Farewell Message to Coworker: Cards, Emails and Last-Day Notes

Farewell Message to Coworker: Builder for Cards, Emails and Last Days

Write a farewell message to a coworker, manager, direct report or client, or your own goodbye email to the team. Choose who is leaving, why, how well you know them, the tone and the channel, and the builder gives you a message written by hand that you can copy and adjust. Nothing you type leaves this page.

Your shortlist

Nothing saved yet. Use “Add to shortlist” on any message you like. The shortlist stays on this page only and clears when you leave or reload.

How the builder works

The builder holds 160 messages, each written by hand. Some are written for one situation, such as a close coworker who is retiring. Others thank the person in a way that suits any departure, and the builder adds a closing line written for the reason they are leaving. A name or a shared memory goes into the message as plain text.

The channel changes the layout. Email adds a subject line, greeting and sign-off. Slack or Teams and LinkedIn keep to shorter messages. Speech adds a first line for the room. Parental leave and sabbaticals get “see you soon” wording. Light humor is switched off for a layoff. “Another one” moves through every message for your choices before any repeats.

Worked example

Choose “A coworker”, New job, “We are close”, Heartfelt and Card, and type the name Sam. The first message the builder gives is:

Sam, I am so pleased for you and a little sorry for us. You have been the person I could think out loud with, and that is hard to replace. Your new team is getting someone who makes everyone around them better. Go and enjoy it, and please keep me posted.

Select “Another one” to see more heartfelt messages for a close coworker who is starting a new job.

What to write when you did not know them well

A leaving card often reaches you for someone you have only met in meetings or the hallway. A short, honest line is better than a long one that claims a friendship. These approaches work:

• Mention the one thing you do know, such as a project you shared, a question they answered for you or their reputation with others.
• Wish them well for the specific thing ahead: the new role, the move, retirement or the time away.
• Keep it to one or two sentences and sign with your full name and team, so they know who wrote it.
• Leave out in-jokes and anything personal that you only know secondhand.

Retirement, heartfeltI wish we had had more chances to work together. Everything I have heard about you from the people who did is warm, and that says a great deal. Congratulations on your retirement. I hope it brings you rest, good company and plenty of time for what you love.

New job, professionalAlthough we did not work together often, your good reputation reached me well before we met. Thank you for all you have done here. Congratulations on the new role. I hope it is everything you want it to be, and I hope we stay in touch.

Relocation, shortWe rarely crossed paths, and it was a pleasure every time we did. I wish you all the best in your new home.

End of contract, light humorWe mostly met in the hallway and on very large email threads, and you were a bright spot in both. Good luck on the next project. Please do not like them more than us.

What to avoid when someone leaves through a layoff

A layoff is not chosen, so a message that would suit a new job can hurt. The person will read your note more than once, and it may be shared.

• Do not say “congratulations”, “lucky you” or “enjoy the time off”.
• Do not offer a bright side, such as “everything happens for a reason” or “you will find something better”.
• Do not ask what happened, who else was affected or what their package is.
• Do not say how hard the news is for you or for those who are staying.
• Do not criticize the decision or the company in writing.
• Do not make an offer you will not keep.

Do say you are sorry, name something they did well, and make one concrete offer: a reference, a LinkedIn recommendation or an introduction. Then follow up a few weeks later, when most of the messages have stopped.

In the United States, the Department of Labor lists services for workers affected by a layoff. State programs differ.

79 farewell and goodbye messages by situation

These examples come from the builder, shown without a name. Every one is original to Employee Experience Magazine and free to use.

New job: farewell message to a coworker moving to a new role

To a coworker, close or friendly, heartfeltI am so pleased for you and a little sorry for us. You have been the person I could think out loud with, and that is hard to replace. Your new team is getting someone who makes everyone around them better. Go and enjoy it, and please keep me posted.

