Birthdays, anniversaries and leavers for UK workplaces
Staff birthday cards and leaving cards that never get forgotten
No more realising at 4pm that it was Gareth’s birthday. Thankeeu reads birthdays and start dates from your HR system, opens a card to the team before each one and delivers it on the morning. When someone hands in their notice, a group leaving card is two clicks away.
Book a demo | Create a free company account
Free company account. Team cards with no card fee. Free pilot on request.
- Birthdays from the staff list: Each birthday card is created and opened to colleagues before the day.
- Leaving cards in two clicks: Start a group leaving card the moment someone announces they are off.
- Anniversary cards on the date: One year, five years, twenty years, all from start dates.
- Collect for a present: Colleagues chip in by card in pounds, nobody holds the cash.
Where staff birthday cards usually go wrong
Almost every UK office has a system for birthdays and leavers. It is usually a shared calendar, a drawer of cards from the supermarket and a brown envelope. It works until it does not.
- Birthdays land on the wrong day: Someone is on annual leave, the date falls on a weekend or a bank holiday, and the card turns up a week late or not at all. The person notices, even if they say nothing.
- Leaving cards miss half the team: A leaving card that circulates on paper only reaches people in the building that week. Colleagues on nights, at other sites or working from home find out at the leaving do.
- Anniversaries are forgotten entirely: Hardly anyone tracks start dates by hand, so a colleague reaching ten years often gets nothing, while their birthday is remembered. It sends the wrong message about loyalty.
Automated staff birthday reminders, and the card itself
A reminder alone still leaves someone to buy, circulate and send the card. Thankeeu creates the card, emails the signing link to their department or the whole company, and sends it on the day, so a reminder is never the thing standing between someone and their birthday card.
Colleague birthday cards
A card opens to the team ahead of each birthday, with time for people to sign, and lands in the person’s inbox when you choose.
Work anniversary cards
Start dates become anniversary cards automatically, so long service is marked as reliably as birthdays.
Leaving cards started fast
When someone hands in their notice, start a group leaving card in a couple of clicks and set it to land on their last afternoon.
Life events too
Baby showers, get well cards, sympathy cards, promotions and retirements, each started in moments when the news comes in.
Stays in step with HR
New joiners and leavers flow in from your HR system, so the birthday list is never out of date.
Timed around your week
Pick the delivery time. A birthday that falls on a Saturday can still get its card, at a sensible hour.
Connects to your HR system: Personio, HiBob, BambooHR, Rippling, Gusto, Deel, Zoho People, SeamlessHR, WorkPay, or import a spreadsheet of your team. Birthdays and start dates are pulled from your HR system, which is far more reliable than a spreadsheet someone updated in 2022. If you do not use one of the systems listed, upload a spreadsheet and resync whenever people join or leave.
Why a digital card beats the envelope round the office
The point of a staff birthday card or a leaving card is that everyone who worked with someone gets to say so. Paper makes that hard for a modern UK team. A shared link makes it easy.
One link for everyone
Post it in email, Slack, Teams or WhatsApp. No account or app needed to sign, from a phone on the bus or a laptop at home.
More than a scribbled signature
Colleagues add messages, photos, GIFs, video clips and voice notes, and can mark a note as private for the recipient only.
A leaving collection without the envelope
Turn on the gift pot and people chip in by card. The recipient claims it to their bank or as a digital gift card.
A Memory Movie for the leaving do
Every card becomes a short film with music, ready to play on the screen in the pub or the meeting room.
Keep it forever
The recipient can download the card as a PDF, which is handy after a long career or a big birthday.
All in your company workspace
Cards live on your own company address, so staff can find and sign every open card in one place.
Online leaving card for a colleague: the British way, without the faff
Leaving cards matter in the UK. The leaving do, the speech, the present bought with the whip round and the card everyone signed are part of how we say goodbye properly. What has changed is that people now work in different places on different days, so the card has to travel to them instead of the other way round.
With Thankeeu, an online leaving card for a colleague takes a couple of clicks from your company workspace. Set it to arrive on their last afternoon, share the link with the department, and watch the messages build up. You can see exactly who has signed, so nobody important is missed. For one off cards outside the Teams plan, see our online group cards for the UK.
What to write in a colleague birthday card
Most people freeze when faced with a blank card. A few prompts help, and on a digital card people can take their time rather than writing something hurried while the card waits on their desk.
- Mention something specific: The project they rescued, the biscuits they bring in, the way they run the Monday stand up. Specific beats generic every time.
- Keep it warm and short: Two or three sentences is plenty. A voice note works well for people who are better at talking than writing.
- Mind the audience: Everyone on the card can see public messages. Use a private message for anything personal.
- Add a photo: A picture from the away day or the Christmas do brings the card to life far more than a signature.
Work anniversary cards in the UK: the moment most teams miss
Long service still means something in Britain, whether it is a first year at a startup or twenty five years at a manufacturer in the Midlands. Yet very few organisations track it well, because start dates sit quietly in the HR system and nobody gets a reminder.
Thankeeu reads start dates as well as birthdays, so a work anniversary card is created on schedule for every colleague. You can pair the bigger milestones with a gift pot or a mention at the next team meeting, and the Memory Movie gives the moment something to watch together.
