Although the “great resignation” is winding down, millions of people are still leaving their jobs. So, how do we say goodbye to our departing colleagues or bid farewell to our teams when we decide to go?
Whether you’re the one leaving or you want to say goodbye to a coworker who is, a professional and polite thing to do is to write a farewell message.
In this blog post, we’ll give you ideas and examples of the best farewell messages. We’ll also go over how to write a farewell message and what to include in it.
Let’s start!
- Example of a best farewell message to a coworker: “Thank you for being the best coworker. Farewell, and here’s to your exciting new chapter!”
- Example of a best farewell message to a colleague leaving: “Congratulations on your new job! Best of luck to you!”
- Example of a best farewell message on your last working day: “It’s been a great time with all of you. Thank you all and goodbye!”
- Example of a best farewell message to a manager: “I will never forget the lessons you’ve taught me. Thank you for that. All the best!”
- Example of a best farewell message to an employee as a boss: “Thank you for your help during all these months/years! On behalf of the company, I wish you all the best in your career!”
- Example of a best short farewell message to a colleague: “It was great having you as a colleague. I wish you all the best!”
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Why is it important to say goodbye to a coworker?
Writing a farewell message or saying goodbye to a coworker is both a polite and a shrewd thing to do.
Namely, you never know when your paths will cross again, so it is in your best interest to stay on good terms with everyone.
Here’s how and why you should do that:
- Feel free to organize a farewell dinner or a night out with close coworkers to signal future hangouts and nurture the relationships you’ve created.
- Send a thoughtful farewell message to colleagues, clients, or managers, to leave a lasting positive impression.
- Leave your contact or phone number — that way, it is more likely that your former colleagues will call you for potential future collaborations.
- Ensure a smooth ending by tying up any loose ends to make the transition easier and to be able to focus on new challenges.
Best farewell messages to a coworker
“Wishing you all the best on your next adventure! Your positivity and hard work will be greatly missed. Farewell, and stay in touch!”
“Your dedication and hard work have been invaluable. It’s tough to see you go, but I know you’ll do great things. Good luck!”
“Saying goodbye is never easy, especially to an incredible coworker like you. Your contributions have been outstanding. Farewell, and best of luck!”
“Your presence made our team brighter. Wishing you all the success in your future endeavors. All the best in the future!”
“It’s been a pleasure working alongside someone as talented and as dedicated as you. Your absence will be felt. Goodbye!”
“Farewell, and may this new journey bring you joy and fulfillment. Stay amazing!”
“Thank you for being the best coworker. Farewell, and here’s to your exciting new chapter!”
Above are some versatile and heartwarming farewell messages you can send in almost any situation.
Here’s another example of a great farewell message to a colleague:
Now, let’s go over some examples of farewell messages for specific situations.
Farewell message to a colleague who is leaving
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that during October 2023, quits accounted for 3.6 million of job separations. So, you have probably experienced a colleague or two leaving your team.
Therefore, we prepared a few farewell messages you can send to a coworker who’s leaving:
“Congratulations on your new job! Best of luck to you!”
“Please accept my warmest congratulations and best wishes for future success!”
“I wish you the very best in the next phase of your career! Congratulations!”
“Good luck on your new journey! It was a pleasure having you as a colleague!”
“It was great having you as a coworker and mentor! All the best for the future!”
“I know how much you wanted the position you got, congratulations on that! Thank you for all the help you provided when I needed it! I hope we will stay in touch. All the best my friend!”
“Congratulations on your new job, you deserve it! Thanks for being there for me whenever I needed you, you truly are a great person. I hope we’ll stay in touch!”
“It was great having you here by my side all these years. You kept me motivated and eager to learn more. Best of luck for the future, hope to see you soon!”
Above are examples of farewell messages to both colleagues whom you were close to, and to those whom you were less personally close with.
The professional ones use more formal communication and offer a polite way to end your working relationship — a crucial aspect when leaving a company.
On the other hand, the more emotional messages can be a starting point for you to personalize them further with jokes, greetings to family and friends, or any other shared sentiments.
Here’s how Maya said goodbye to a coworker and included a humorous remark to lighten the mood:
💡 Pumble Pro Tip
If you want to learn more about the importance of staying in touch with your professional contacts and how to do so, read our blog post:
Goodbye message on the last working day
No matter whether you like your job or not, it’s important to say goodbye to your colleagues and send a so-called “last-day email” to the team.
You don’t have to send a touching farewell letter to colleagues — just a simple farewell message in your team’s group chat will do.
Here are our top suggestions:
“Thank you all for your cooperation! All the best in the future!”
“It’s been a great time with all of you. Thank you all and goodbye!”