To a coworker, friendly or barely knew them, heartfeltCongratulations on the new job. Even from a few desks away it was easy to see how much care you put into your work and how kindly you treated people. I hope the new role gives you everything you are looking for.

To a coworker, close or friendly, professionalCongratulations on your new position. It has been a pleasure to work closely with you, and I have learned a great deal from your approach. I wish you every success and hope we stay in contact.

To a coworker, friendly or barely knew them, professionalCongratulations on your new role. Thank you for your contribution here and for being so easy to work with. I wish you all the best in the next stage of your career.

To a coworker, close or friendly, shortSo happy for you, and I will miss you a lot. Go show them how it is done.

To a coworker, friendly or barely knew them, shortCongratulations on the new job. Wishing you a great start.

To a coworker, close or friendly, light humorCongratulations. I have reviewed your decision to leave and regret to inform you that I have not approved it. Since you are going anyway, please know your new team has no idea how lucky they are.

To a coworker, friendly or barely knew them, light humorCongratulations on the new job. Please leave instructions for the printer, the shared drive and whatever it is you do that makes everything work. Good luck out there.

To your manager, heartfeltCongratulations on the new role. You gave me room to grow, backed me when it counted and told me the truth when I needed it. I will carry what I learned from you into every team I work in. Your new team is fortunate.

To a direct report, heartfeltCongratulations. I am sorry to lose you and proud of the reason why. You have outgrown this role through your own hard work, and your new team is getting someone exceptional. My door stays open, and so does my offer of a reference, any time.

To a client, professionalCongratulations on your new role. It has been a pleasure to work with you, and your clear briefs and fair feedback made our job far easier. I wish you every success, and I hope we have the chance to work together again.

Retirement: goodbye message to a coworker who is retiring

To a coworker, close or friendly, heartfeltIt is hard to picture this place without you. You taught me how to do the job properly and how to keep a sense of proportion about it, and I will carry both with me. Enjoy every unhurried morning. You have earned them all.

To a coworker, friendly or barely knew them, heartfeltHappy retirement. People here talk about you with real respect, and it is clear how much of what works well started with you. I hope retirement brings you time for everything you have been putting off.

To a coworker, close or friendly, professionalCongratulations on your retirement. Working alongside you has been a highlight of my career, and your knowledge and standards have shaped this team. I wish you a long and happy retirement.

To a coworker, friendly or barely knew them, professionalCongratulations on your retirement. Thank you for your many contributions and for the example you set. Wishing you all the best for what comes next.

To a coworker, close or friendly, shortHappy retirement. I will miss you every single Monday.

To a coworker, friendly or barely knew them, shortCongratulations on retiring. Enjoy every minute of it.

To a coworker, close or friendly, light humorHappy retirement. From now on every day is Saturday and nobody can schedule a meeting over your lunch. I am jealous and I will miss you terribly.

To a coworker, friendly or barely knew them, light humorCongratulations on retiring. Please think of us at 9 a.m. on Monday, briefly, and then go back to whatever you would rather be doing.

To your manager, heartfeltHappy retirement. You led this team with fairness and patience, and a lot of us are better at our jobs because of you. I hope retirement is full of the things you never had time for. Thank you for everything.

To a direct report, heartfeltHappy retirement. It has been an honor to manage someone who knew the work so thoroughly and shared that knowledge so freely. This team stands on what you built. I hope retirement is everything you want it to be.

To a client, professionalCongratulations on your retirement. Working with you has been a pleasure from the first meeting. Thank you for the trust you placed in us. I wish you a long and happy retirement.

Relocation: farewell message to a colleague who is moving away

To a coworker, close or friendly, heartfeltI keep telling myself it is only a change of address, and it is still hard to see you go. You made this office feel like somewhere I wanted to be. I hope the new city welcomes you the way you welcomed everyone here.

To a coworker, friendly or barely knew them, heartfeltGood luck with the move. You have been such a friendly, helpful presence, and the place will be quieter without you. I hope you settle in quickly and find your new favorite spots.

