Saying farewell to a coworker can be a heartfelt experience depending on the relationship you had with them. You may be in a situation to say goodbye to a coworker if they decide to leave the company. It can be because of retirement or they accepted another job offer. Regardless of the situation, there are several methods you can use to say goodbye to a colleague. In this article, we will discuss different ways to say goodbye gracefully and also why it’s important.
Related: Guide: Goodbye Email To Colleagues (With Examples)
Saying farewell to a coworker is important because it lets them know you appreciated your time together and that you wish them luck in the future. If a coworker is leaving the company to start another job, saying goodbye can also help you maintain a professional contact that may aid you in a future job search.
Here are some example statements you can use when a coworker is leaving your company:
“Congratulations on your new job. Wishing you all the best.”
“Congratulations on a job well done! I know that you’re going to thrive in your next role as you’re a great employee! Best of luck!
“I’ve learned a lot from working with you over the years. Warmest congratulations to you, and best wishes for the future!”
“It was an honor to work with a coworker who was committed to their success and their coworkers. You deserve nothing but the best!”
“We will remember you with warm thoughts and memories. Best wishes to you in the future.”
“We’re wishing you the best of luck in the next step of your career.”
“Our company is glad to have you, and we’re grateful for your contributions to the organization. May your new position bring you much happiness and fulfillment.”
“Your new team is lucky to have you on board. Wishing you great success in your new role.”
“Thank you for the support and goodwill you’ve shown over the years. These memories are ones that I’ll never forget. I look forward to staying in touch with you moving forward. Farewell, friend!”
“I am very excited about this new opportunity for you! It’s wild that time moves by so fast. Please keep in touch and let me know more about your new role.”
“Thank you for training me to take over your new position. I’ll aim to uphold the work ethic you brought into this role. I appreciate you motivating me to be the best employee I can be.”
“No matter where you work, you will always be my friend until the end. Good luck with your new job. I know you’re going to do great.”
“It was a pleasure to learn from you. Your managerial skills have helped me be the person and employee I am today. I wish you great success in your next position. Farewell.”
“We will miss your contributions to the team. Let’s continue to keep in touch.”
“It was great to work with a colleague with a great sense of humor. I know your new coworkers will think the same of you. Best of luck.”
“Thank you for the support and encouragement during your tenure with the organization. Your presence will continue to have an impact on me moving forward. Good luck!”
“I hope your experience with your next employer is as fun as the time we had here. Best of luck and thank you for everything!”
“Your decision-making ability is something that’s positively affected me. Now I feel like I can take the lead on tasks assigned to me. Your leadership and presence will be missed.”
'Thank you for bringing your unrelenting joy to work every day. Your smile was contagious, and I’ll try to hold onto to it in future meetings. Good luck in your next adventure.'
“I love that I have always been able to rely on you to talk with me about anything. You have been the best friend and the best colleague I’ve ever worked with, and I look forward to keeping in touch in the future.”
“Even though we were not able to work as closely together as I would have liked, I would love to stay in touch with you as you progress throughout your career. Best wishes!”
“Great leaders always make a difference. You made a difference here, and you’re going to be excellent at your new company. Godspeed, my friend!”
Related: How To Write a Goodbye Letter To Your Boss (With Tips, Template and Example)
Here are some example statements you can use when you are leaving your company:
“You have been a strong influence on my professional career. Your work ethic inspires me to be my best every day. I look forward to keeping in touch, and let me know if you need anything!”
“I appreciate the opportunity I had here to grow in my career and be a part of the team. I’ll never forget the experiences I had working here!
“I’ll miss the support I’ve received from the team throughout my time at [company]. You’ll all be missed. Good luck!”
“As much as I’ve enjoyed my time with the organization,it’s time for me to embark on my next adventure. I included my contact information below, and I look forward to getting updates from you moving forward.”
“I’m ready to start the next stage of my career, but I thank you all for giving me the skills and the courage to be the best I can be. Farewell!”
“I am thankful for the tutelage I’ve received from you. It’s helped me grow and develop my skills in various ways. I’ll keep in touch with you about how my new job is going.”
“Thank you for being a great coworker and teammate. You’ve been the catalyst for the team’s success, and I know you’re going to excel in your career.”
“You’ve been a great teacher since I’ve been on this team. I hope you continue to educate employees the way you have with me. You’re the best, and I’ll be sure to stay in touch.”
“You’re a rising star within this company, and I think you’re primed for success no matter what you do. Best of luck!”
“Keep up the great work! I’ll miss working with you. Keep in touch!”
“Thank you for being a great colleague! Feel free to reach me if you need anything!”
