Farewell card messages: what to write in a leaving card
A good farewell card message thanks the person for one specific thing, wishes them well for what comes next and is signed with your name. Two or three sentences is plenty in a shared card. In Australian offices the card usually goes around the team in their last week, so write it while it is on your desk.
Farewell card ideas
Most leaving cards in Australian workplaces are one big card that circulates around the office and gets presented at the farewell, so your message sits next to many others. Short and personal beats long and generic. Not sure what kind of send-off to plan? Start with the farewell planning guide.
If you are the one passing the card around, set a deadline a day or two before the farewell and keep a list of who has signed. Many teams pair the card with a group gift; the farewell gift ideas page sorts options by AUD price band, and a shared collection lets everyone put in a small, optional amount without handing cash across a desk. Set up a wishing well for the farewell and share one link with the team. Writing for someone who is retiring rather than moving on? The retirement card messages page has lines for that. For a friend starting somewhere new, see congratulations on your new job.
- Format: one big card that goes desk to desk, or sits on a table near the kitchen, for the whole team to sign.
- Who signs: everyone who worked with them, plus anyone from other teams who wants to. Closer colleagues can add a separate personal note.
- Next to the card: one collection link for a group gift, shared in the same message as the signing deadline.
How to write a farewell message
- Name one real thing. A project you shared, the way they ran a meeting, the coffee run they never missed. One detail does more than three adjectives.
- Say thanks. Tell them what they made easier or better. People keep leaving cards for years, and this is the line they reread.
- Look forward. Mention what is next if you know it: the new job, the move, the trip. If you do not know, a simple "all the best" is fine.
- Keep it to their tone. Jokes work for someone who liked a laugh at work. For a quieter or more senior person, warm and plain is safer.
- Sign it so they know who you are. In a card with dozens of names, add your team or a reminder like "from the desk by the window".
Short farewell messages and sorry you're leaving lines
Short and simple
For when there is only a corner of the card left, or you want a good luck line that works for almost anyone.
- Sorry you're leaving. It won't be the same without you.
- Thanks for everything. Good luck and keep in touch.
- We'll miss you. All the best for what comes next.
- Goodbye and good luck. You've earned a great next chapter.
- The office is going to be very quiet. Go well.
- Thanks for being such a good person to work with.
- Wishing you every success in the next role. They're lucky to have you.
- Go and do great things. We'll be cheering from here.
- Best of luck with the move and the new start. Send us a photo of the view.
- Here's to the next adventure. Don't forget us when you're famous.
Farewell messages for a colleague
For a colleague
Warm, professional and easy to sign.
- It's been a pleasure working with you. Thanks for always being willing to help.
- You made Monday mornings a lot more bearable. All the best.
- Thank you for your patience every time I asked the same question twice. Good luck.
- I've learnt so much from watching how you handle tricky clients. They'll miss you too.
- The team has been better for having you in it. Wishing you the very best.
- Thanks for the laughs, the advice and the biscuits. Go well.
- You were always the calm one in the room. Enjoy whatever comes next.
- Losing you is a blow to the team, but a big win for wherever you land.
- It won't be the same walking past your desk. Stay in touch.
For a close colleague or work bestie
When a signature is not enough.
- Who am I meant to send memes to at 3pm now? I'll miss you heaps.
- You got me through more deadlines than I can count. Thank you for being my work person.
- Same lunch spot, first Friday of the month. That's not a request.
- Work will be duller without you, but our friendship isn't going anywhere.
- I still owe you a mountain of coffees. Let me start paying them back soon.
- Thanks for every pep talk in the stairwell. You're the best.
- You made this job feel like a team, not a workplace. Go and shine.
- This card is not big enough for everything I want to say. Call me.
Goodbye messages for a boss or someone in your team
For your boss or manager
Respectful, grateful and specific.
- Thank you for backing me when it mattered. I've been lucky to have you as a manager.
- You set the bar high and helped us reach it. All the best in the new role.
- Thanks for trusting me with more than I thought I could handle.
- You made it easy to put my hand up and ask for help. That's rare. Thank you.
- Your door was always open, even on the busiest days. We'll miss that.
- I'll be borrowing your way of running meetings for the rest of my career.
- Wishing you the best for the next step. Your new team doesn't know how lucky they are.
- Thank you for leading with kindness. It showed in everything the team did.
For someone in your team (from a manager)
Recognition they will want to keep.
- Watching you grow into this role has been one of the best parts of my job. Thank you.
- You've left this team in better shape than you found it. Well done and good luck.
- I'll happily be a referee any time. Go and show them what you can do.
- Thanks for your hard work and your good humour. Both made a difference.
- You raised your hand for the hard jobs and never made a fuss. That won't be forgotten.
- It's been a privilege to manage you. Keep in touch and let me know how it goes.
