In a farewell card, write one specific thing the person did or was, say what you will miss, and wish them well in what comes next. On a group card that is one or two lines. In a card of your own it can be five or six sentences. "Good luck" on its own is what everyone else wrote. The line they keep is the one that shows you noticed them.
The formula
- One specific thing. A project they rescued, the way they ran a meeting, the biscuits on a Friday. Something nobody could write about anyone else.
- What you will miss. Say it plainly. "The desk opposite will be too quiet."
- A wish for what is next. Name it if you know it: the new job, the move, the course, the rest.
- A way to stay in touch, if you mean it. A number, or a date for a drink. Leave it out if you do not.
Before you write, check two things: why they are leaving, and who else will read the card. A group card is passed round the office and the boss reads it too. Write nothing you would not say in the kitchen with everyone there.
Examples
A close work friend
Seven years of sitting opposite you and I still don't know how you drink coffee that strong. You made the bad days funny and the good days better. I'm not saying goodbye, I'm saying see you Thursday at the usual place. Go and be brilliant.
I would not have lasted my first year without you. Thank you for every lunch, every rant and every time you fixed my spreadsheet without telling anyone. They are lucky to get you.
A teammate
Good luck at the new place, Kofi. You were the person I went to when I didn't understand something, and you never once made me feel slow. We'll miss you.
Thank you for three years of keeping your head when the rest of us lost ours. The rota will never be this organised again. All the best in Bristol.
Short lines for a group card:
You made this place better. Go well.
The team won't be the same. Good luck, and come back for the Christmas quiz.
Thanks for everything you taught me. I'll try not to break what you built.
Your boss
Thank them for something real. Warm, not gushing.
Thank you for backing me when I asked for the Dublin account. You gave me room to get things wrong and you were always straight with me. I learned a lot from how you run a team. All the best in the new role.
It has been a pleasure working for you. Thank you for your time and your patience. Good luck with the move.
Someone on your team
If you managed them, say what they were good at. They may keep it for a day when they need reminding.
You came in as the most junior person in the room and you leave as the one everyone asks. That was your doing, not mine. I'll give you a reference any day of the week. Go and enjoy it.
Someone you barely know
Do not fake a friendship. Short and kind is honest.
All the best for the new job. It was good working with you.
We didn't work together much, but you were always friendly in the lift, and that counts for a lot. Good luck.
Funny
Laugh with them, about something the two of you share. Not about the company, and not about the people staying.
Who is going to tell me the printer is haunted now? Good luck. Take the stapler, you've earned it.
I am having your chair. I have wanted it since 2021. Good luck, we'll miss you.
When they did not choose to go
Redundancy, a contract not renewed, ill health. Skip the congratulations and the jokes. Say what they were worth, and offer something real.
I'm sorry to see you go, and sorrier about how it happened. You were the best editor on this desk. I'd be glad to be a reference, and I'll pass on anything I hear about. Let's have lunch next month. I'll message you.
It has been a privilege to work with you. This place is losing someone very good. My number is below. Please use it.
Moving away, or retiring
Retirement has a guide of its own: what to write in a retirement card. For someone moving:
Lisbon is lucky. Thank you for making the office feel like somewhere I wanted to be. Send a photo of the view, and keep a sofa free for me.
A friend or neighbour who is leaving
Nine years of borrowed ladders and wine over the fence. The street won't be the same without you two. Come back for bonfire night. There will always be a plate for you.
Group card or your own
| Group card | Your own card | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | One or two lines | Four to six sentences |
| Who reads it | Everyone who signs after you | Only them |
| Best for | Teammates, people you knew a little | A close friend, a mentor, your boss |
| What goes in | One specific thing and a wish | A thank you, a memory, how to reach you |
What to avoid
- "Lucky you, getting out." It reads badly to everyone who is staying, and the boss will see it.
- The reason they are leaving. If it was a falling out, a redundancy or an illness, the card is not the place to comment.
- Inside jokes that embarrass. The night out in 2019 can stay between you.
- "Don't forget us." It hands them a small job on the way out. "We won't forget you" is kinder.
- "Keep in touch" with nothing behind it. Add a number or a plan, or leave it out.
- "Everything happens for a reason." Never to someone who has been let go.
- A full page on a group card. Leave room for the others. If you have more to say, buy your own.
Writing one with Hemmingway
The farewell message generator helps when the card arrives on your desk and your mind goes blank. Tell it who is leaving, how you know them, where they are going, and one thing you remember about working with them. Say if it is for a group card, so it keeps to a line or two. It works only from what you tell it. Read the result, change what does not sound like you, and write it in yourself. There is a free trial with no card needed, and the plans are on the pricing page.
If you are asked to say a few words at the leaving drinks, see how to give a toast. If you are the one leaving, there is a guide to the resignation letter.
Try HemmingwayDownload the app
Common questions
What do you write in a farewell card for a coworker?
Name one specific thing they did or were good at, say you will miss them, and wish them well in the new job by name if you know it. On a shared card, one or two lines is right.
What is a good short farewell message?
"You made this place better. Good luck" works for almost anyone. Better still is one line only you could write, such as "Thanks for teaching me the rota system and never laughing when I broke it."
What do you write to a boss who is leaving?
Thank them for one real thing: a chance they gave you, something they taught you, how they handled a hard week. Keep it warm and brief, and wish them well in what comes next.
What do you write in a farewell card when you did not know them well?
Keep it short and true. "All the best for the new job. It was good working with you" is honest and kind. Do not invent a closeness that was not there.
What do you write when someone has been made redundant?
Leave out congratulations and jokes. Say what they were good at and that the place is losing someone valuable, and offer something practical: a reference, an introduction, lunch next month.