Alexandre Diard An employee is leaving the company and it is time to say goodbye, but how do you deliver your best wishes to a departing employee in a professional and encouraging way?
In this article, we’ve put together the best messages and practices that you can apply to your employee farewell.
Related articles:
Employee Offboarding Checklist for a Happy Company
Are Boomerang Employees Good For Your Business?
Why You Should Care About Employee Farewells
After the exit interview, you need to think about employee farewell but let’s face it: no one likes goodbyes, and the whole offboarding process can be tough. Some people get uncomfortable as they feel some kind of pressure of expressing their emotions, and others avoid it because they do not want to get too emotional. How many times have we not said, “It’s okay, this is not a goodbye”, simply to avoid the awkwardness of it being so hard to say goodbye?
However, in the case of employees leaving the company, there is no way of avoiding the farewells.
In fact, a proper goodbye message to your departing employee is an important way of showing appreciation and gratitude towards them. It shows that you are grateful for their time, hard work, and dedication to the company. Not only do farewell quotes serve as an important time to show your dearest wishes and greetings, but they can help improve your employer brand and company culture.
Employer branding
As the last days will be the freshest memories the employee will have of the company, you want to make sure that the offboarding process is a joyful and pleasant experience where they feel warmth and appreciation. If an employee leaves the company on good terms, they are also more likely to spread a positive word about the organization, hence improving the company’s reputation and employer brand on the market.
Company culture
How you treat a quitting employee during the offboarding process and the last day at the organization sends out a message about your company culture. Treating someone that is leaving the company with respect and wishing them a bright future shows your current employees that you care for people, even after their time at the organization. A proper offboarding process and farewell message can boost your workplace culture and employee morale.
Boomerang employees
A farewell message is an essential part of continuing to strengthen your relationship with the person leaving the company. It also serves as a great opportunity to show encouragement to keep in touch, which can be beneficial for future opportunities. By staying in touch even after the departure of the employee, you increase your chances of that person becoming a boomerang employee and returning to the company in the future.
Different Ways of Saying Farewell to an Employee
There are multiple options on how to say farewell to an employee. Below, we provide a list of different examples of how to professionally conduct an employee farewell:
Give a card
Card messages are a formal way of giving employee farewell. You can buy a specific employee farewell card in a gift store and have everyone on the team sign it and write short greetings with love and best wishes. If you want to write a longer goodbye letter, you can buy a greeting card and write your own farewell letter inside. A card message gives the employee something physical to hold on to and look back at in the future.
Write an email
Sending emails is the modern way of giving out a business letter. Giving your employee farewell over email is convenient and might be the best option for remote workers. However, if you send the email to the individual’s working email, they will not be able to access it after they leave the company. If you chose to send out the employee farewell in an email, you can consider doing it at the end of their last day at work.
Give a gift
Consider giving your departing employee a farewell gift. The gifts do not have to be very special and over the top in order for you to show appreciation to your parting employee, it can simply be a flower bouquet with good luck messages attached to it.
Throw a goodbye-party
If you want to go big, you can throw a festive farewell party after work. During the party, you and other colleagues can offer your warm wishes in a farewell speech. If you are out of party ideas, you could visit themed restaurants or experiences such as a breakout room or murder mystery restaurants.
What to Include in Your Farewell Message
It is essential to include the right things to keep your farewell message professional and polite, while still being thoughtful and giving your warmest wishes. When you bid farewell, you want to keep it short and concise, show your gratitude, and mention the future.
Keep it short and concise
There is no need to make the goodbye longer than necessary as most people are not interested in reading multiple pages of text. Pick the right wording and get to the point right away. By keeping it short and concise, you know the person will read your message.
Show gratitude
If you have not had the chance to thank the employee for their work at the organization before, farewell messages are a great chance to say your goodbyes and express gratitude for the employee’s hard work at the company at the same time. You can take the opportunity to thank the person for specific projects they have been a part of or how their presence has contributed to successful teamwork.
Mention the future
You can also take the moment to wish good luck and congratulate the employee on their new job. If applicable, this serves as a good chance to offer them to come back in the future and stay connected.
15 Examples of Farewell Messages
- Thank you for your contribution and time at our company. We wish you every success in your new chapter!
- Your hard work and dedication have not gone unnoticed at our company. We will miss you and wish you the best. I know you have a bright future ahead!
- It was great having you as a part of our team, your work here made a real difference and is something we will always remember. Good luck in the future and make sure to keep in touch.
- I’m sad to see you leave, but life is about taking chances and making our dreams come true. Thank you again for everything you did for this company, it won’t be the same without you. I wish you much success in your new job, the future is bright for you!
- It has been an honor to work with you! Thank you for everything, you will truly be missed. Good luck to you in the future and come back soon.
- Thank you for your time at this company. You have been a strong influence here and a big contributor to the organizational success. I wish you great success in your career, filled with happiness!
- It’s time for me to say bye to you. Thank you for your hard effort at this company and congratulations on your new job. Until we meet again!
- The effort and time you have put into this job will be hard to replace. I am convinced you will achieve all your dreams. Don’t hesitate to reach out to me at any time!
- We are thankful for everything that you have done here and I’m sad to see you leave. Congrats again on your new opportunity and good luck in the future!
- You contributed a lot to this company, and we will miss having you around. Good luck with your future endeavors!
- It has been a pleasure to work with you. Although we are very sad to see you leave, exciting opportunities lie ahead of you! Best of luck with your new chapter, come back anytime soon.
- Wishing you the best of success on your new adventure! The company is losing a valuable person and I am sad to see you leave. I hope we will meet soon again!
- Thank you for all your dedication and hard work over many years. Your presence will be missed! Very best wishes to you!
- It is difficult to say goodbye, but I wish you all the best for the future. I am grateful for what you have done for this company. The team will not be the same without you!
- It’s been an honor to have you as a part of our team and we shall miss your contributions. I wish you good luck on your new adventure, have a wonderful future!
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