To a coworker, close or friendly, professionalWishing you all the best with your relocation. It has been a pleasure working so closely with you, and I am grateful for everything you have contributed. I hope the move goes smoothly and we stay in contact.

To a coworker, friendly or barely knew them, professionalAll the best with your move. Thank you for your work here and for being a considerate colleague. I wish you a smooth transition and every success in your new location.

To a coworker, close or friendly, shortSafe travels. I will miss you here, and I expect photos of the new place.

To a coworker, friendly or barely knew them, shortGood luck with the move. Wishing you a happy new start.

To a coworker, close or friendly, light humorGood luck with the move. I have checked and your new city is still within range of my messages, so nothing changes there. I will miss having you close by.

To a coworker, friendly or barely knew them, light humorHappy moving. May every box be labeled correctly and the coffee maker be the first thing you unpack. We will miss you here.

To your manager, heartfeltGood luck with the move. You have been the kind of manager people hope for, clear about what mattered and generous with your time. I hope the new place suits you well, and I am grateful for all you did for this team.

To a direct report, heartfeltGood luck with the move. You have been a dependable, thoughtful part of this team and we will feel the gap. I hope your new home treats you well, and I would be glad to recommend you to anyone lucky enough to be hiring there.

To a client, professionalAll the best with your move. Thank you for being such a considerate and straightforward client. I hope the relocation goes smoothly and that we stay in contact.

Layoff or redundancy: messages written with care

To a coworker, close or friendly, heartfeltI am so sorry this is happening, and I am going to miss working with you. You are very good at what you do, and that goes with you. I would be glad to be a reference, make introductions or just meet for coffee, whenever it suits you.

To a coworker, friendly or barely knew them, heartfeltI was sorry to hear you are leaving. I always appreciated how thoughtful and dependable you were to work with. If a recommendation or an introduction would help, please ask. I would be glad to do it.

To a coworker, close or friendly, professionalI am sorry to see you go. It has been a privilege to work closely with you, and the quality of your work was clear to everyone. I would be happy to act as a reference or connect you with people in my network.

To a coworker, friendly or barely knew them, professionalI am sorry you are leaving. Thank you for everything you contributed here. Please count on me for a recommendation if one would be useful.

To a coworker, close or friendly, shortI am sorry, and I will miss you. I am here for whatever you need, references included.

To a coworker, friendly or barely knew them, shortSorry to see you go. It was a pleasure working with you, and I am glad to help if I can.

To your manager, heartfeltI am very sorry you are leaving. You looked out for this team and made it a good place to work, and none of that is undone. Thank you for everything you taught me. If I can ever return the favor with a reference or an introduction, I would be glad to.

To a direct report, heartfeltI am truly sorry. This decision says nothing about the quality of your work, which has been excellent. I will give you the strongest reference I can, and I would like to help with introductions as well. Thank you for everything you gave this team.

To a client, professionalI was sorry to hear you are leaving. You have been an excellent partner to work with, clear, fair and always well prepared. If a recommendation from our side would be useful, I would be glad to write one.

End of contract: thank you and farewell

To a coworker, close or friendly, heartfeltI cannot believe the contract is already up. You fit in so quickly that most of us forgot you were ever new. Thank you for the work, the good humor and the many times you helped me out. I hope our paths cross again soon.

To a coworker, friendly or barely knew them, heartfeltThank you for everything you did during your time with us. You picked things up fast and left them better than you found them. I hope the next project is a good one.

To a coworker, close or friendly, professionalThank you for your excellent work over the course of your contract. It has been a pleasure to work closely with you, and I would gladly do so again. I wish you every success with your next assignment.

To a coworker, friendly or barely knew them, professionalThank you for your contribution during your contract. Your work was reliable and well regarded. I wish you all the best with your next assignment.

To a coworker, close or friendly, shortThe contract went far too fast. Thank you for everything, and come back any time.

