How To Say Goodbye To Coworkers & Colleagues When Leaving Your Job

When you are leaving your job, you have to tie up lots of loose ends before saying farewell. It is pretty important to leave a good impression on all your coworkers. A simple goodbye isn’t going to be enough. First things first, no matter why you are resigning, your foremost responsibility is to send a formal resignation email to your employer. Since you are still going to be in the same industry, you must part on good terms. So, just saying goodbye to your boss isn’t enough. Whether you want to retire or you are moving to another company, after informing your boss, you have to tell your coworkers and colleagues too that you are leaving. It is normal for us to think that there is no need for saying a formal goodbye to coworkers since we are not friends with all of them. But the thing is, you need to act professional and handle this departure as a business endeavor. Don’t burn bridges with your coworkers by not saying goodbye because you never know when you will need someone for a reference.

Saying goodbye to your boss or employer is easy. If it’s your first time saying goodbye to coworkers, you might have to work on it. Before you start writing goodbye emails, here are some things you should consider: • It’s ok not to send a goodbye email to close coworkers. You have to tell them personally especially if this departure is going to make a huge impact on your career. • Chances are there are some coworkers you barely talk to. You must be wondering, does saying goodbye to them really matter? Well, it does. Take this moment as an opportunity to connect with them. How about connecting with them on LinkedIn? • If there are a lot of employees in your company, saying goodbye via email is best.

This information will help you compose a professional goodbye email for your coworkers:

The subject line of the email should be professional. You don’t want to sound too alarming, too formal, or too funny.

Tell them that it was a tough decision to make as you have enjoyed working with such an incredible team. Say that you are thankful to everyone for teaching you so much and that this goodbye is not easy.

There is always one person on the team everyone likes to mess with. Why not mess with that person again? This way, you will be remembered as the cool kid.

In the email, just subtly throw how long you have been working with the company. That way people appreciate the time you have put in.

Slip in the projects you contributed to in a way that it doesn’t seem you are bragging. Everyone needs to know that you have been a part of notable contributions.

Don’t tell them where you are going or why you are going. No matter how exciting the new place seems, you have to leave it in a vague.

Mention your contact information to leave a way for people to reach you in future. Here is what you need to add: • Your phone number • Your personal email address • Links to Twitter and LinkedIn Profiles (Note: Don’t update your bio with the new position even after weeks of your departure) Don’t forget to mention that this wasn’t really a goodbye. You are just an email away. Tell them that you hope your path will cross again one day. You may not mean all that you are saying, but you never know how fruitful this could be in future.

The end of your email should have a piece of advice. It can also be your favorite quote. You need to sound sad yet excited. While writing the email for saying goodbye to your coworkers, remember one thing. It should be brief. I would say this once again: don’t give any details about why you are leaving or where you are going. Different people may interpret your reasons differently and a whole train of gossip could start about you after your departure. Since you won’t be there to give any explanation, people can spread all sorts of rumors and ruin your reputation. Keep the message as brief as possible.

Saying goodbye too early is always a bad idea. Lots of coworkers will inevitably stop by your desk to wish you luck or even ask stuff you don’t want to talk about. Such chitchats can be quite time wasting. This may even cause your productivity to decline since you will be talking to a lot of people and won’t be able to concentrate on the tasks you are supposed to complete before you leave.

Don’t forget to arrange a goodbye meal for your immediate coworkers because saying a plain goodbye won’t be enough. Use this time to relax, tell them how much you will miss them, and share stories of good times spent together. It can be a lunch or dinner together with important people so that you can have one-on-one conversations with them. It will be much better than saying goodbye in an email.

Saying goodbye is never easy but you can make it easier by following these tips. Compose a great email, read it carefully and edit if necessary. It won’t be a bad idea to ask some friend to review it. Get their feedback, edit again if needed, proofread carefully and hit send to all your coworkers. Here is a great hack: save this email and use it for saying goodbye to other coworkers from your future companies until you retire. Good Luck!