“I am grateful for the chance you gave me. Thank you all and best of luck in the future!”
“I have enjoyed my time here, but it is time for a new challenge. Thank you all and goodbye!”
“I will be forever grateful for the opportunity you gave me. Also, thank you all for your great cooperation! Wish you all the best!”
“Thank you all for being nice to me and for letting me grow as a professional. Thanks to you I got the opportunity in [name of the company] that I dreamed of. Here is my [contact info/LinkedIn profile/phone number]. I hope to stay in touch with you all! Cheers!”
You never know where your career journey will take you.
The examples of farewell messages above will leave the doors open for you should you ever cross paths with your colleagues again.
💡 Pumble Pro Tip
If you’ve made the decision to resign, you can break the news via a resignation letter. To learn more about why resignation letters are beneficial, and how to write one, follow the steps in our guide:
Farewell message to a manager, supervisor, or boss
“Dear boss, thank God I won’t have to see you again!”
We know that some of you might want to send something like this to your boss.
However, we strongly advise against it. It is impolite, and, after all, who knows if you will see each other again.
Therefore, if you did not have a particularly good relationship with your boss, or if you simply did not talk to them that much, stick to one of the short but respectful messages.
On the other hand, you may have had a good manager/boss/supervisor who created a positive work environment and helped you develop your professional skills. Hence, those people deserve a huge Thank you.
Here are the farewell messages you can send to people in higher positions:
“Thanks for your cooperation! All the best in your future endeavors!”
“Congratulations and all the best in the future!”
“Congratulations on getting a new job! Best of luck for the future!”
“I will never forget the lessons you’ve taught me. Thank you for that. All the best!”
“Thank you for letting me grow, helping me correct my mistakes, and making me a better person and professional! All the best in your career!”
“You were a tremendous mentor, I learned so much thanks to you! Wish you every success in the future!”
“Thank you for being an excellent leader! You helped me grow and become the professional I am today! All the best, dear boss/manager/supervisor!”
Maintaining professionalism during a departure is vital, regardless of past grievances.
Free team communication software
To send professional farewell messages to your coworkers quick and easy every time, have your team use Pumble.
Farewell message to an employee as a boss
Finding the right words to say goodbye to an employee who has found a better job or just wants a career change is never easy — but a good leader needs to do it.
Here are our suggestions on what to say to someone who is leaving a job in your team:
“Thank you for all the efforts you invested and everything you have done for our company! All the best in the future!”
“Thank you for your help during all these months/years! On behalf of the company, I wish you all the best in your career!”
“Your contribution was colossal to the growth of our company! Therefore, thank you for your help, and good luck!”
“You were a wonderful asset to our company! Wish you all the best in your career and personal life!”
“If you ever decide to come back, the doors will always be open for you! Thank you for your great cooperation, and best of luck!”
By using the messages above, you avoid difficult conversations and ensure a good relationship in the future between you and the departing employee.
Farewell message to a colleague retiring
Retirement is a huge step for every person.
There will be no more daily grind, tough bosses, or workplace politics.
However, it is highly possible that after some time, a retiree will start missing their job and the people they worked with.
Here are some memorable farewell messages that you can use to say goodbye to coworkers who retire:
“Working with you was a huge privilege. I wish you all the best in your retirement!”
“I wish you all the best in the future! I learned a lot from you, and it was a real privilege to work with you. Happy retirement!”
“The office will never be the same without you. Thank you for all the advice you shared with us and happy retirement!”
“Unfortunately, I worked with you briefly. Still, it was an honor to have you by my side. Thank you for everything, and I hope to see you again!”
“Now is the time to take care of yourself, go fishing, and enjoy time with your family/dear ones! You earned your retirement. Congratulations!”
In a lot of cases, older colleagues are great role models for younger generations.
Therefore, it is good to write a respectful message — and perhaps even emotional.
Naturally, the tone of a farewell message depends on the relationship you have with a retiring colleague.
In any case, thank you and farewell messages to colleagues who retire provide valuable memories of you and your time together in the company.
💡 Pumble Pro Tip
If you want to make better connections with your older and younger colleagues, check out our article:
Farewell message when you are retiring
The time has come for your retirement. That is wonderful news!
Here are our ideas of what you could send to colleagues to say goodbye to them:
“Thank you all for making this corporation a wonderful place to work! All the best in the future!”
“I know I am leaving my second home in safe hands! Thank you all and goodbye!”
“We may not have changed the world, but we have done some extraordinary things together. I will miss you all!”
“Memories I have made in this company will last forever! Is it okay for me to stop by from time to time, am I allowed? But seriously, thanks. See you soon!”
