Goodbye and good luck quotes for coworkers

Oyewole Folarin loves writing greeting-card messages and helping others find the words they need for life's special moments.

Learn how to write a farewell message to a colleague who's leaving your company.

How to Write a Touching Farewell Message to a Colleague

When a colleague or coworker announces they are resigning, quitting, or moving on to another company, you may wish to write a goodbye card or note to express your appreciation and wish them well. Saying goodbye to coworkers can be painful, and showing respect and appreciation for their support and encouragement over the years is important.

In this article, you'll uncover:

• How to wish someone who is leaving the company farewell
• Heartfelt farewell messages to a coworker
• Sincere goodbye sentiments for a boss
• Funny retirement farewell messages for someone you work with
• Work-related quotes by famous people that you can put in a card
• Social-media-friendly, shareable images
• What to say if you're the one leaving the company
• How to write a goodbye letter or email (with examples)

I appreciate your time and efforts. I will miss you and hope you will keep in touch with me from time to time. Farewell!

Heartfelt Goodbyes to a Coworker: Thank-You and Farewell Messages to a Colleague Who's Leaving

A farewell note is called for when someone retires, transfers to another company, or resigns. Below, you'll find some ideas on what to write or say to your colleagues and workplace friends who are leaving. Use these to inspire your heartfelt farewell messages.

Saying Goodbye to a Coworker

• I've learned a lot working with you these past years. I know you'll be successful in your new position. Thank you and farewell, friend!
• I just wanted to take this moment to let you know how interesting it was working with someone like you and to say goodbye. It has been an honor working with a wonderful colleague like you these past years. Thank you for your help and kindness. I wish you the best of luck and continued success wherever you may find yourself.
• Take care of yourself in your new job. I wish I could be your coworker there too! The people you're going to work with are in for a real treat. Goodbye, and keep in touch!
• I'm seriously going to miss you here—best of luck in your new endeavor. See you soon!
• You may no longer be my coworker, but you'll continue to be my friend. Good luck with your new job!
• While you might no longer work here, let's keep working on our friendship. I'd love to stay in contact with you.
• Having the privilege of working with you has been the highlight of my time here. Best of luck in your new position!
• It didn't take long for me to see you as my friend, rather than my colleague. I'm lucky to have worked with you, and I'll miss you. Let's keep in touch.
• You've been so dependable, supportive, encouraging, and honest during your time here. Your new place is incredibly lucky to have you. Keep doing great things.
• I'll miss you and think of you. Thank you for the good times and sweet memories that we shared together.
• I've really enjoyed working with you. Good luck with your new job.
• Good colleagues are the kind of people you can rely on, generally, get along with, share a joke or two, and ask for help. You're definitely all of these things. I'm sure your new coworkers will think the same about you as well.
• We wish you boundless success wherever you go!
• While it pains me to bid you farewell as you start a new phase of your career, I sincerely wish you continued success in all your future endeavors.
• Let me take this moment to acknowledge the deep gratitude I have for your many kindnesses and unwavering support during all of the years that I worked with you. I wish you all the best. Goodbye!
• This is such an exciting opportunity for you, but we still can't believe you're leaving. Please keep in touch!
• Thank you for all the support and goodwill you have shown to me over the years. The sweet memories of working with a coworker like you will be hard to forget. Farewell, mate!
• Dear officemate, you are an exceptional staff member dedicated to promoting excellence and making the workplace a fun place to be. We will definitely miss you, and we hope you will keep in touch with us from time to time.
• Thanks a lot for all your support and encouragement. You are the best colleague I have ever met. Bye, and keep in touch!
• I will miss my colleague and best friend, but the sweet memories we shared together will stay in my heart forever. You are the best staff I have ever worked with. Bye!
• Wishing you the best in this next phase of your career. Congratulations, and best of luck!
• Working in this office without you will be so boring. We'll miss having a wonderful colleague like you. Good luck in your future endeavors!
• I hope that your new place is full of fun and happiness. Take care, and wishing you all the best.
• Our teamwork hasn't been the same since you left the office. We're really missing your valuable contributions.
• You've been a friend, colleague, and mentor whom I have treasured so much. However, you're bound for bigger and better things. Goodbye, mate!
• Having fun and being happy at work won't be as easy without a wonderful person like you around. The whole workplace will miss you. Goodbye, and all the best!
• Thanks for training me. I'll do my best to make sure I uphold the work ethic and commitment that you're known for. Thanks for the motivation and for the on-the-job training I have received from you! Goodbye, mate!
• Every once in a while, you meet a person that you instantly click with. You're definitely one of those people for me. I'm so happy that we got to spend the time we did together. Enjoy your new position!
• Your decision-making skill is an asset that has always inspired me to be like you. I appreciate all your words of encouragement and everything I have learned from you. Farewell, sir!
• I hope the next place that you work will rival the joy that you've had working here.

