What to write in a farewell card

By the Kehdoo team · Updated 28 October 2026

A good farewell message names something you appreciate, adds a real detail and wishes the person well. Two or three sentences can be enough. Choose an example below for a colleague, manager, teacher or friend, then replace a general phrase with a memory only you could write.

What are some short farewell messages?

• Thank you for making the everyday better. Wishing you good things ahead.
• So glad we got to work together. Keep in touch, and enjoy the next chapter.
• You will be missed for much more than the work you did.
• New team, same brilliant you. Wishing you a warm welcome wherever you go.

Short messages work well when many people share a card. They can still feel personal: add a reference to a lunch, a lesson or a conversation after the opening line.

What is a heartfelt farewell message for a colleague?

• You noticed when I was struggling before I knew how to ask for help. Thank you for your kindness. I hope your next team looks after you just as well.
• My favourite part of working here was knowing I could turn to you. I will miss the honest advice and the conversations that made busy days easier.
• You made being new feel less lonely. I will try to pass that welcome on to the next person who joins us.
• Our work together is ending, but I hope the friendship is not. Thank you for the encouragement, the patience and the laughs.

What can you write in a funny leaving card?

• Your new team gets you. We get your unfinished snack stash. Clearly a fair exchange.
• Congratulations on finding another group of people to explain your spreadsheet to.
• We promise to keep your favourite chair warm. Mostly because the heating still does not work.
• I was going to write something professional, but that would misrepresent our entire friendship.

Use humour the recipient will recognise and enjoy. Avoid jokes about redundancy, pay, workplace conflict or personal circumstances. You can combine a light opening with a sincere thank-you.

What should you write to a boss or manager who is leaving?

• Thank you for trusting me with work that helped me grow, and for being there when I needed guidance.
• I appreciated how you made space for different opinions. That is something I will carry into my own work.
• Your feedback helped me see what I could improve without losing confidence. Thank you, and best wishes for what comes next.

Keep the message about something you experienced directly. You do not need to speak for every person in the department.

What are good farewell words for a teacher?

• You made difficult things feel possible, one patient explanation at a time. Thank you.
• I will remember the confidence you gave me as much as the subject you taught.
• Thank you for seeing effort before results. I hope you know what that meant to us.

The teacher farewell guide explains how to collect messages from a class.

What can you write to a friend moving away?

• I will miss the unplanned visits most. Let us make sure the planned ones actually happen.
• Different city, same friendship. I am cheering for you from here.
• Take the good memories with you and leave a little room for the new ones we still have to make.

How do you turn an example into your own message?

Choose one line that sounds like you. Add a real detail, remove anything you would never say aloud and sign your name. If the reason for leaving is private, a kind wish for the future is enough. Put the finished message in a group farewell card or send it directly.