“May you all have personal and professional success! I hope I will see our company grow further, and become stronger every day! I will miss you all!”
Your farewell message will be an acknowledgment to your former colleagues. They will be happy to see that they have had a positive impact on your career, as well.
Moreover, thanks to one of these touching messages, they will always remember you.
And that is one of the biggest satisfactions for every retiree, isn’t it?
💡 Pumble Pro Tip
If you need help writing your official retirement letter, we are here to help. Check out our blog post:
Short goodbye message to a colleague
If you want to keep your farewell message short, here are some examples:
“Wishing you success on your new journey. Farewell!”
“I wish you all the best in your future endeavors!”
“Your positive energy made an impact. Farewell, and good luck!”
“Your contributions were exceptional. Farewell, and best wishes!”
“I will cherish the memories and friendships I made here. I’ll keep in touch!”
“It’s bittersweet to leave. Wishing you all the best!”
“It was great having you as a colleague. I wish you all the best!”
“I’m grateful for the lessons and memories. Thank you!”
“Thank you for the special moments with special colleagues. Farewell for now!”
Here’s how an employee responded to a manager’s leaving announcement with a short farewell message:
As you can see, short farewell messages don’t always have to be emotionless and cold. You can send heartfelt farewell wishes even in a few words.
💡 Pumble Pro Tip
Emojis can go a long way in making a short message more personal. In fact, 91% of people agree that emojis make it easier for them to express themselves. To find out more interesting statistics about the use of emojis in professional communication, read our post:
Components of a farewell message to a coworker
Every person requires a specific approach when it comes to farewell messages. Hence, every farewell message is different.
Nevertheless, there are a few general rules you need to bear in mind when writing goodbye messages to coworkers.
Rule #1: Make a long story short and pleasant
A long essay is rarely a solution in the modern business world.
Therefore, keep your messages effective and write a maximum of one or two paragraphs.
Avoid any negativity and show gratitude to people who gave you the opportunity or helped you in any way during your time in your former company.
Rule #2: Reminisce about the old days
Although getting too sentimental rarely does any good, we recommend you add a personal touch to the farewell message to coworkers.
Namely, a sentence or two about the good old days will raise a few smiles around the office for sure.
However, be careful not to lament over the old days too much because you don’t want to make your former colleagues cry.
💡 Pumble Pro Tip
To learn more about the use of emotive language in the workplace, check out this article:
Rule #3: Leave contact information
Bear in mind that when you or your colleague leave the company, you will not be able to communicate via work email or team channels.
Therefore, we recommend you always leave your contact information — such as your LinkedIn profile or phone number — to former colleagues or bosses, so that they can stay in touch with you.
💡 Pumble Pro Tip
If your colleague is leaving and you are wondering how to ask for their contact, this post will help you:
Other ways of saying farewell to your colleagues
There are also alternative ways of saying goodbye to your coworkers.
Let’s take a look at some ideas.
Idea #1: Send a goodbye card
A farewell card is an old-fashioned way of saying goodbye to your colleagues.
If you are the one who’s leaving, feel free to send a farewell card to the office instead of sending a message via email or team collaboration apps.
On the other hand, if you send a farewell card to a departing colleague, your coworker will have memorabilia of their time in your company — something nice to help them reminisce about the past.
Feel free to use any of the aforementioned messages in your farewell card.
Idea #2: Send a gift
Who doesn’t like gifts?
A farewell gift will prove that there is a strong bond between a departing person and former company colleagues.
The best farewell present would be a thing one can use in their new role or something associated with their interests or hobbies.
Coming up with an idea for a farewell gift and buying it together as a team can be a great team-building activity.
Idea #3: Throw a farewell party
Do you want to organize a farewell in style? If the answer is “Yes”, we have a solution for you!
Instead of touching farewell letters to colleagues, throw a farewell party. It can be a proper team-bonding party, a night out, or a lunch at a restaurant.
In addition, if you have spent a lot of time in a company and have a plethora of friends there, contact your company’s HR department and see how they can help you with the party.
We’re sure they would at least spread the message to people you want to invite.
Say goodbye to your team via Pumble
Sending a farewell message to your team is an easy task with Pumble.
You can send your farewell message to the team group chat, as a direct message, or write it in the thread below the announcement.
Pumble is a team collaboration app that allows you to seamlessly communicate and work together with your team via handy features such as:
- Direct messages,
- Channels and threads,
- File sharing, and
- Audio and video calls.
If you want to try Pumble, you can create a free Pumble account right now and start chatting with your team members.
Free team communication software
How are you going to send your farewell messages to your coworkers? Try Pumble, for better team communication.
