What to Write in a Leaving Card — 80+ Messages for Every Colleague (UK)

The leaving card: a British workplace tradition worth doing properly

In British offices, the leaving card is as much a ritual as the leaving do. But most people freeze when it's passed to them — not because they don't care, but because they don't want to write something generic that gets read once and forgotten. These messages are written to actually land.

What to write in a leaving card for a close colleague

• This office is genuinely going to miss you — not just your work, which has been excellent, but the way you make the place better just by being in it. Wherever you're going, they're gaining something brilliant. We're sad to lose you.
• I've learned more from working alongside you than from most training courses I've ever sat through. Thank you for being generous with your knowledge and your time. Huge congratulations on this next step — you deserve it.
• Some people make the whole team better without ever appearing to try. You're one of those people. Whoever thought this was a good time for you to leave has clearly not thought it through. Good luck — though you won't need it.
• The combination of sharp work and genuine kindness is rarer than it should be. You've had both in spades. Congratulations on everything that's next — I'll be following your career with great interest and zero surprise at your success.

Short, professional messages (when you don't know them well)

• Wishing you every success in your new role — it was a pleasure working with you.
• Congratulations and best of luck in your next chapter.
• It's been a genuine pleasure. Best wishes for everything ahead.
• All the very best — I hope the new role is everything you're hoping for.
• Warmest congratulations. Onwards and upwards!

For a manager or team leader leaving

• Thank you for leading with patience, high standards and genuine interest in the team's development. The things I've learned under your management will stay with me for the rest of my career. Your next team is very lucky.
• A good manager is difficult to find and harder to replace. I can say with certainty that you're both. Thank you for everything — and congratulations on what comes next.
• I've worked for managers who managed processes and managers who developed people. You were firmly in the second camp, and that made all the difference. Best of luck — you'll be brilliant wherever you go.

Funny leaving card messages (for colleagues you're actually close to)

• I always suspected you were too good for this place. Congratulations on having the nerve to prove it. Don't be a stranger.
• The meeting room will be notably quieter and significantly less interesting without you in it. Congratulations on your escape — we're all wildly jealous.
• Finally found somewhere worth going? Good. You've been far too talented for the commute to be worth it. Congratulations!
• Please note: we are not happy for you. We are choosing to act happy for you. These are different things. Congratulations and please visit.

For someone made redundant

• This isn't the leaving you planned, and it's genuinely not fair. But I have no doubt that what comes next will be better for you — because you are too good for any reasonable organisation not to want you. Please keep in touch.
• The company's loss is some other organisation's enormous gain. I mean that sincerely. Wishing you every success in what comes next.

What to avoid writing

• "We'll miss you!" — everyone writes this. Be specific about what you'll actually miss.
• "Good luck!" alone — fine as a line, insufficient as a message.
• Nothing — worse than a generic message. Always write something.

One card, everyone's voice

The best leaving cards aren't passed around the office in a carrier bag — they're created online, with everyone adding their own message in full, plus photos from team events and optional voice notes. An online leaving group card from Thankeeu lets the whole team sign from one link, wherever they're working, with an optional collection for a leaving gift in GBP. Create one here — it takes two minutes and arrives on their last day at the exact time you choose.