Name one specific thing you'll remember, thank them for it, wish them well for what's next, and offer a real next step in place of "stay in touch". Two or three sentences, signed in your own name.
The four parts
- A specific memory. "I'll miss the way you answered every Friday-evening request with 'sure, send it'." It shows you were paying attention.
- A thank-you for it. Say what it made easier. "It made the last quarter bearable."
- A wish for what's next. Match it to where they're going. "Hope the new team knows what it's getting."
- A next step, if you mean it. "Message me when you're in the city and I'll buy lunch." If you don't mean it, leave this out.
Priya, I'll miss how you answered every Friday-evening request with "sure, send it". It made the last quarter bearable. Hope the new team knows what it's getting. Message me when you're in town and I'll buy lunch. KaranMatch it to why they're leaving
- A better job. Congratulations are right, along with a line about how you'll miss them.
- Retirement. Mention the years, and a thing they did that is still part of how the team works. Retirement cards are kept, so write one worth keeping.
- A layoff or a push out. Don't write "exciting new chapter" or "onwards and upwards". Say you'll miss working with them, and offer a reference or an introduction only if you'll follow through.
- A manager. Be a little more formal, and thank them for one specific thing they did for you, not for being a good boss.
Signing a group card
- Circulate it early. Set a date before their last day so people on leave or remote can sign, and so the card doesn't turn up after they've gone.
- Keep it to a few lines. A card with twenty messages is read once, quickly. A line that's specific stands out in it.
- No in-jokes only three people get. The person leaving should feel included, and so should the people reading over their shoulder.
- No "finally!" or "you're escaping". It reads as a joke at the company's expense, and sometimes at theirs.
Can it be funny?
Yes, if it's a joke they'd enjoy reading out in front of everyone. Keep it about a shared memory, not about their habits or their reasons for going. Then close with one sincere line.
Where to go from here
- Friendship messages for the colleague who became a friend
- Wedding card, envelope or WhatsApp the same decision, for another occasion at work
- How to write a message that sounds like you the method, in three moves