Farewell Messages for a Coworker Who Is Leaving

Most people who leave a workplace are not retiring. They are taking another job, moving to another city, going back to school, starting a family, or leaving because the company decided they should. Each of those needs a different message, and the standard “good luck in your future endeavors” fits none of them.

The messages below are sorted by why the person is leaving. Each group has short lines for a shared card and longer ones for a note of your own. For someone who is retiring, use the guide to retirement wishes instead.

What every farewell message needs

• Something true about working with them. One detail is enough.
• A wish that fits where they are going. A new job, a new city and a new baby are not the same wish.
• A way to stay in touch, if you mean it. Leave it out if you do not.

Keep the reason for leaving out of the message unless the person has shared it openly. What you were told in confidence stays out of a card that the whole office will read.

Leaving for a new job

Be glad for them, and say what their new employer is getting.

• Congratulations on the new role. They are lucky to have you, and we were too.
• I am sorry to see you go and not at all surprised that someone came looking for you.
• You have outgrown this job, and it has been a pleasure to watch.
• Your new team has no idea how good their week is about to get.
• Thank you for making me better at my work. Go and do the same for them.
• I hope the new place knows what it has. If not, come back and I will tell them.
• Best of luck with the new role. You have earned it.
• I learned a great deal working beside you. Your new colleagues are about to learn the same things, and I envy them a little.
• You raised the bar here, and then you raised it again. Thank you for every project we shared. I will be watching to see what you build next.
• It is hard to be happy about losing you, but I am managing it, because this move is so clearly right. Go and be excellent somewhere new.

Moving away

• The office is losing you and another town is gaining you. I think they got the better deal.
• Safe travels, and send a photograph of the new view.
• Wishing you an easy move and a home you love.
• Distance does not change what a good colleague you have been.
• I hope the new city is kind to you and the unpacking is short.
• You are taking the best lunch company in the building with you.
• We will miss you here. If work ever brings me your way, I am buying the coffee.
• A new place is a big thing to take on, and you have never been afraid of big things. I hope it feels like home sooner than you expect.
• Thank you for everything you did here. Wherever you settle, the people there are getting a good neighbor and a better colleague.

Going back to school or changing careers

• It takes nerve to start again, and you have it. Good luck.
• I admire this decision more than I can say in a card.
• Go and learn everything, then come back and tell us what we are doing wrong.
• Wishing you good teachers, short reading lists and plenty of sleep.
• You will be very good at whatever comes after this.
• Not everyone chooses the harder road. I am glad you did.
• You have talked about this for as long as I have known you, and now you are doing it. That is rarer than it should be. I am proud to have worked with you.
• A change like this is a risk, and you are taking it with your eyes open. I hope it gives you everything you are looking for.

Leaving on parental or family leave

This is a see-you-later, not a goodbye. Keep work out of it.

• Wishing you and your family every happiness. We will keep things running.
• Go and enjoy every minute. Nothing here needs you more than they do.
• Do not check your email. That is an order from all of us.
• Congratulations, and take all the time you need.
• We will miss you, and we will be right here when you are ready.
• Thinking of you and your family, and wishing you a calm few months.
• Your desk will be waiting, exactly as untidy as you left it.
• This is the important work. Everything here can wait, and we have it covered.

If someone is leaving to care for a family member who is ill, keep it brief and warm: you are thinking of them, and work will be here when they are ready. Do not ask questions in the card.

When someone has been laid off

This is the hardest message to write, and the one that matters most. The person did not choose to leave. Do not write as if they did.

• Do say what you valued about working with them, specifically.
• Do offer something concrete: a reference, an introduction, a recommendation you will write.
• Do give your personal contact details, since they are losing their work address.
• Do not say it is for the best, that everything happens for a reason, or that you understand how they feel.
• Do not comment on the decision, criticize the company in writing, or say you feel guilty for staying.
• Do not write “congratulations” or “exciting new chapter.”

Messages that work:

• I am sorry this is happening. You are one of the best people I have worked with, and I will say so to anyone who asks.
• Working with you made me better at my job. Please use me as a reference, any time.
• This is no reflection on your work, which was excellent. Here is my personal number. I would like to stay in touch.
• I am going to miss working with you. If an introduction to anyone I know would help, tell me and I will make it today.
• You were the person I trusted most on this team. I would work with you again without a second thought.
• Thank you for everything you did here. It was noticed, and it mattered.
• I do not have the right words, so I will keep to true ones: you are very good at what you do, and I am sorry.

A handwritten note or a direct message is better than a group card here. Send it promptly, and follow up a few weeks later, when most people have stopped.

From the whole team

• From all of us: thank you for the work, the patience and the laughs. You will be missed.
• This team is better for having had you on it. Good luck from everyone.
• We are going to need a few people to replace you. Thank you for everything.
• With thanks and best wishes from the whole department. Do not be a stranger.
• You made the long days shorter. We will miss you, all of us.
• Wherever you go next, they are getting one of our best. Good luck from the team.

Marking a departure with more than a card

For most departures a card and a lunch are right. Some call for more: a founding member of a team, someone who led a major project, a colleague of many years. A small award that names what they did turns a goodbye into a thank-you. Employee recognition awards shows what that can look like, and appreciation plaque wording has lines for it. There is no minimum order, so one piece is a normal request.

For someone in uniform moving to a new posting, see military plaques. For someone who is retiring, see retirement wishes and retirement plaques. And for the colleagues who are staying, employee appreciation messages covers what to say while they are still here to hear it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do you write in a farewell card for a coworker?

One true thing about working with them and a wish that fits where they are going. For a shared card, a single sentence is enough.

What do you say to a coworker who was laid off?

Say you are sorry, say specifically what you valued about their work, and offer something concrete such as a reference. Avoid saying it is for the best.

How do you say goodbye to a coworker professionally?

Thank them for something specific, wish them well in what comes next, and leave out the reason they are going unless they have shared it openly.

What is a short farewell message for a colleague?

Something like “You made this a better place to work. Good luck, and stay in touch.” Short, true and warm is all it needs to be.

Should a team give a gift or award when someone leaves?

It is optional. A card and a lunch suit most departures. An award suits someone whose contribution was unusual, such as a founding team member or a long-serving colleague.