. People drop folded thank-you notes into them. Read a few out at the end of each month. It works where wall space is small.

6. Map wall for multi-site teams

Pin a map of your sites or regions on the wall. People pin a note of thanks to the location of the colleague they want to thank. It helps teams who rarely meet.

7. Customer thank-you wall

Display thanks from customers or clients next to the thanks between colleagues. It shows the team the effect of their work.

8. New-starter welcome wall

Give new starters their own section. The team writes welcome notes before the first day. Hand the notes to the new starter when they arrive.

9. One-week wall for a set date

Put a wall up for one week around Thanksgiving or Employee Appreciation Day. A short run is easy to start and easy to finish. For ways to mark the day, see employee appreciation day ideas.

10. Chalkboard wall

Use a chalkboard or a whiteboard in the break area. Notes are easy to wipe and replace. Photograph the board before you clear it.

11. Puzzle-piece wall

Give each person a large paper puzzle piece to write on. Fit the pieces together on the wall as they come in. A finished puzzle shows the team how much thanks they gave.

12. Digital wall in Teams or Slack

Create a channel that is only for thank-you messages. Pin a short note that explains how to post. It works for remote and hybrid teams.

13. Shared online whiteboard

Set up a shared whiteboard with one section for each team. People add virtual sticky notes. It suits teams who already use an online whiteboard.

14. Rolling screen in reception

Show the latest thank-you messages from your digital wall on a screen in reception or the break area. Visitors and staff see them as they walk past.

15. Team-by-team wall of the month

Each team looks after the wall for one month and chooses the theme. The job passes round, so no one person carries it.

What to write on a gratitude wall

Thanks for help

• Thank you, Priya, for staying late to fix the rota. It meant everyone got their weekend.
• Thanks, Sam, for walking me through the new system. I got it right first time because of you.
• Thank you, Dan, for covering my calls on Friday. I could finish the report in peace.
• Thanks to the whole support team for sorting the customer problem so quickly.
• Thank you, Aisha, for checking my figures before the meeting. You caught two errors.
• Thanks, Leo, for sharing your notes from the training. It saved me an hour.
• Thank you, Mia, for answering all my questions in my first week.

Thanks for attitude

• Thanks, Tom, for staying calm when the deadline moved. It helped the whole team.
• Thank you, Grace, for always saying good morning. It makes the day start well.
• Thanks, Raj, for speaking up in the meeting when nobody else would.
• Thank you, Ellie, for keeping us laughing during a long week.
• Thanks, Omar, for admitting a mistake early. It gave us time to fix it.
• Thank you, Chloe, for listening when I needed to talk something through.
• Thanks to everyone on the night shift for keeping things running.

Thanks from a manager

• Thank you, Jo, for taking on the extra project. I saw how much effort it needed.
• Thanks, Ben, for the way you handled the difficult client. That was well done.
• Thank you, Fatima, for training the new starters. They are settling in well because of you.
• Thanks, team, for hitting the deadline. I know it took long days.
• Thank you, Will, for suggesting the change to the process. We now save time every week.
• Thank you, Nina, for your steady work this quarter. It makes my job easier.

For notes about long service, see work anniversary wishes. Notes do not have to be about work. A sports win or a charity run is a good reason to say well done.

What you need

• Sticky notes
• Pens and markers
• A board or poster paper
• Tape or Blu Tack
• Scissors

Most offices have all of this already. Put the wall where everyone can see it. A wall that people walk past gets more notes.

How to get people to use it

1. Choose a wall that people walk past every day, such as the kitchen or a main corridor.
2. Put up a board or large sheet of paper with a clear title. Leave sticky notes and pens next to it.
3. Post the first five notes yourself.
4. Ask each team to add one note in their next meeting. A short icebreaker question can help people start. There are 420 on our icebreaker questions for work page.
5. Give one person the job of looking after the wall.

How to keep it fresh

• Clear the wall once a month. Photograph it first.
• Change the theme each quarter.
• Read three notes out in the team meeting.
• Mention the wall in team meetings, so people remember it.

Remote and hybrid teams

Create a channel in Teams or Slack, or use a shared online whiteboard, and use it only for thank-you messages. Pin a short note that explains how to post. Read out two or three messages in the weekly team call. To join the office wall and the digital wall together, photograph the office wall each month and post the picture in the channel. For shift workers, put a notebook or board in the break room and ask a manager to add those notes to the digital wall.

Frequently asked questions