Sample Farewell Letter to Colleagues on Retirement (with Template)

Upon retirement, it’s customary for people to write a farewell letter to their colleagues. This letter can be formal or somewhat casual, depending on the type of industry and environment you worked in. A farewell letter to colleagues on retirement should include basic information about your retirement, a thank you, and contact information if you wish to stay in touch with your former colleagues.

A farewell letter to colleagues upon retirement is to let people know that you are leaving your position. This letter may be sent before a formal announcement of your departure, although most people prefer to wait until you have announced your retirement. Your farewell letter should include basic information about your leave and your last planned date of work. This letter should be sent only to those people who you worked with directly. You can write a general form letter to send to a group or individual letters with a personalized addition to each letter.

Important Points

Your colleagues may wish to have a retirement party or dinner for your so it’s important to provide your last week or day of work so they can plan ahead. If you know who will be replacing you, that information can also be put into your retirement letter. Include contact information like your phone number, address, and email address so colleagues can keep in touch.

What Not to Include

When you’re writing a farewell letter to colleagues for retirement, there are some things that shouldn’t be included in your letter. This is especially true if you work in a formal environment. Unless you work in a very casual environment, you shouldn’t include personal information other than a brief statement on your post-retirement plans. Don’t include anything negative and it’s generally best to not write more than 2-3 short paragraphs.

Tips

It’s important to leave out anything that could possibly be misconstrued as negative or offensive. You want to leave your formal colleagues with a good impression of you and your time there. Even if you’re retiring early due to unforeseen circumstances, this is not the place to provide that information to your colleagues.

Farewell Letter to Colleagues on Retirement (Format)

Retirement letters written to your colleagues should be written in traditional letter format with your name, contact information, and the date placed at the top of the letter with right-alignment. You can also include a subject line before the greeting, but this is purely optional. This format letter gives you a standard to use when writing your own letter to colleagues. Simply change the information in brackets and personalize as needed.

{Your Name}

{Your Contact Information}

{Date}

{Optional Subject Line}

Dear {individual name or “colleagues” depending on letter style},

I’m writing to let you know of my impending retirement. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with you all. My last day here will be on {insert last work day}. After that, I hope to spend my days {insert activity you plan on doing after retirement}.

Upon my leave, {insert name of the person taking over your position} will be taking over my position. {He/She} has been trained and is well prepared for the job.

I look forward to hearing from you in the future. I’ve enclosed my contact information. Don’t hesitate to contact me for a reference or for any reason.

Sincerely,

{Your Name}

Sample Farewell Letter to Colleagues on Retirement

The following letter is a sample letter that would be appropriate in most working environments. You can use this letter to get an idea of writing your letter to colleagues on retirement. Remember to use standard letter writing rules with proper capitalization, alignment, and punctuation.

Jerry Stanford

112 Main Street

Destin, Florida 32540

(111) 222-2222

January 21, 2020

Subject: Retirement Announcement

Dear Colleagues,

As you may have already heard, I am planning to retire at the end of next month. My last planned day of work will be February 26, 2020. I wanted to let you all know how much I have enjoyed working here at First Branch Hospitality. I’ve learned much from each of you and have some wonderful memories from my 15 years of working here.

I wanted to let you know that Jessica Leemond will be taking over my position. I have been working with her for several weeks and am confident that she is prepared for the tasks ahead. I’m sure you all will enjoy working with Jessica in the future.

I will miss working here, but I am looking forward to sleeping in and getting some much-needed rest over the next few months. If anyone needs to reach me for recommendations or to catch up, I’ve included my contact information. I wish you all the best in the future.

Sincerely,

Jerry Stanford

Farewell Letter to Colleagues on Retirement (Word Template)

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Conclusion

When you write a farewell letter to colleagues upon retirement, you do have some leniency in the essential points to include in your letter. Casual work environments allow for a relaxed letter, while formal works environments mean you need to keep your letter brief and formal. Include your last day of work, information about who’s taking over your position(if available), and a brief and neutral personal message.