Bank holidays, annual leave and odd shift patterns
British calendars have their quirks. Birthdays fall on bank holidays, people book annual leave around them, and shift workers may be off on the day itself. Because cards are delivered by email at a time you choose, the person still gets their card wherever they are, and colleagues can sign in the days before without needing to be in on the date.
For teams across Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland with slightly different bank holidays, there is no separate setup: the card simply arrives in the inbox when you planned.
From spreadsheet to automatic cards in a week
- Start a free company account: Set up your workspace, or book a demo if you would like a free 14 or 30 day pilot first.
- Bring in birthdays and start dates: Connect your HR system or upload a spreadsheet of your people.
- Decide what runs automatically: Birthdays, work anniversaries and welcomes for new joiners, with delivery times that fit your working hours.
- Send invites and let it run: Colleagues are invited by email and start signing the first cards of the month.
Thankeeu for Teams pricing in the UK
Automatic birthday and anniversary cards are part of the Teams plan, charged per employee per month and shown below in pounds at today’s rate. Two months are free on yearly billing, and no setup fee is charged. If you only need the occasional leaving card, the free company account has no card fee.
Pay yearly and get 2 months free. The Teams plan covers cards for your whole team, automations, the HR dashboard, imports and HR system sync, gift pooling, video and the Memory Movie on every card. Larger organisations get a tailored quote.
Free company account: Create cards for any colleague, any occasion, with no card fee. Upgrade when you want birthdays and anniversaries to run on their own.
Thankeeu for Teams compared
Here is how Thankeeu compares with the tools UK teams most often look at for staff birthday and leaving cards, based on each company’s published pricing. Thankbox for Teams also automates birthdays and anniversaries at a flat yearly fee, though HR sync is not listed and gift collections take a fee per contribution. Kudoboard offers group cards widely but birthday automation only on Enterprise. Reward Gateway is aimed at benefits and discounts.
| Feature | Thankeeu for Teams | Thankbox for Teams | Kudoboard | Reward Gateway |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Standard rate, per employee a month. Pay yearly and get 2 months free. | From 19 a month billed yearly (£, € or $), flat fee | From $299 a year (Business, 1 to 50 employees) | £8 per employee a month (from £6 yearly) |
| Free option | Free company account, team cards with no card fee | No | No | No |
| Group cards the whole team signs | Yes, on every plan | Yes | Yes | No |
| Automatic birthdays and work anniversaries | Yes: birthdays, work anniversaries, new hires and more | Yes | Enterprise plan only | Not listed |
| HR system sync | Personio, HiBob, BambooHR, Rippling, Gusto, Deel and more | Not listed | Enterprise plan only | Not listed |
| Pooled gift | Cash pot, claimed to bank or as a gift card | Collection, fee per contribution | Group gift collection | Discounts and rewards |
| Keepsake video | Memory Movie on every card | Slideshow on Premium | Slideshow on some boards | Not listed |
Competitor prices and features as published on each company’s own pricing page in October 2026. Not listed means we could not find it there. Check their sites for changes.
Questions HR teams ask
How do we send staff birthday cards automatically?
Import your team from your HR system or a spreadsheet and switch on birthdays. Thankeeu creates each card, invites colleagues to sign and delivers it on the day at the time you choose.
Are these automated staff birthday reminders or actual cards?
Actual cards. The team is invited to sign ahead of the date, and the finished card is emailed to the person on their birthday.
How do I make an online leaving card for a colleague?
From your company workspace, start a leaving card in a couple of clicks, add their name, set it to arrive on their last day and share the link with the team.
Can a group leaving card include a collection?
Yes. Turn on the gift pot and colleagues chip in by card in pounds as they sign. The person leaving claims it to their bank or as a digital gift card.
Do you do work anniversary cards in the UK?
Yes. Work anniversary cards are created automatically from each person’s start date and delivered on the anniversary.
What if a birthday falls on a weekend or bank holiday?
The card is delivered by email at the time you set, so it still arrives on the day. Colleagues sign in the days before.
Can people who work from home or on shifts sign?
Yes. Anyone with the link can sign from a phone or computer at any time, with no account or app needed.
What can colleagues add to a birthday card?
A written message plus photos, GIFs, a video or a voice note. Messages can be marked private so only the recipient sees them.
Can we see who has not signed yet?
Yes. The HR dashboard shows who signed each card, so you can send a gentle reminder to the people who have not.
What happens when someone joins or leaves the company?
Resync with your HR system or update the spreadsheet, and their birthday and anniversary cards are added or stop accordingly.
Can we send cards for retirements, new babies or sympathy?
Yes. Retirement, baby shower, get well and sympathy cards can all be started in a couple of clicks. UK retirement ideas are in our retirement cards guide.
Is there a free way to try it?
Yes. The company account is free and cards made from it have no card fee. Ask for a free pilot of 14 or 30 days during a demo to try the automation.
Can the card be played at the leaving do?
Yes. Every card comes with a Memory Movie, a short film with music made from the messages and photos, ready to play on the screen at the do.
Can the recipient keep the card?
Yes. They can revisit it online, watch the Memory Movie and download the card as a PDF.
How much do automated staff birthday cards cost?
The Teams plan is a standard rate per employee per month. The table on this page shows it in pounds today, with two months free on yearly billing.
Guides for HR and people teams
Never miss another colleague’s birthday
Book a demo and see a year of birthdays, anniversaries and leaving cards set up from your staff list, or create a free company account and send a group card this afternoon.