“I loved working with you each day! I hope our friendship continues in the future!”
“I’ve been able to learn so much about you while sitting next to you over the past few years. I know you’re bound for great things. Until we meet again!
“I look forward to staying connected and hearing updates about your career path. Wishing you great success!”
“Thank you for being a reliable coworker. You’re one of the most diligent workers I’ve been around. Feel free to stop by my new office!”
“You’ve been a great mentor during my time here. I’ll be sure to reach out if I have any questions and thank you again for everything you’ve taught me!”
“Your collaborative efforts have been integral to my success as an employee. I hope to take some of those talents with me to my next employer. Best of luck!”
“I’ll miss our interactions with clients and how we achieved our wins together. I’ve learned a lot from you, and I’ll stay in contact with you going forward.”
“You’re one of the funniest coworkers around. Your sense of humor made my day!”
“I’ll miss our lunch breaks together that helped us unwind. I’ll be sure to stay in contact with you and your developments throughout your career.”
“Be sure to hold onto your integrity. It’s your greatest strength. Good luck with your future endeavors.”
Related: How to Give a Farewell Speech at Work (With Tips and Examples)
Here are some examples of how to say farewell to a retiring colleague:
“It’s always difficult to say goodbye to a loyal friend and coworker. You will be greatly missed, and I wish you much happiness in retirement.”
“I’ll miss our casual Fridays and fun times by the water cooler. Your sense of humor always brought light to my day. Best wishes!”
“This is not a goodbye. It’s a see you later. Thank you again for everything and my contact information is below. Good luck!”
“You were the heart of this team. May you have a happy and healthy retirement ahead.”
“Even with your retirement, the office will always be here. Feel free to stop by anytime!”
“Having the privilege of working with you is the highlight of my professional career. Wishing you the best of luck during retirement.”
“Thanks for all the advice you’ve given me over the years. It will be difficult to fill your shoes here. I’m going to miss you!”
“Take care of yourself. I can’t wait to see what you do in this next stage of your life. Keep in touch!”
“This is such an exciting time for you, but I still can’t believe you’re leaving. Wishing you all the happiness in your retirement!”
“Thank you for your many years of service to our company. It won’t be the same without you, but we’ll do our best to make sure we carry on the work you’ve poured into this place. Farewell, friend!”
“It has been a true pleasure working with you. Thank you for making this workplace a fun place to be. I hope to see you again soon.”
“I’m seriously going to miss seeing your face every day. Best of luck in your retirement, and can’t wait to catch up with you soon!”
“It has been an honor working side by side with you. Thanks for helping our team navigate through all our ups and downs. Wishing you all the best for your future!”
“You’ve earned your retirement, but that doesn’t make it any easier to say goodbye to you. Come visit us sometime, please!”
“I have never met anyone with more work ethic in my entire career. Best wishes in your retirement, and cheers to some much-deserved respite!”
“I’m lucky to have had you as a mentor and even luckier to call you a friend. It has been a pleasure working with you!”
“Wishing you a long and enjoyable retirement!”
“No one deserves retirement as much as you. Congratulations!”
“While your presence will be missed in the office, the great work you did here ensures you will never be forgotten. Thank you for being a tireless professional, a helpful coworker and — above all — a good friend. Now go and relax!”
“While I've only had the chance to work with you briefly, it's clear that your dedication to our cause has made a huge positive impact. I hope retirement brings you wonderful things. Enjoy! You deserve it.”
Related: Ideas for 'What To Do When I Retire'
Here are some examples of how to say farewell to your colleagues when you’re retiring:
“You’re like family to me. Thank you all for making this company a great place to work.”
“For the past 18 years, this place has been my second home. I will cherish the memories I’ve made here. Thanks for a beautiful sendoff!”
“As much as I’m sad to say goodbye, I’m excited to be able to spend more time with my family. Who knows, they might get sick of me and ask me to go back to work! In all seriousness though, I will miss seeing all of your smiling faces. Keep in touch!”
“My life is about to change pretty drastically, and I’m sure it will be a difficult transition. But that’s only because you’ve made this office a lovely place to be every day. This won’t be the last you’ll hear from me!”
“We may not have been working to cure infectious disease, but I’m proud of the work I’ve done here with you. This company makes a difference in people’s lives. I can’t wait to watch as you continue this important work.”
“Work doesn’t feel like work when you love what you do every day. Thank you for making this office a happy place for me to show up these past two decades.”
“When I first started working here as a young associate, I never thought this would be the place where I retire. I also never thought this day would come, but I guess what they say is true—time flies! Thanks for always making me feel like an important part of the team.”
