Farewell rescue strategies for the office
Hate goodbyes? Farewell rescue is on the way! Don’t like being the centre of attention? What if you hate the company so much you're afraid you'll get angry? What if you love it so much you're afraid you'll start blubbing? Maybe you have a strong farewell "flight or fight" reflex? Remember that you do have to leave on a good note , even if it's likely to be a version of Sartrean hell , although you can have an exit strategy to avoid the farewell blues. Sometimes, however, you may just have to suck it in and take that final group hug.
Farewell rescue tip #1: Avoidance If you are happy to say goodbye but prefer it low-key, you can choose instead to do the rounds at work and offer individual parting words to people. If this is too awkward or time-consuming, email a goodbye message , saying all the nice things that would be said in your goodbye speech . Remember you are leaving on a good note and should represent yourself well. You may choose to add in the email a time after work to have informal farewell drinks, with no pressure on anyone to go. The later you leave this invitation, the less people likely to attend.
If you can't avoid the farewell presentation for some reason (I once worked in a place where not having the presentation meant depriving everyone of pizza - and you know the rule...Leave On A Good Note) then make sure your last day of work, and hence the goodbye, falls on a holiday where there are less people at work. A Friday farewell just before a long weekend, or around Christmas are ideal days. Generally Mondays are extremely bad for final days. Why have a weekend then turn up for that one last day on a Monday? Farewell rescue tip #3: Pick your time You could defer the farewell to a time you are comfortable – morning or afternoon tea is less formal than at lunchtime. 
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Farewell rescue tip #5: Find a 'safe-house' If you don't want to be an emotional wreck
If the love is so overwhelming on the day, tune out of the speech and focus on eating your pizza really slow or think of your own speech in your head. Really, there is nothing wrong with showing a bit of emotion. After all, you spend a third or more of your every day life with this community. But hold back if you think some people are uncomfortable with emotive displays, especially at work, and especially if you are likely to set them off crying too! If you hate working there Don’t say this in your speech, but you don’t have to lie and pretend you had a great time. People will see through this and not respect you for it. 
Concentrate on positive true messages, e.g. you learned a lot about xyz, it was the first company that does (insert something positive here) that you had worked for, you were impressed by the expertise of xyz, you started working at the company because ……etc. If you cant do this, emphasise the qualities that attracted you to the next company. Don’t burn bridges. Leaving well will only reinforce that the company is losing someone good, and saying positive words will at least put you in a good frame of mind. I strongly suggest opening the farewell card and having a good read to help you achieve that, if only so as not to carry all the baggage with you to your next workplace. Your workplace survival skills have helped you so far, and no doubt you'll be able to avoid a bitter farewell and manage saying goodbye nicely!
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I don't know why people avoid the final exit interview...frankly, you are hanging out with strangers (I never see HR people the entire time I work in an organisation) who are happy to have you waste their time going over the minutiae of your working life. 
