Farewell message to a colleague

A simple way to write it

Most farewell messages that land well do three things. They don't need to be long, and they don't need to be clever.

• Name something real. A project you worked on together, a habit of theirs you'll miss, or a time they helped you out. One detail is enough.
• Say what it meant. Keep it plain: it made the job easier, you learned from it, or it made Monday meetings bearable.
• Look forward. Wish them well in the new role, retirement or move, and add a way to stay in touch if you'd genuinely like to.

What tends to fall flat is a message that could be written to anyone. "Best of luck in your future endeavours" is polite, but it tells the person nothing about why you're sorry to see them go. Heavy praise can have the same problem. If you wouldn't say "you're an inspiration to us all" out loud at their desk, it will probably read oddly on a card as well.

If you only have a minute, a general message still works when you add one specific line to it.

Short lines for a card

When a card is going around, there may be room for a sentence or two among a dozen other signatures. These can be used as they are or adapted:

• Thanks for always having an answer, or knowing who did. Best of luck with the next chapter.
• The Thursday coffee run won't be the same. Enjoy the new role.
• You made starting here a lot less daunting for me. Thank you, and all the best.
• I'll miss your spreadsheets more than I'd like to admit. Good luck!
• It's been great working with you. Congratulations on the new job.
• Wishing you a smooth move to Brisbane and a much shorter commute.

If there's a line you'd like to write but it would need explaining, save it for a personal message. A card is read by everyone who signs after you.

For a close teammate

With someone you've worked alongside every day, you can be warmer and more personal, and a private message usually suits this better than the group card. It's fine to mention a shared joke or a hard stretch you got through together, as long as the person would be happy for it to be remembered that way.

It also helps to be clear about staying in touch. If you'd like to keep catching up, say so and suggest how. That's easier to act on than "let's stay in touch", which people tend to say whether they mean it or not.

For your manager

A message to a manager who is leaving can be warm without being flattering. The most useful thing to mention is usually what they did for you: backing you on a decision, giving you a chance at something new, or making it easy to ask for help.

Keep the tone the same as the relationship you actually had. If you got on well but kept things fairly professional, a thoughtful thank-you will mean more than a sudden burst of affection. If they're likely to be a referee for you later, a sincere message doesn't hurt either, but write it because it's true.

For someone you didn't know well

You don't need to invent a close relationship to write something kind. Keep the message short and base it on what you do know, such as their role, the way others talked about them, or a single conversation you had.

If you really only knew their name, a simple good wish is honest and perfectly acceptable. It's better than a line that suggests you'll miss them terribly, which people can usually tell isn't quite true.

For a colleague who's retiring

A retirement message can reflect the length of someone's career, which a message for a job change doesn't need to. You might mention what they built, taught or held together, or how the place will be different without them.

Try not to assume what retirement means for them. Jokes about age, slowing down or finally getting to the golf course can miss badly with someone who has plans of their own or mixed feelings about finishing up. Wishing them well with whatever they've chosen to do covers every possibility.

For a team card or group message

You may be asked to write on behalf of the whole team, for a card, a gift or a post in the team channel. The aim is to sound like a group of people who liked working with the person. Mention what they contributed to the team as a whole, since individual memories belong in personal messages.

Before you post anything in a shared channel, check with the person leaving or their manager that it's been announced. It's also worth keeping group messages free of anything about why they're leaving, even if it's widely known.

When the circumstances are awkward

Not every departure is a happy one. When someone has been made redundant, is leaving because of illness, or is going after a difficult time at work, "congratulations" and "exciting new chapter" can sound careless.

In these situations, focus on the person and your time working with them, not on the reason they're leaving. Say you've valued working with them, wish them well and, if it's true, offer something practical, such as being a referee or passing on job leads. Leave out opinions about the decision or the business, especially in writing, because messages get forwarded.

Sending your message

A handwritten card is the traditional option and works well when the team is in one place. For a colleague you work with remotely, a direct message or short email is just as good, and you can write a little more. Group emails where everyone replies all with a goodbye can clutter a lot of inboxes, so a personal message is usually kinder to both the person leaving and everyone else.

Try to send it before their last afternoon. People often lose access to work email and chat soon after they finish, and a message that arrives after that point may never be read. If you'd like to stay in touch, include a personal email or suggest connecting on LinkedIn, but only share personal contact details you're comfortable giving out.

If you're the one leaving

If you're writing your own goodbye to the team, the same approach works in reverse: thank people for something specific, say briefly where you're going if you want to, and tell them how to reach you. Wait until your manager has told the team, and send it on your last day or the day before.

Your resignation itself is a separate step. Our guides to writing a resignation email and resigning without burning bridges cover telling your manager, the handover and your final weeks.