To a coworker, friendly or barely knew them, shortThank you for all your work. Good luck with the next project.

To a coworker, close or friendly, light humorYour contract may be ending, but your name is staying on the lunch order out of habit. Thank you for being so good at this and so easy to work with. Come back soon.

To a coworker, friendly or barely knew them, light humorThank you. You managed to learn our systems faster than some of us who work here permanently. We would like that noted, and we wish you well.

To your manager, heartfeltThank you for leading us through this assignment. You gave the team clarity and confidence in a short time, and we will keep working the way you showed us. I hope we get the chance to work together again.

To a direct report, heartfeltThank you for all you did during your contract. You delivered exactly what we needed and were a pleasure to manage. I would welcome the chance to work with you again, and I am happy to be a reference.

To a client, professionalAs our project comes to a close, thank you for a very good working relationship. Your team made us feel welcome and gave us what we needed to do the job well. We would be glad to work with you again.

Parental leave or sabbatical: a “see you soon” leaving card message

To a coworker, close or friendly, heartfeltEnjoy every bit of your time away. It will be strange here without you, and I will save up all the news for when you are back. Please do not think about work at all. We have it covered.

To a coworker, friendly or barely knew them, heartfeltWishing you a wonderful time away. You will be missed around here, and we will look forward to having you back. Until then, enjoy the break from your inbox.

To a coworker, close or friendly, professionalWishing you all the best for your time away. I will make sure things are in good order for your return. We look forward to welcoming you back.

To a coworker, friendly or barely knew them, professionalBest wishes for your leave. I hope the time is everything you want it to be, and we look forward to your return.

To a coworker, close or friendly, shortSee you soon. Enjoy every minute, and do not check your email.

To a coworker, friendly or barely knew them, shortEnjoy your time away. See you when you are back.

To a coworker, close or friendly, light humorSee you soon. I promise to water your plant and to touch nothing else on your desk. Enjoy the time away.

To a coworker, friendly or barely knew them, light humorEnjoy your time off. We will try to keep the place standing until you return. No promises about the shared drive.

To your manager, heartfeltEnjoy your time away. You have spent a long while looking after this team, and now it is our turn to look after things for you. We will keep everything moving and look forward to having you back.

To a direct report, heartfeltEnjoy your time away. Your work is in good hands and your place on this team is waiting for you. Please switch off completely. We will look forward to having you back.

To a client, professionalWishing you a wonderful time away. We will keep everything on track with your colleagues while you are out, and we look forward to picking things up with you when you return.

Farewell message to boss: examples for a manager

New job, heartfeltYou are the best manager I have had. You trusted me with real responsibility, gave credit in public and feedback in private, and never made me feel small for asking. Thank you. Congratulations on the new role. I hope it is everything you want it to be, and I hope we stay in touch.

New job, professionalThank you for your leadership and mentorship. Your guidance has shaped how I approach my work, and I am grateful for the opportunities you gave me. Congratulations on the new role. I hope it is everything you want it to be, and I hope we stay in touch.

New job, shortThank you for everything. You are the manager I will measure the others against. I wish you every success in the new job.

New job, light humorThank you for reading all my long emails, or at least for convincingly acting as if you had. You have been a great boss and an even better sounding board. Good luck in the new job. If they do not appreciate you, we accept returns.

Farewell email to coworkers: “my last day” examples

These are full goodbye emails from the person who is leaving. Replace the words in square brackets before you send.