“I am so thankful to this company for giving me countless opportunities to grow both professionally and personally.”
“I am going to miss this place, but I will always look back on this time fondly.”
“While I’m looking forward to this new chapter, I’m going to miss all of you. I am going to miss our lively team meetings, our potluck lunches and those monthly fire drills that thankfully I never had to actually use. But seriously, I am thankful for all the lessons each of you have taught me. I will miss our chats, but remember—I’m only a phone call away!”
“I may be retiring from the company, but I am taking your friendship with me. If you would like to stay in touch with me too, you can find me on every social media channel, or call or text me any hour of the day.”
“It was great working with each of you—you have truly made a lasting impact on me, and one that has changed me for the better in so many ways. I will miss you all very much!”
Related: 120 Coworker Appreciation Messages
Here are some of the methods you can use to say farewell to your colleague:
A goodbye card is a simple way to show support for your coworker who’s moving onto the next step of their career.
Typically if it’s a team or office setting, someone will purchase a card on behalf of the whole business, and everyone can write their farewell note inside the card. Usually, this card congratulates the employee and wishes them the best in the future. A personal card also gives your colleague a keepsake to hold onto and remind them of their time at the company.
You can use our example messages listed above, but you might want to add something extra personal if you had a fruitful relationship with them.
Related: Resignation Letter Due to a Career Change: Tips and Examples
Send an email before the final day of your coworker’s departure to thank them for their service to the organization. An email is another good way to obtain alternate contact information in case you want to keep in touch with them for networking purposes.
When an employee leaves a company, their manager or HR will usually send an email to the company announcing the departure. For your farewell email, you can simply send a response to the mass email. You may also start your email chain or send an email directly to the coworker who’s leaving.
Sometimes employers or coworkers give a departing colleague a gift. A gift is sometimes reserved for someone who has worked at a company for a lengthy amount of time and has formed relationships with their colleagues outside of the workplace.
Your organization might take up a collection where all employees can contribute money towards a gift that will be from the team. This gift may be something that helps an employee in their new role, something they would like based on their hobbies and interests or even a joke gift based on an inside joke or hilarious moment.
Another way to say farewell to a coworker is to throw them a farewell party, which can be arranged in the workplace or a social setting outside of work. You may choose to surprise the coworker with a party, or you may ask for their input to plan the get-together. The farewell party can be a goodbye lunch, drinks or another company outing.
In this day and age, it's normal to change jobs a few times in your career. It's also normal to cross paths of people you used to work with. Your former co-worker might even be your boss one day. So let's dissect what it looks like to not just leave a job but to leave a job well.
For years, athletes have used science and data analysis to improve. Now we are doing the same for job seekers everywhere. This is job science. Meet Ted. He's a sales director at an e-commerce company. And just accepted a new role in the publishing industry. Before making any moves, be honest with yourself about your reasons for leaving. Writing all of them down is a good place to start. This helps make sure your decision wasn't made on the spur of the moment.
Leaving without another job offer could affect your finances. It's important to keep these things top of mind to manage stress. After you've written your reasons, circle a couple that you might want to share with your employer. This will help you feel more confident and help them get feedback on the company. Once you've made your decision, find time to meet with your employer and give them your two weeks notice. It's always best to resign from your job in person and give as much notice as you can.
I hate it here. This place sucks, I'm bored, and I don't get paid enough.
Ooh, hold it there, Ted. You should definitely be honest. That's good. But know that when you're giving your answers, the employer might interpret them differently. So let's take a step back. Remember, you want to stay positive in your answers. Your goal is to leave on good terms. And if you don't feel comfortable, there is no need to disclose where you'll be working in the future.
Well, I learned more than I could have imagined here. You took me under your wing, and I am so thankful for that. But I'm actually going to be taking on a new role that's in publishing. I feel I can bring a really fresh new take there, and they're giving me brains to build a team from the ground up.
You deserve to have your own team. It's about time. Good for you.
Perfect, now's a good time to submit your formal letter of resignation. Let's take a quick look at the parts that comprise it. Time and date, address, statement of resignation, last day of work, statement of gratitude, next steps or important information, and your signature. Done.
The next few steps are a little easier. Don't just leave on a dime. Prepping your coworker to take over your role is key to a smooth transition.
So typically, what I would do is go and export the file here and then reach out to the team and just let them it's all packaged up.
And lastly, be thankful. Show your gratitude whenever you can. You can also provide your employer with constructive feedback. Big plus. When all is said and done, ending on a positive note and keeping that bridge intact can be huge for your career. This was the breakdown of leaving a job well, till next time.
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