Last Day Adieu Email to Co-workers
Shakespeare wrote the following lines in one of his famous works:
Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow,
That I shall say good night till it be morrow.
Well, the above line has traces of romanticism but it’s the same case in the professional world. The protagonist of this story wants to say goodbye but doesn’t want to really let go of his love. It’s a similar case of oxymoron in a professional life when you are “happily sad”. When you quit your job, you are happy to say goodbye, but at the same time you feel a bit sad and want to stay in touch
In the fast moving career, where you change your job quite often, it has become quite common to send last day email to colleagues. To explain you clearly, we have defined the 4 Ws of sending last day adieu email to your co-workers in office
The Four W’s of sending last day email: Why, When, Whom and What to send
1) Why should you send Last Day Email:
- Etiquette: It is definitely counted as a good etiquette. It’s a general courtesy so that people can contact you even after you have moved on. It definitely feels good to keep in touch.
- Professional Connection: It’s a round world and you will definitely meet again. So, it’s advisable to keep in touch with your ex-colleagues. There could be some project related clarification or else you might to reach back to your colleagues for referring someone. If you are in pre sales, you might need to reach out to your old employer for some leads
- Show off: This might not be the primary reason for sending last day email but this may very well be the secondary reason. You would also need to show off that you are going to work in a better company or you are going to get a better role.
- Higher Studies: You might be quitting your job to pursue higher studies to get a better opportunity in your organization or other similar organization. You would also like to get hired by the same company. So, it’s a good idea to send your details so that the HR of your current organization could reach you for re-hiring. This information will be a feather in your cap, if you are going to join a premium institute like IIM/ISB or you just received a call letter from a prestigious foreign university.
2) When should you send Last Day email:
- It should be sent on your last working day, few hours before you plan to leave
- First take care of the other clearance process and then only send adieu email
- Please be available at your desk for sometime once you shoot the email. People might be coming to your desk to meet you
3) Whom to send:
Your email might confuse people in various department of your company. So , send separate emails to
- Project Team members: In this email you can highlight the contribution of others in your project, someone who might have helped you. In the office you will find many mentors and they may reach out to you later when they are building their team.
- Corporate Functions: Don’t ignore the persons who help in the smooth functioning of the company. They are also human beings. They will feel happy if they are thanked.
- HR: Send a thank you note to all the HRs from the one who recruited you to the one who is taking care of your exit formalities. Don’t forget the HR generalist who was organizing various events for your business unit
- Infrastucture and Networking Team: They would have definitely supported you on an ad-hoc basis without any ticket. It’s time to thank them.
- Finance: They are the guys who would have processed your salary on time without any delay. They would have helped you with the investment declaration. You might need their support even after you are gone. For example, you might have to ask for form 16 or some clarification. So it’s good to be in touch for your own benefit
- Facilities & Admin: They are the one who take care of round the clock security, refill your coffee machines, maintain generators, take care of housekeeping etc. They would have facilitated to find your desk in the bay.They also deserve a thank you note.
- Client: The client also needs to know that you are rolled off and they cannot keep on buzzing you with their endless queries. Make sure that the hand over is a proper one. Talk to your Project Management guys to know what he/she has informed the client. In some cases, the PM might inform the client that you are looking for another role in the organization. In this case, it will look odd if you tell the client that you are joining another company. It is your moral responsibility to maintain the “same version of truth”
4) What to send:
This is the most important part. Try to communicate effectively and put your points across. Always be thankful to your colleagues. Make sure that you give your personal public profile so that people can contact you. You can copy the contents from here but make sure that you change it to reflect a personal touch
Sample 1: Last Day Email sample from Tata Consultancy Services (TCS):
Hi,
As some of you may already know, today is my last day at TCS . I joined the retail vertical in Feb 2008 and in my last 7+ years of stay here, I can surely say that this is the best anybody can get in terms of the people around me, management team, work environment, benefits & everything else. I would cherish every moment spent here in TCS.
I want to take this opportunity to thank you personally and every person in the Sainsbury’s account which had given me lot of challenges, learning and growth. It has been a wonderful experience to be part of Sainsbury’s team and work with such highly talented people.
I would like to thank all the people personally whom I worked with, especially XYZ, whose positive attitude always inspired me, and whole of Retail management/leadership team for all the support & encouragement they have provided me all through these years. Thanks to everyone for making my stay here so memorable.
Please do stay in touch and hope our paths cross again. My email id: xyz@tcs.com
Au Revoir
Sample 2: Last Day email from Accenture, when the person is leaving the organization to pursue higher studies:
Today is my last working day at Accenture. I am leaving Accenture after completing a hat-trick. It is my first company and would always be the special one. I would like to thank you all for your support directly or indirectly and making the journey a memorable one.
I am going to pursue masters and we may cross the path again since the world is very small and life is too long. Till then, goodbye.
PS: I am thankful for the internal part time course by Accenture in tie up ISB, which helped me to groom myself.
Thanks everyone and Thanks Accenture.
Sample 3: Last day email from Infosys: An Employee who started his career here with Internship
Well, as most of you know, it is time for me to bid farewell to the splendid time that I spent in Infosys. This decision was not an easy one for me and it took a lot of consideration. You have all played a prime and central role in helping me grow professionally and ethically. I joined here as a fresher and I have had fun times with you guys. It was a smooth transition, where my college friends turned out to my colleagues. It seems, we all grew up together.
Even as I will miss you all, I look forward to this new challenge and to start a new phase of my career.Needless to say, I have a enjoyed every moment that I spent here and will cherish it wherever I go….
Let’s make it a point that we maintain the covenant of friendship by staying in touch.
Thank you all
Adieu !
Sample 4: Last Day Email from a Client (A senior manager from the US):
Look at the way, how nicely people in the western countries construct the sentences. It is different to other last day adieu samples, which you normally send to your office colleagues in India.
Everyone:
As I’m sure you know, today is my last day at XYZ. There are so many exceptionally talented people here who have positively affected my life over nearly 15 years and who continue to inspire me that it would take an enormous amount of time to list. I want to take a moment to thank all of you for the hard work, support, learning experiences and friendship that you have given me over the years. This company has some amazing people and I’m proud to have been part of it.
Many of you have asked for my person contact information. It is as follows:
Cell Phone: 913-744-XXXX
Home phone: 224-717-XXXX
Home email: joblagao@gmail.com
Thanks for the Memories.
Please keep in touch.
<Your Name>
<Your Designation>
Sample 5: Annoying Email:
Normally it’s not recommended to send a harsh email on your last day but some people have heart burn and they want to vent out their fury on the last day. See a sample, mailer received from one of a disgruntled employee of an IT Company in India.
Hi,
In a departure from customary practice, no emotions in this mail… Today will be my last working day at XYZ. I have already had enough from this company and my team. I think it’s time to move on. I was tired of my night shifts and my manager never supported me. My health completely broke down. I am leaving this company without any offer in hand. Can you understand my frustration?I don’t want to write more. Do stay in touch if you have to.
Email ID: admin@joblagao.com
Mobile number:+ 91- 8123826004
Disclaimer: This email has been intentionally Bcc’ed to those with whom I have established a personal rapport. If you feel you are not one, please destroy this email immediately and notify the sender that “I care damn about you”
To summarize, give a thought before sending last day email to your colleagues. Your comments/suggestions/samples are welcome in this post
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