Goodbye email to coworkers and clients: Templates and tips

Last day of work is approaching and you’re panicking at the thought of writing your goodbye email? Are you unsure whether to send your farewell email to all your coworkers and whether to include long-time customers, too? We’ve summarized the key elements of a successful goodbye email to coworkers, along with some examples for inspiration. If you want to avoid blunders and empty phrases, read ours tips for a successful farewell email to your colleagues.

You might find it difficult to write a goodbye email, or you might be wondering whether a simple handshake might be a better option. However, sending a last email before leaving your job isn’t just a matter of good etiquette. It’s also a way of reaching employees and partners at other locations who you can’t to say goodbye to in person. For your coworkers and customers, your farewell email can also provide important details like who will be taking over your projects. A goodbye email is vital. It’s also your chance to leave a good lasting impression.

Who you send your farewell email to depends largely on the nature of your workplace and its organizational structure. If you’re saying goodbye to coworkers at a small or mid-sized company, you can definitely send your email to all employees. However, if you work at a large corporation with multiple branches, it’s better to limit your email list. Send your farewell email to your department, your direct supervisors and coworker friends from other areas and departments.

Your farewell email to coworkers, just like all your communication in the workplace should be professional and free of grammatical errors. It should also follow the basic rules for successful work emails. The tone of a farewell email can be serious and factual, but in some cases, it can be more emotional. This depends on factors such as the size of your company, the tone among coworkers and superiors, or the customs in your industry. However, you should avoid being overly emotional and making bad jokes. Be genuine, lighthearted, and upbeat.

The tone, length and details you choose for your farewell email depend on how long you were with the company, what your role was and how your company is structured. A goodbye email after six months at a start-up will be different from a farewell email written after 25 years in a leadership role at a multinational corporation.

You can mention why you’re leaving, but depending on the reason, this may or may not be a good idea. For example, if you were fired or found a new job, it may be more tactful not to include this information. Of course, a farewell email before retirement is different. If you’re only leaving your job temporarily, you should communicate that. You may also need an out-of-office message for your parental leave or sabbatical.

In the following sections, we’ve listed some other information that you should include in your email as well as details you’re better off not mentioning.

• Date of your last workday
• Contact information: You won’t be able to use your work email address much longer. Therefore, it’s often advisable to give your coworkers a personal email address and/or phone number so that they can contact you in the future.
• Name of the new point of contact/replacement for your projects or role
• Link to your profile on business networking sites such as LinkedIn or Xing, your own website or Instagram, Twitter accounts, etc.
• Date, location and details for your office farewell party (if planned)

While praise and humor have their place in a farewell email to coworkers, the same is not true for criticism and gripes. Negative things are best discussed face to face. Keep in mind that you never know who you’ll encounter again in your professional or personal life. Moreover, it looks very unprofessional if you make disparaging remarks in your last email.

You don’t have to mention your new employer in a goodbye email. In some cases, this can be counterproductive if the company is a competitor or if your departure is fraught with problems. It doesn’t make sense to include this information unless you’re moving to a partner company or a new branch and will continue to work with former colleagues in the future.

Always send your farewell email a few days before your last day of work. That way your coworkers will have enough time to say goodbye to you personally and maybe even organize a going away present. If you’re planning to have a going away party, send the invite a few days ahead of time so your coworkers have advance notice.

If necessary, discuss the timing of your farewell email with your boss. In any case, make sure your departure has already been communicated within your company before you send your goodbye email. That way you’ll avoid surprises and misunderstandings.