It is highly important to write a proper farewell message when leaving a job. Farewell messages must be both professional and heartfelt to leave a positive and lasting impression on your colleagues. 

When you are resigning or leaving an organization it is important to say goodbye through a farewell message. Empuls and Career Sherpa define a farewell message as one of the ways to say a heartwarming goodbye. It is considered professional courtesy and etiquette in an office environment. 

A farewell message is not only a proper goodbye to show appreciation and gratitude. It is also to maintain connection and positive terms with the people you have worked with. Leaving a positive impression through a farewell message can open future opportunities. 

Each farewell at work is an indication of professional development, so it must be handled professionally. This might be the time things get confusing. How can you leave a lasting impression with your farewell message? This article talks about it. 

First, there’s a simple tip. Do not send a too-long and heartfelt farewell message as it could lead to misunderstanding. On the other hand, do not write a message that is too short to avoid a negative impression.

Next, do not rely on a generic farewell message template. Try to give a personal touch and customize each of them. Here are several tips and templates for creating farewell messages to use when leaving a job. 

Simple Tips to Write a Farewell Message

There are some key things you need to note when writing a farewell message when resigning or leaving a job. 

To begin with, make sure your resignation has already been announced by your company. Accordingly, The Muse recommends sending a farewell message a day or two before your last day. This way, you won't startle your coworker, didn't get distracted from completing or handing over your work, and give your coworker enough time to respond to your farewell message.

You can write farewell messages to all your coworkers to express gratitude, appreciation, and celebrate the connection you have formed. For anyone you’ve worked closely with or socialized with, you can personalize the note by including something specific between the two of you. 

In addition, remember to include the exact date when you’re actually leaving. You can also leave your contact information such as your personal email address, social media, or phone number if you want to keep in touch in personal or professional settings.

Furthermore, as mentioned before, you cannot rely on a one-size-fits-all farewell message template. To leave a more excellent impression, you might need to consider the relationship or hierarchy between you and the recipient. Sometimes, you also have to adapt to the workplace atmosphere and conditions when you leave. Here are some of the different examples you can use as needed. 

Farewell Message Template to Send to Coworker

If you have a healthy workplace and healthy relationship with most of your coworkers, here is one of the templates you can use for general coworkers. It can be for people you are not really close to but are familiar with. The message length is medium and contains all the necessary information and sentiment, yet is still appropriate. 

Hello (name), 

I hope you are doing well!

As you may have already heard, I’m leaving my position as a (job title) at (company), and my last day is (date). 

While I’m excited about the upcoming journey ahead of me, leaving (company) is definitely bittersweet. I really enjoyed my time here and you’ve played a part in that. 

While I won’t be in the office anymore, I hope we can keep in touch and wish you all the best moving forward. My personal email address is (email), please reach out!

Next, besides the general colleagues you are familiar with, you must have some close friends. Maybe they’re your “partner-in-crime” in getting tasks done, the one you can count on for spending lunchtime together, or the one coworker who shares and listens to each other’s work-life frustrations most of the time. For these kinds of coworkers, it’s okay to send a more personalized and emotional farewell message. 

Dear (name of recipient),

As you probably know, starting (date), I will no longer work as (position) in (company name).

While I am excited about the future endeavors that await me, there’s also a big part of me that’s sad to say farewell to such amazing coworkers. 

It has been a pleasure working with you as we navigated both the good and challenging times. I can’t tell you how much I value your friendship during my tenure. 

This might be the end of my time with (company name). But it’s definitely not the end of our friendship. You have my number and Instagram account - so don’t hesitate to reach out when you want to grab coffee/drinks/lunch, and I'll do the same. 

It’s been a pleasure working together, and I’ll definitely keep in touch. Wishing you all the best!

Sincerely, 

(your name)

When it comes to coworkers who work on the same team or department, you may or may not consider them closer friends, but you have worked and communicated with them often. So you can also address them specifically and mention some positive impacts the team has had on you. Here’s an example.

Dear team, 

As I will leave (company name) on (date), I want to say thank you. I feel so lucky to have worked with such a talented team and I’ll miss working with you all. 

I wouldn’t be who I am today without your guidance and support. I plan to take all the lessons and skills I have acquired with me as I take this next leap of faith in my career. 

Please keep supporting each other because that's what makes this team work so well. I look forward to staying connected and hearing about the team's successes. Thank you again, and best of luck moving forward. 

On the other hand, when you think your workplace atmosphere is not really conducive when you are leaving, you can opt for a short, to-the-point, professional farewell message for your coworkers, as suggested by Pumble Blog. Here's an example.

Dear colleagues, 

I hope you are doing well. I wanted to let you know that as of (date), I’ll be leaving my position as (job title) in (company name). 

Thank you for your cooperation and best wishes!

Regards, 

(your name)



Finally, all of these templates are only examples of how you ought to customize farewell messages based on your relationship with your coworkers. They also reflect the workplace atmosphere when you leave.

In addition, as the one leaving, you might need to customize another farewell message. For example, if you are a team leader, you may want to address your team members specifically. Also, you need to consider customizing a farewell message for your manager, supervisor, or anyone senior you’ve worked with.

It might seem like a lot of work, but you'll leave a lasting impression before moving on to the next phase. Make sure you leave on a good note!

Also Read: Is it Time to Change Your Job? 5 Indicators That You Need a Career Change