I want to send my team an end of year email that actually says what they did this year.
Bring a list of what the team shipped or fixed, one thing each person did and what did not go to plan. HidenGPT's Email format turns it into a short year-in-review that thanks people by name for real work, in your voice if you add samples. Your team reads their year, not a slogan.
Try it with your own details
Enter to send · Shift+Enter for a new line
How to do it in HidenGPT
- 01
Go through the year's project list, launches and team chat, and write down three results with numbers, one thing each person did, and one thing that did not go to plan.
- 02
Pick Email under “Use it for”; this page sets Email type to Business email, Length to Medium and Tone to Friendly, so put your list in the main box and your team's name under To.
- 03
Write in your notes that each person should be named with their own piece of work, and add your name under Signature in More details.
- 04
Read the draft for balance: every person mentioned once, with something specific, and nobody's work described in bigger words than everyone else's.
- 05
Send it in the last week your whole team is working, and skip the email if you already said all of this in a meeting; post a short version in the team channel instead.
Email / Newsletter: Subject lines that get opened, emails and newsletters that get replies.
Example: a manager's year-in-review email
This is the example request above, written out at about 175 words. Names and numbers are made up.
“Subject: Our year, in one email
Hi all,
Before we scatter for the holidays, I want to put this year in one place.
We redesigned checkout, and mobile conversion went from 2.1% to 2.8%. We built a design system that four product teams now use without asking us how. And we grew from five to seven.
None of that happened in general. Aisha's research is the reason checkout changed the way it did. Ben built the component library, mostly in the weeks nobody was watching. Chloe ran 30 user interviews, and quotes from them ended up in the CEO's slides. Dev carried the brand work alone for three months. Eli and Fatima shipped real work in their first month, partly because Gus spent hours showing them how we do things.
One thing I'd do differently: the app icon slipped twice because I changed the brief halfway. That's on me, and I'll write clearer briefs next year.
In January we start with an accessibility audit. More on that when we're back.
Thank you. Really.
Sara”
It names every person once, gives the results their numbers, owns one mistake and spends a single sentence on next year.
A short version for chat, and a spoken version
Not every team needs an email. In a team channel, three to five lines do the job:
“Last post of the year from me. We shipped checkout, built the design system and hired two great people. Every one of you did something this year I'd point to with pride. Thank you. Log off properly, and see you on the 4th.”
If you are saying it in the last team meeting rather than writing it, keep it to about two minutes, roughly 260 words. Lead with the results, thank people by name, and finish before the meeting runs over. Spoken thanks work better with fewer numbers and one story: the night the checkout went live, or the interview that changed the design. For a longer talk to the team, use the Speech format with the Team / company meeting setting.
Whichever you choose, do it once. A meeting speech, an email and a chat post that all say the same thing start to feel like a campaign.
Getting the thanks right, and what to leave out
The thank-you paragraph is the part people read twice, and the part where messages go wrong:
- Thank everyone, or thank by work. Naming four of seven people tells the other three something you did not mean to say. - Thank for the work, not for personality. “Ben built the component library” beats “Ben is a rock star”. - Keep sizes honest. If one person's line is three sentences and another's is three words, rebalance. - Do not include performance or pay news. Ratings, bonuses and promotions belong in one-to-ones. - Do not announce next year's plans in detail. One line is enough; the kickoff can carry the rest. - Skip stock phrases such as “what a year it has been” and “we couldn't have done it without you”. Show the thing they did instead.
If the year was hard, with cuts, a failed launch or people leaving, say so plainly in one or two sentences. A cheerful email after a bad year reads as if you were not paying attention.
Not the right tool if
- Company-wide messages from a CEO with closure dates and holiday greetings. The Christmas message to employees page fits that email.
- Individual year-end feedback. That belongs in one-to-ones and reviews; see the performance review comments page.
- Teams you do not lead. A peer can thank colleagues, but a year-in-review from someone outside the team reads oddly.
Other ways to do it
- Saying it in the last team meeting
- Warmer than email for small teams. Write three lines down so you do not forget anyone.
- A shared slide of the year's results
- Good for teams that like numbers. Add a thank-you line per person so it does not become a report.
- ChatGPT or another chatbot
- Fast, but expect “what a year it has been” and thanks that could go to any team. Add the names and the work.
Questions
What should I write in an end of year message to my team?
Two or three results from the year with numbers, a thank-you that names each person and their work, one honest note on what did not go to plan, and a single line about what comes next. Around 150 to 250 words.
Should I thank team members by name?
Yes, everyone or nobody. Thanking each person for a specific piece of work is what people remember; naming only some of them can feel like a ranking.
How do I write an end of year message after a tough year?
Acknowledge it in one or two plain sentences, thank people for what they carried through it, and keep the tone steady rather than upbeat. Do not promise that next year will be easier unless you can say why.
When should I send it?
In the last week your whole team is working, before people start leave. Mid-December is common; a message sent after half the team is away gets read in January.
Can I use AI to write my end of year team message?
Yes, if the results and names are yours. HidenGPT drafts from your list and leaves a placeholder where a fact is missing; you check every number and name and send it as your own message. A team knows its manager's voice, so a saved voice from your own emails helps.
What is the difference between an end of year message and a Christmas message?
An end of year message is about the work the team did together, usually from their manager. A Christmas or holiday message is a seasonal greeting, often company-wide, with closing dates. Many managers send the first and let the company send the second.