A departing coworker would love to hear that you enjoyed working with them.

Saying Goodbye to a Boss

• Under your guidance, I learned more than I could have ever expected! Thanks to you, I've gotten this amazing new opportunity. Thank you for setting me up for success—best of luck in the next stage of your career.
• [Insert boss's name], thank you for your kindness, patience, and advice. I've grown so much since I started working here. Good luck with your new job!
• Not only have I enjoyed working with you, but I have also gained a lot of experience and now know how a well-functioning department should be run. My time with you has prepared me for the position that you're vacating.
• You can definitely look forward to new opportunities on the path ahead. Farewell, boss!
• You've been an inspiration to all of us, and we've enjoyed working with you. We wish you success wherever you go. Farewell, boss!
• It has been a pleasure working with a boss like you. Thank you for making the workplace a fun place to be. I hope for your success in your new role—good luck, and farewell.
• Thank you so much for everything you've done for me. You're a wonderful boss. It's so sad to hear that you're leaving. I'll never forget you. Farewell, boss, and I hope to see you again soon.
• The most difficult and trying part of you leaving will be adjusting to a new boss who likely won't be half the leader that you are.
• If I was asked to describe what kind of boss you've been, words like encouraging, kind, patient, inspiring, influential, helpful, and a slew of other wonderful adjectives come easily to mind. Your new coworkers are gaining a truly magnificent leader.

I’ve learned a lot working with you these past years. I know you'll be succsessful in your new position. Farewell, and thank you, mate!

Wishing a departing coworker the best of luck in their future endeavors is a great way to say goodbye.

Funny Retirement Messages to Coworkers for a Farewell Card

• Are you going away because of the layoff notice you heard will be out soon? But wait, you're not included in the list of mediocre workers that we're weeding out soon. Anyway, the only thing we're going to miss is gossiping together. I wish you good luck and success!
• You must be careful in your new place! Just remember not to do something stupid that will make you end up back here—like what we did at the last Christmas party. I won't be there to have your back at the next place, so keep your eyes peeled. Wishing you all the best!
• I still don't understand why you decided to leave the company. Do you think you can have tons of fun in your new office without us? Okay, let's see who is going to miss what.
• Great to hear that you're going away. I can't wait to hear that you have been crowned as the "gossip queen" at the workplace. Goodbye!
• How long do you think it'll take before I accidentally fling Cheerios and paperclips into the next cubicle, thinking that you're still there?
• Dear [insert coworker's name], I wish I could stay with you here, but since I couldn't, I decided to write you this short note to bid farewell. The only thing I'll miss about you is the latest gossip involving what's going on in the office.
• Second only to deciding to be my friend, moving on up is the best choice you've ever made, you old dog! Let's get beers soon and celebrate this big change.
• You leaving is the absolute worst. How am I supposed to find another person who is as wonderful to work with as you? You raised the bar too high!
• Clearly, the reason that I'm leaving is so that I don't hinder the chances of those who are due for a promotion. But you're aware of the fact that if I stay, the management can't leave me to promote an average coworker like you. Step your game up, and take my job! Goodbye, mate!
• You're moving away; this office is going nowhere. However, if you need someone to help proofread your work, don't hesitate to get in touch with us. Here's wishing you the best of goodbyes!
• TAKE ME WITH YOU!
• How much more money are they giving you? Write that number down. Double it. Throw the paper away. I don't have that kind of money, but I can bribe you with brownies, my delightful smile, jokes, and my friendship. Reconsider staying!
• Now that you've decided to leave the company, the rest of us won't have to pretend to work so hard! We can all chill and relax. Your departure will translate into more money, better job satisfaction, improved job performance, and increased productivity for us. Good luck!
• You must have included gossiping as one of your hobbies on your CV to land you a new job. Goodbye, and best of luck in your new endeavor!

Departing coworkers will love to hear how much they'll be missed.

Quotes From Famous People to Put in a Colleague's Goodbye Card

Maybe you don't know the person that's leaving too well and would prefer to use an inspirational quote instead of a personalized message. Or perhaps you want to spruce up your heartfelt message with an impactful quote. Either way, here is a list of some lines to help you out.

