Please don't, just don't. At least not as my manager.
There's very little that I find as bad on the job as hearing thank you's for things that come naturally on the job. It's just part and parcel of my job.
I find there is little that devalues genuine thanks for a job well done as quickly as being praised for every proverbial fart.
> because they are stressed and overworked.
That wasn't what I read from OP. I know the difference of being stressed out or just working under pressure. I can feel stressed out while a relatively low workload. And I can have a great bunch of problems to solve and still feel great about it. It isn't black or white.
> They will get resentful and feel unappreciated.
I know the feeling - but at least in my case this had nothing to do with workload when I was in that state of mind/situation on the job. It was a lack of control, a lack of overall recognition and respect. Not the work load per se.
You can thank people for minor thigs too. It harms nothing.
> Maybe they work hard under pressure and deliver results as you say, but they are never going to step up in job title because they cant communicate well with the wider office or are poor with estimating deadlines.
Practically, people who work very hard while being under pressure tend to communicate badly, because they are stressed and overworked. This wont change no matter how much you complain about them not communicate properly. Proper communication requires time.
> A good manager will thank them appropriately and also give career guidance appropriately and try to help them move forward.
Good manager will step up and manage their workload. Consistently overworked people under pressure are mostly result of organizational and managerial decision making.
> Most staff will thank you for that.
That is where the issue starts. If we all work hard under pressure, you dont thank people for that and just start complaining they are not nice while being stressed, they wont improve. They will get resentful and feel unappreciated.