Farewell Letter to Colleagues After Resignation

At some point in your career, you might resign from one job to move to another or pursue other interests. In such a situation, it is a good idea to write a farewell letter (or more likely an email) to your colleagues, for a number of reasons.

• To inform. A number of your colleagues will probably already be aware of your resignation and imminent departure. However, others with whom you interact less frequently may not be aware, and a farewell letter will serve to inform them that you will soon be leaving.
• To be polite. It is simply polite to say goodbye to the people you have worked with, especially if you have worked together for more than a few months.
• To leave on a positive note. A farewell letter gives you an opportunity to leave the organization on a positive note and to leave a pleasant last impression.
• To help keep connections. Your co-workers are likely to be in a position to give you references for future work, to pass on your name to potential future clients, or to connect you to other opportunities. A good farewell letter helps keep this door open.

With the above reasons in mind, here are a few tips on writing a farewell letter.

Send your letter after your formal resignation has been received. Send your farewell letter only after the relevant office has received your formal resignation. Your farewell letter should not come as a surprise to your supervisor, as this may create negative feelings.

Send it a day or two before you leave. Send the letter a day or two before your last day, after you have finished most or all of your work tasks. This will give you and your colleagues some time to say goodbye in person or on phone before your departure.

Express gratitude. Thank your colleagues for the time you had at the workplace, for the experience gained and for things you achieved together. You could also thank them for informal activities that you enjoyed together.

Keep it positive. The tone and content of your letter should be pleasant in order to leave a good impression. This is regardless of the reason for your resignation. The farewell letter is not the channel for airing any grievances you may have.

Consider personalising. Consider writing personalised letters to specific individuals who played a key role in your work. Address them by name and thank them for any guidance, mentorship, or other help that they extended to you.

Alternatively, you could write a more general letter and follow it up by saying goodbye to specific people in person.

Only send letters to people you have worked with. Send your farewell letter only to people you actually worked with, especially if you work in a large organization. This is because sending a farewell letter to people who barely know you may be perceived as a bother to them. In addition, a farewell letter sent to everyone would probably seem less sincere than one sent only to selected people who have worked with you.

Provide contact information. Your farewell letter should include information on how your colleagues may reach you after you leave. Provide your personal email address, telephone number, or link to your profile on a professional website such as LinkedIn. You may also consider informing your colleagues where you are moving to if you feel this would be appropriate.

Give it some thought. Review some sample farewell letters and emails and give some thought to how you could customize yours to best fit your situation and what you want to include in it. After all, you only get this one chance to express yourself and leave a good last impression.

Farewell Letter To Colleagues After Resignation (Word Template)

In summary, a farewell letter to your colleagues after your resignation should be a thought-out, positive message. It should be sent a day or two before your last day and should leave a pleasant impression and encourages future positive interaction.