How to write a farewell message to colleagues when leaving a job
A short, editorial approach to a farewell message that thanks people specifically, shares one personal way to stay in touch, and leaves out grievances.
THE SHORT ANSWER
Write a brief farewell message that names specific people and what you appreciated about working with them, gives one clear way to reach you personally going forward, and avoids commentary on frustrations or disagreements from the role.
Thank people specifically
Generic thank-yous tend to blur together, while specific ones tend to land. According to harvard_followup, people are more likely to help someone they know and trust, which is one reason a farewell note naming concrete moments can matter more than a blanket message to the whole office.
Ping's editorial suggestion: mention one project or moment per person rather than a single line to the group. In a fictional example, a departing employee thanks a colleague by name for covering a specific deadline, instead of writing 'thanks everyone for everything.'
Sources: Harvard FAS Mignone Center for Career Success: Maximizing Your Network for Job Opportunities
Share one personal contact route
A farewell message is easier to act on when it includes exactly one way to reach you going forward. According to ping, tapping a Ping Ring opens a shared profile on the other person's phone without requiring an app on their end, which is one option worth considering when choosing that single contact method.
Our editorial checklist: pick one channel, such as a personal email or a shared profile link, and mention it once near the end of the message. In a fictional example, someone closes a farewell note with a single line pointing to a personal email address, nothing more.
Sources: Ping Ring: official product page
Leave out the grievances
A farewell message is not the place to relitigate frustrations from the role, even well-earned ones. According to berkeley_career_networking, networking is described as a 'career conversation' meant to gather and share information, a framing that fits forward-looking notes better than complaints about the past.
Ping suggests drafting the message, removing any sentence that reads as a complaint, and reading it once more before sending. In a fictional example, an early draft mentioning a difficult reorganization is cut entirely, leaving only thanks and a contact line.
Sources and editorial notes
Reviewed September 28, 2026. Combines a specificity-over-generality thanking structure with a single contact-route recommendation and an explicit grievance-avoidance rule, distinct from Ping's existing congratulations and thank-the-connector playbooks.