Every job, even stocking shelves, is somebody’s reason the day went smoothly.

Work gets ranked by pay and prestige, which has almost nothing to do with how much it holds up. A stocked shelf, a clean floor, a delivery that arrived: these are invisible when done and immediately obvious when not, which is the signature of something people actually depend on. The absence of complaints is the evidence.

If you are doing that kind of work, the lack of thanks is a feature of the category rather than a judgment of you. When someone else’s competence smooths your day, say so once, by name. It reaches people who almost never hear it.