A farewell letter is a mean of expressing your sentiments when a colleague or a senior is leaving work. It is quite common that people leave their jobs for better opportunities or due to personal problems. This letter is a professional and formal way of saying goodbye to them.
When working together in the same office for a long time, colleagues develop a bonding. Other than their professional relationship, often they grow a personal friendship with one another.
Be it a colleague or a boss/manager with his juniors, they get close to each other when they work together on the same projects, share work responsibilities and take some time off during lunch and tea breaks. As a result, when one of them leaves, there are emotions of sadness as the one who is leaving will be missed by the others and vice versa.
A farewell letter acts as a way of expressing these emotions. Goodbyes can also be said verbally but this piece of document is a written record which can be preserved as a memory. In addition, you can say more through a letter as compared to verbal farewell.
Other than organizing an office lunch/dinner or giving a goodbye gift, a letter is also a courteous way of properly bidding farewell to a person who is leaving employment after working for a considerable period. It lets the writer express his gratitude to the leaving person for his positive contributions. The writer also encloses his wishes in this letter for the future of that person.
A farewell letter may be written for a colleague, boss or for an employee. While the general content of the letter remains the same in each case, there is some difference in the tone. Each of these letters is discussed below.
Farewell Letter to an Employee
- This letter has a professional tone since it is written by the management or the administration of an organization for an employee. Therefore, overexpression of emotions is not recommended. Simply state that you regret at the loss of a good employee.
- Praise the employee for some of his distinguishing qualities which proved to be useful for the organization. In this way, the company acknowledges an employee’s skills and expertise and shows gratitude for his services.
- Thank him for winding up his tasks before leaving. It is proof of professional behavior which must be acknowledged and appreciated.
- In the farewell letter, the management also mentions any formalities that must be performed before an employee’s last day at the office. For instance, the employee is asked to perform his clearance procedure as per the company policy. Although such formalities are dealt with in other kinds of notices and letters, this document is used as a reminder.
- Bring the letter to a conclusion with good wishes for the future.
In each letter, use a positive tone. Make the person feel special about himself by praising him for his professional skills and thanking him for his services and contributions. Goodbyes should always be accompanied by positive sentiments and optimistic thoughts. Therefore, a farewell letter should be written keeping these points in mind.
Sample Letter
Dear (Employee’s Name)
I am writing this farewell letter to you on behalf of XYZ Corporation. You served the company for 5 years and have played an important part in our overall growth and success. We regret the loss of a conscientious employee like yourself.
You have been a hardworking employee. The management appreciates your interpersonal skills through which you helped us attract more clients. In addition, your ability to handle challenging projects made you one of our most valued employees. The company will also miss you for being self-motivated, enthusiastic and driven – qualities that always helped us get closer to our organizational goals.
We would like to thank you for winding up the ABC Project before resigning. You have exhibited true professional ethics by fulfilling all your work responsibilities before leaving the office. We are especially thankful to you for organizing all the paperwork for the person who takes your position next. This is going to be a great help for the new employee as well as the company.
The company has cleared all your dues. You will receive your provident fund within a month. Kindly refer to the enclosed documents for details. As tomorrow is your last day in the office, kindly contact Steve Doe of the HR department for your clearance.
You are supposed to submit your company’s ID card as well as the gadgets provided to you by the office – laptop, cell phone,
The Company wishes you best of luck for your future endeavors. May your career flourish with your growing skills and experience.
Regards,
Senior HR Manager
Jane Doe
Farewell Letter to Boss
A boss/supervisor/head plays the role of a leader. When he is leaving employment, you should make him feel how you will miss your mentor. Express your regrets at his resignation.
- As a recognition and acknowledgment of his fine leadership, you may state that no one else will be able to be such a good guide.
- Show your gratitude for his supervision, guidance and valuable advice. State that you have been able to grow your experience and refine your skills under his supervision. It is courteous to thank a boss by acknowledging the fact that you owe your professional growth to his counseling and directions.
- Praise his professional qualities. You may give specific examples of any milestones the company achieved due to his work. At the same time, you should also praise him for his positive personal qualities like kindness and empathy towards his juniors.
- Give him your wishes for his future.
- Sayings and quotes may be used where you feel lost for words while saying farewell.
Sample letter
Respected (Name of Boss/Supervisor)
It has been a great honor working as the Assistant Manager of the Finance Department under your supervision. It is difficult to say farewell to you since you have been such a great leader and mentor. I cannot imagine working without your guidance and advice. However, as Ernie Harwell said
It’s time to say goodbye, but I think goodbyes are sad and I’d much rather say hello. Hello to a new adventure!
therefore, I must congratulate you for your new job and hope the person who takes your position here turns out to be at least half as good as you have been in your role as the head of the department.
I have learned a great deal under your guidance. You helped me grow professionally and brushed-up my skills. I am grateful to you for all your professional support. You have also been very kind and understanding towards all your juniors. I must say we have all been lucky to have you as our boss.
On behalf of the entire department, I wish you the best of luck for your next professional venture. Once again, thank you for your valuable advice, supervision as well as patience and kindness.
Sincerely,
ABC
