Goodbye Email to Coworkers: How to Write a Farewell Email

A goodbye email is a farewell message employees send to coworkers before departing a job. It is customary to send out a farewell message to your coworkers after giving two weeks’ notice and submitting a letter of resignation to your employer. You might address the email to the entire staff if you work at a smaller organization or to your team and close colleagues if you work at a larger one.

A goodbye email is essential in helping you end your job on good terms before you assume a new role elsewhere or begin another life chapter. Even if the transition to your new job has been challenging, it is professional to send best wishes and end on a positive note. You might need a letter of recommendation or help from former coworkers in the future, so it is good etiquette to maintain your professional network in your goodbye message. The goodbye email also lets you express gratitude and show appreciation for your team members.

Before heading off to your new opportunity, you should send your coworkers a functional but heartfelt farewell letter. Follow these tips to learn how to craft the best final-day email:

• Express gratitude. It is kind to thank your boss for their mentorship and your team members for their collaboration—or for whatever else they’ve provided that has given you the experience you need to face your next chapter. Regardless of your work experience or how ready you are for future endeavors, expressing gratitude is a necessary courtesy.
• Give yourself enough time. Your last day of work might be busy with farewells and loose ends to tie up, so it is safest to craft your goodbye letter a few days in advance to give yourself time to revisit and revise it. Sending the message a few days before your final day will also give your colleagues time to respond.
• Include contact information. Depending on how close you feel to your team, you might include personal contact information (such as a personal email address or phone number) or provide a professional networking profile or your work email at your new job to maintain working relationships. You should also tell direct reports who your new point of contact will be to ensure everything is clear in your absence.
• Know this is different from a resignation letter. Your farewell email should not be news or an announcement; it is traditional to give at least two weeks’ notice when you leave a job, and that should be a conversation with higher-ups. Those higher-ups will then announce your departure (and possibly your new position and job title). Then you may send your own short and caring note on on your last day or shortly before your last day at your job.
• Use a simple subject line. Your subject line can be straightforward, such as “An enormous thank you” or “Saying goodbye for now,” which nods at the day's bittersweet emotions.

Here is an example of a goodbye email template you can modify to send to coworkers:

Hello all,

It has been an incredible [number of years] at [Company Name]. I want to thank everyone for making this a positive and fulfilling experience, and I will miss you all as I head off to [New Company Name]. Thank you for your collaboration, kindness, and skills: you’ve all made me a wiser, better colleague.

If you wish to keep in touch, you can contact me at [email address and/or phone number]. As the company looks for a replacement, you may direct all questions you would typically send to me to [Colleague Name] in the interim.

Thank you all again!

[Your Name]

Update this email template as you see fit. Remain professional and appreciative so others always remember you in a good light.

It is wise to send a separate email to your bosses and mentors thanking them for their collaboration and leadership; this may take the form of a more personalized handwritten card. Here is an example:

Dear [Manager Name],

Let me start by expressing my profound gratitude: you have given me so much room to grow at this company, have taught me how to be a better team player, and have inspired me to be a strong leader one day, as you have been for me. Thank you so much for your willingness to bring out the best in me and others. I will miss you at my next job, and I hope my new manager is as wonderful as you have been; you make this such a special place to work.

My very best and sincerest gratitude,

[Your Name]

For close colleague friends, with whom you might share inside jokes, your message can brim with more personal details and flair. Consider this email sample:

Dear [Colleague Name],

I am going to miss you so much! You were always there when I needed career advice and put a smile on my face, even on more challenging days at the office. Thanks for being such a great work pal, and I hope we can see each other even after I’m no longer here. [Insert a personal anecdote or inside joke here.] Stay amazing, and best of luck!

Thanks for all the great memories,

[Your Name]

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