• It is only through labor and painful effort, by grim energy and resolute courage, that we move on to better things. - Theodore Rosevelt
• No matter how small and unimportant what we are doing may seem, if we do it well, it may soon become the step that will lead us to better things. - Channing Pollock
• Dreams don't have deadlines. I'm thinking of doing bigger and better things and having more fun with it. - LL Cool J
• Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass . . . It's about learning how to dance in the rain. - Vivian Greene
• Excellent firms don't believe in excellence—only in constant improvement and constant change. - Tom Peters
• Great leaders don't set out to be a leader . . . They set out to make a difference. It's never about the role—always about the goal. - Unknown
• Any job very well done that has been carried out by a person who is fully dedicated is always a source of inspiration. - Carlos Ghosn
• Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure that impact lasts in your absence. - Sheryl Sanberg
• When you start a new job or a particular journey, you really don't know what to expect. - Eric Jerome Dickey
• Lead from the back—and let others believe they are in front. - Nelson Mandela
• Find out what you like doing best, and get someone to pay you for it. - Katharine Whitehorn
• The task of leadership is not to put greatness into people, but to elicit it, for the greatness is there already. - John Buchan

How to Combine a Quote and a Message

Here I'll give you a few examples of how you might couple a quote and an individualized sentiment.

"Opportunities don't happen; you create them." - Chris Grosser

I've seen you work so hard over the past year to create new opportunities for yourself. Even though I'm sad to see you go, I'm so happy that you're moving up in the world, and I'm incredibly proud of the hard work you've put into your career. Good luck!

"The harder I practice, the luckier I get." - Gary Player

Few people at this company work as hard as you do. I know it, the higher-ups know it, everyone knows it! Your dedication to your craft, the hard work, and the practice that you've lovingly poured into it are apparent to everyone, which is why you've been "lucky" enough to score that new position. And I say "lucky" in quotes because, really, it's all of that perseverance, practice, and effort that are taking you where you want to be. To chalk that up to "luck" wouldn't be fair. I'm glad you're getting this opportunity. I'm sad to see you go, but you really deserve this.

"It's time to say goodbye, but I think goodbyes are sad, and I'd much rather say hello. Hello to a new adventure." - Ernie Harwell

I'm sad that I have to say goodbye to one of the best coworkers that I've ever known. But I'm excited that you get to say hello to your next adventure! Let me know how things go over there. I wish you all the best.

A quote can be a great way to begin or end a farewell message.

How to Say Goodbye if You're the One Leaving a Job

Perhaps you've decided to leave the company, have found a better job, or are looking for a career change, and you want to bid your coworkers farewell. If you're the one leaving a job, here are some things that you might say in a text to your favorite coworker, in a letter to your boss, or as a general goodbye email to the entire company.

• You've made my experience here beyond enjoyable. I got to have a great time with you and learn some new skills. However, it's time for us to part ways as I start a new phase of my career. I would like to say thank you to each and every one of you and farewell to you all. I hope we meet again soon.
• I have enjoyed my time here, and I appreciate having been given the opportunity to work with you. Thank you for the support, guidance, and encouragement that you have provided for me during my time as the [name your position] of this company. Even though I'll miss my colleagues and this wonderful company, I'm looking forward to this new role and to starting a new phase of my career. Goodbye!
• I've had a tremendous time working here and want to thank each and every one of you for your encouragement and support.
• While working here has been one of the more rewarding experiences of my life, it's time for me to retire. If you'd like to get in contact with me here, I can be reached here: [insert contact info]. I'm off to enjoy not working!
• I have a lot of mixed feelings about writing to you all today. On the one hand, I'm very sad to leave this amazing company. Being your [insert job position] has been a truly profound experience. However, another job opportunity has come up that I simply can't afford to have passed me by. It's been wonderful working with you all. Stay in touch!
• I'm thankful for the time that I've had working here. I'm off to bigger and better things. Farewell!

How to Write a Farewell Letter

Generally, a farewell letter is written by employees to say goodbye to coworkers, boss, or management when leaving the company or retiring. When writing this type of letter, it is important that you use the right words to convey your gratitude and how awesome it was working together. Take the below tips as a guide when writing your own letter:

1. Start your farewell/goodbye letter with "Dear [coworkers or boss's name],"
2. Bid your colleagues goodbye and let them know how much you have enjoyed working together as a team.
3. Thank them for their support, encouragement, and guidance over the years.
4. Recall old memories, and include the most important, inspiring, and engaging ones in your letter.
5. Let them know how much you are going to miss them.
6. Include your contact information just to make it easy for your coworkers to keep in touch with you.
7. End the letter with "Sincerely yours," "yours truly," or "best wishes."

Note:

• This letter should be sent on or before the last day in the office and after you've completed all the tasks on your desk.
• Don't send a goodbye text message to your boss or management. A letter has a much more personal and thoughtful feel. The letter can be as formal or as informal as you like.
• Keep it brief and professional.