- The next team you join is getting someone special.
- You made my job easier every single week. I'm going to miss that.
If you didn't work closely with them
You do not need a shared story to write something kind. Keep it short, genuine and about them, not about how little you knew them.
For someone you didn't know well
Polite without sounding like a form letter.
- Wishing you all the best in your next step. Thanks for everything you did here.
- I always enjoyed our chats in the kitchen. Good luck with what's next.
- Your work on the end of year report made my job easier. Thank you and all the best.
- Sorry we didn't get to work together more. Best of luck in the new role.
- You always had a friendly hello for everyone. That will be missed.
- Good luck and go well. The place will feel different without you.
- Thanks for always answering my emails so quickly. Best of luck.
- I hope the next place treats you well. All the best.
Funny leaving card messages
Save these for someone who likes a laugh, and keep the joke about the job or the office, never about why they are leaving.
Funny farewell messages
Light lines for a well-liked colleague.
- Who's going to fix the printer now? Seriously, who?
- Congratulations on escaping. Please leave instructions for the coffee machine.
- We've decided not to accept your resignation. Good luck anyway.
- We've agreed to keep your mug as a shrine. Nobody is allowed to use it.
- I'll finally get the good chair. Thanks for everything, really.
- Don't worry, we'll blame everything on you for at least six months.
- Leaving us for a job with fewer meetings? Rude, but fair.
- Your plant has asked to come with you. Please take it, none of us can keep it alive.
New job, moving away or travelling
Moving on
For a new job, a move interstate, long service leave or a big trip.
- Congratulations on the new job. They've picked well.
- Their gain is very much our loss. Go and smash it.
- New job, new desk, same brilliant you. All the best.
- Exciting times. I can't wait to hear how the first week goes.
- Brisbane is getting a good one. Make sure you come back to visit.
- Wherever you end up, I hope the coffee is good and the people are kind.
- Distance means a few more phone calls, that's all. Safe travels.
- You'll always have a couch here when you're back in town.
- Enjoy every minute. We expect postcards, or at least a group chat photo.
- Go and see the world. Your desk will be here, under a pile of mail.
- I'm very jealous and very happy for you. Have the best time.
When the goodbye is hard
Not every farewell is happy. If someone has been made redundant, is leaving for health reasons or is going through something personal, skip the jokes and the "exciting times" lines. Thank them, wish them well and leave the door open.
For a hard goodbye
Kind, low-key and free of assumptions.
- I'm sorry to see you go. Thank you for everything you gave this team.
- You were a big part of what made this place work. I'm thinking of you.
- Whatever comes next, I hope it's good to you. Please stay in touch.
- It has been a privilege to work alongside you. Take care of yourself.
- Thank you for your kindness to all of us. You'll be missed more than you know.
- If you ever need a referee or a coffee, you know where I am.
- Thinking of you as you go. You've been a real asset to this team.
- Wishing you rest, good people and better days ahead.
What to leave out of a leaving card
- Office gossip, or anything you would not want their new manager to read.
- Jokes about the reason they are leaving, their age or their health.
- "Finally!" or "lucky you, escaping this place". It can read badly to everyone else who signs the card.
- Your own complaints about the job. The card is about them.
- Long inside jokes that only make sense to two people. Save those for a message on the side.
Turn the card into a group farewell gift
Most people would rather put a little into one good farewell gift than buy separate small ones. Share one link with the card so everyone can sign and chip in in the same week.
- Create a free registry for the occasion.
- Add a wishing well.
- Share one link with everyone who wants to chip in.
- Buy the gift once you know the total.
Setting up a registry with a wishing well is free. Guests can chip in by bank transfer, in cash or in store with no EasyRegistry fee. Card and PayPal contributions are a Premium feature ($39 one time), and card funds are released when the registry closes.
How a group gift wishing well works, and how much to ask each person for
Farewell card FAQ
In a shared card, two or three sentences is plenty: one specific memory, a thank you and a wish for what is next. A farewell email or a speech can run longer; SEEK suggests 100 to 300 words for a written farewell message.
Yes, if the person enjoyed a joke at work and the reason they are leaving is a happy one. Keep the humour about the office, never about their age, health or reasons for going. When in doubt, pick a warm line instead.
If you would like to stay in touch, yes. A personal email or a "find me on LinkedIn" is fine. Leave out work numbers they will not be able to use once they leave.
Both work. A team card signed by everyone is the usual Australian office format, and anyone closer to the person can add a personal note or send their own message as well.
In their last week, ideally at the farewell itself, so they can read it with the team around them. Pass the card around a few days before so everyone has time to sign.
Keep it short and genuine: a thank you for something you did see, like a friendly hello or a piece of work, and a good luck. You do not need a long story to write something kind.
Pair the card with a group gift
Create a free registry for the farewell, add a wishing well and share one link with the team.