What’s your response to someone telling you “thank you”? Your answer is very likely generational. I find generational differences, especially in the workplace, fascinating. How generations have been shaped by the common experiences they’ve had, from world events to cultural phenomenons, is an interesting study.
Last year, I was on a girls’ trip to see Taylor Swift at the Eras Tour and when getting coffee the next morning, my friend suggested I try a cafe miel. And that was it – I now have a go-to coffee order (it’s a latte with honey and a sprinkle of cinnamon). I was not confident in my pronounciation of “miel” and had quite a few Starbucks baristas say “HUH?” a little too often, so I just order it without the name. The last time I ordered it, I was surprised to hear the barista respond with “ooo a little cafe miel? I love that for you! I got you!” Today I had the same barista, and got the same response when I said thank you – “I got you!”
If you are a boomer, your likely response to “thank you” is “you’re welcome”. It’s very transactional, a matter-of-fact exchange. I did something for you. You acknowledged the act by thanking me. I acknowledged your thanks by saying “you’re welcome.”
In a VERY standard move, there isn’t generational information on Gen X’s reponse to being thanked.
But millenials, like myself, say “no worries” despite being perhaps the first generation to embrace anxiety wholeheartedly. The most common response is “no problem”. It is, in fact, such a problem that when training as a server for an upscale restaurant, they prohibited us from using the phrase, instead requiring that we respond with “my pleasure”.
Why do we say “no problem” or “no worries”? We don’t want the person thanking us to feel that what we did for them was in any way an inconvenience. We go out of our way to make sure the other person does not feel like they put a hardship on us by asking for something. My personal response is “of course” whenever I’m thanked. I feel uncomfotable being thanked, especially when I’m doing my job.
But as always, we can learn from the younger generation. “I got you” has a totally different energy and message. It feels like…community. I understand what you want and I can and want to provide it to you. It not only validates that the request is reasonable but also the work you’re doing to make it happen. I think we can use a lot more of that energy. A lot more understanding the request. Acknowledging that you, the provider, has the requisite skills to manage the request.
We don’t often take the time to analyze our language, common responses, or the impact it has on the people receiving it. I do wonder how my grandmother might react to a young person chirping “I got you!” when she thanks them at a checkout line. It’s about how you want to make people feel. If “you’re welcome” feels too formal, changing it to “you’re very welcome” feels much warmer. “No worries” or “no problem” can undermine your expertise or effort in accomplishing the task. “Of course” or “my pleasure” can communicate confidence, competence, and professionalism. “I got you” makes me feel like we’re in this together, and might be the one and only phrase I borrow from younger generations, no cap.