Sample Goodbye Letter

Dear coworkers,

I write to let you all know that today is my last day working with you at [insert company name]. I'm leaving for [insert new position, career goal, or company here]. While it is hard for me to say goodbye, I must appreciate all the good times we have spent working together.

You have all inspired me with your decision-making skills and the overall level of professionalism at this fantastic company. Your kind support and encouragement over the years have had a great influence on my career.

Again, I wish to express my profound gratitude to you all for showing me affection over the years. I've learned so much working with each and every one of you. Thanks for instilling in me the spirit of courage, tolerance, and patience.

Though it goes without saying, I will miss you all. And I hope we can all keep in touch from time to time. My phone number is 123-456-789, and my email address is .

Thanks for all your help and time. Goodbye!

Yours truly,

[Name]

Farewell Email Example

Composing a goodbye or farewell email to your colleagues on your last day in the office can be a daunting task. To help, here's a sample email that you can refer to.

Subject: Bidding Everyone Adieu

Dear coworkers,

Today is my last day at work here, and I would like to thank you all for the great times that we shared. I will treasure all the sweet memories that I have of working here with you.

I have enjoyed working with you all, and I see myself as one of the few lucky employees at [insert name of company] because I got to work with such a great team of like-minded individuals. It's hard for me to bid you all adieu because of how we worked together tirelessly to promote this company so that it would meet the present and future needs of clients and staff members.

Building a successful team means more than just finding people who can work together. It means finding a team that's committed to each other, has a deep sense of trust with one another, and cares about each other. During my 10+ years as a full-time staff member here, I've worked in three different departments. Despite how tough things were, every team I had the privilege to work with was able to meet, surpass, and sustain the goals that we were tasked with.

I remember when the company's success was plummeting, I was part of the team that was commissioned by the board to find a lasting solution to the challenges the company was facing at that difficult time. Under the supervision of Mr. /Mrs. _____, we researched and drafted the [paper/project] that helped restore the company.

While this has been one of the most satisfying, rewarding, and all-around wonderful jobs I've ever had, I feel that it's time for me to explore new challenges and diversify my experience. I will definitely miss you all, and at the same time, I look forward to these new career opportunities.

At this juncture, I wish you all the very best here at [insert name of company]. Once again, thank you for the inspiration and for bringing out the best in me. To keep in touch with me from time to time, my contact information is below.

[Your name]

[Your contact information]

© 2014 Oyewole Folarin

Mahesh DS on June 07, 2020:

Truly Professional & Profound... each phrase is crafted with deep seated gratitude & appreciation to the team & organisation

Mohammad Amiri on May 13, 2020:

Great , farewell letter is too hard to write , thanks for your great idea.

Lazarus Elizabeth N on March 12, 2020:

awesome ....i enjoyed

Michael Evans on March 05, 2020:

Good luck to you Tiffany on your new job! You will be missed

JMCU on November 29, 2019:

awesome messages and sample letters. Thanks a lot

Don on October 11, 2019:

Thank you for these messages

I appreciate it !

RUDRA PRASAD KALIKOTE on July 17, 2019:

AWESOME, HEART TOUCHING .

dominique on May 04, 2019:

wonderful letter

NStraw123 on March 05, 2019:

Great, many thanks. Gave me some great ideas and inspiration of how to say farewell and put it into my own words.

Mokeira on October 29, 2018:

Made my work easier. Gracias

Faith Sharon on August 11, 2018:

Awesome thanks...Bless you

Franciska Eseenam on August 09, 2018:

Thanks a lot for your help. It is much appreciated. Best Regards

Ronniek on August 07, 2018:

Am pleased, thanks

Ricky Kepi on July 24, 2018:

Awesome

Khurram on July 18, 2018:

Very nicely written farewell letters.

yogii on June 18, 2018:

Best!

Olivia on June 15, 2018:

It is helpful indeed. Please, keep uploading. Blessing to you all.

AA on June 12, 2018:

I am voting YES!

This is very helpful, wonderful, keep up with new updates, ideas and written samples!

Best regards,

T-Janice on May 03, 2018:

Thank you so much for organising the farewell messages into such thoughtful categories. Absolutely benefit a lot from your write up. Thank you once again.

Dr. Richard N. Balzak on April 25, 2018:

Who the hell voted that this article was NOT helpful. How can you read through all 2,394 full examples of how to say farewell and STILL NOT KNOW HOW TO SAY FAREWELL?!

Gisore Harera on March 24, 2018:

Very wonderful farewell letters.

Blessings

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