Leaving for a new job, heartfeltSubject: Thank you and goodbye Hi everyone, Today is my last day here, and I did not want to go without saying thank you. I arrived knowing very little, and I am leaving with skills, stories and friendships I will keep. You made the hard weeks bearable and the good ones memorable. I am starting a new role next, and I will be cheering for this team from wherever I am. Please stay in touch. You can reach me at [your personal email]. Best wishes, [Your name]

Retiring, heartfeltSubject: Retiring, with thanks Hi everyone, After a long time of saying “see you tomorrow,” today I get to say something different. I am retiring, and I leave with a full heart. Thank you for the teamwork, the patience and the many kindnesses, large and small. I have been proud to work beside you. Look after each other, and do keep in touch at [your personal email]. Best wishes, [Your name]

Relocating, heartfeltSubject: Moving on, with thanks Hi everyone, As some of you know, I am moving, and [date] will be my last day. Leaving this team is the hardest part of the move. Thank you for making this such a good place to spend my working days. I will miss our conversations, our in-jokes and the way you all pull together. Please keep in touch at [your personal email], and tell me if you are ever in my new part of the world. Best wishes, [Your name]

Leaving through a layoff, heartfeltSubject: Thank you and goodbye Hi everyone, As you may have heard, my role has been affected by the recent changes, and [date] will be my last day. I want to say thank you. I am proud of the work we did together, and I am grateful for how kind you have all been to me, especially lately. I would love to stay in touch, and I would welcome any leads or introductions. You can reach me at [your personal email]. Best wishes, [Your name]

End of contract, heartfeltSubject: Thank you and goodbye Hi everyone, My contract ends on [date], and I wanted to thank you before I go. You treated me as part of the team from the first day, which is not something every contractor can say. I have enjoyed the work and the company a great deal. I hope we get to work together again. Until then, you can find me at [your personal email]. Best wishes, [Your name]

Going on leave, heartfeltSubject: My leave and who to contact Hi everyone, From [date] I will be away on leave for a while. Thank you all for being so supportive as I planned for this. Knowing the work is in such good hands makes it much easier to step away. [colleague’s name] will be covering for me. I will miss you, and I look forward to hearing all the news when I am back. Best wishes, [Your name]

Leaving for a new job, professionalSubject: Thank you and goodbye Hi everyone, I am writing to let you know that my last day will be [date]. I have accepted a position elsewhere, and I am grateful for everything I have learned here. Thank you for your support and collaboration. I will hand over my work fully before I go, and [colleague’s name] will be your contact afterward. I would be glad to stay connected at [your personal email]. Best wishes, [Your name]

Questions about farewell messages

What do you write in a farewell message to a coworker?

Thank them for something specific, say what you will miss, and wish them well for what comes next. Three or four sentences is plenty. For example: “Congratulations on the new job. Even from a few desks away it was easy to see how much care you put into your work and how kindly you treated people. I hope the new role gives you everything you are looking for.” The builder above has 160 messages for different situations.

What do you write in a leaving card when you did not know the person well?

Keep it short and sincere, and do not claim a closeness you did not have. A good wish and one honest observation is enough. For example: “We rarely crossed paths, and it was a pleasure every time we did. I wish you every success in the new job.” In the builder, choose “Barely” under how well you know them.

What do you say to a coworker who has been laid off?

Say you are sorry, name something they did well, and make one concrete offer such as a reference or an introduction. Leave out jokes, silver linings and questions about what happened. For example: “I was sorry to hear you are leaving. I always appreciated how thoughtful and dependable you were to work with. If a recommendation or an introduction would help, please ask. I would be glad to do it.”

How do you write a farewell message to your boss?

Thank your manager for one or two things they did for you, such as trusting you with responsibility or giving useful feedback, and keep the tone respectful. For example: “Congratulations on the new role. You gave me room to grow, backed me when it counted and told me the truth when I needed it. I will carry what I learned from you into every team I work in. Your new team is fortunate.”

How do I write a farewell email to coworkers on my last day?

Give your last day, thank the team, say who is taking over your work, and share a personal contact if you want to stay in touch. Send it on your last day or the day before. The builder writes a full goodbye email when you choose “Me (goodbye to my team)” and the Email channel.

Is there a difference between a farewell message and a goodbye message to a coworker?

There is no real difference. “Farewell” is a little more formal and is common in cards and emails, and “goodbye” is more common in conversation and chat. Use whichever sounds like you.

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