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Your Tricky Work Farewell QuestionsThis page is to help you with any work farewell dilemmas, when you're really stuck for ideas that the rest of fond-farewell.com can't help you with.So go ahead, ask your question about saying goodbye at work, and check back in a couple of days for an answer... I've been laid off, what else can I say besides "thank-you"? How do I let my old clients know that I'm still professionally available in my new workplace? I don't want to cry at my work goodbye! A coworker was let go - how do I farewell her without the office politics?
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Work Farewell Question 2 "I am leaving my current job but will still be in the same industry with more or less same clients in the same regions. How should I farewell my clients and inform them that I will still be in touch in a professional way?" Don from Singapore This situation can be tricky because you don't want to alienate your old workplace by poaching clients, yet you still want your clients to know that you are still a presence in the industry. If your old workplace is having a party for you (and it needs to be an appropriate party) you should invite the clients. You don't have to ask permission to do this - after all, they are attending a company function of which they are clients, and you may have developed good personal relationships with them, so it is entirely appropriate that they be invited. Inviting them will also make them feel part of the company 'family'. Make sure that you deliver a speech that includes your continued presence in the industry and say that you welcome everyone to keep in touch. If the company is not hosting a send-off for you, you should organise one yourself. And as you will be inviting clients, you should invite as many colleagues and managers of your old workplace so that it doesn't appear to be a poaching exercise. If there is no party, you should send an email to everyone (workplace and clients) saying a nice goodbye, thanking everyone for the time you had there, and your new contact details so that everyone can keep in touch. Send along a cookie basket or wine with a letter saying the same thing (and thanking them for their support over the time you have worked with them) to the clients if you really want to chase them down. The latter is more aggressive but just shy of actual poaching, as you are only saying what you would be saying to your old workplace. Back to TOP
Work Farewell Question 3 "I find goodbyes very emotional - I work very closely with people in some remote workplaces (I am a locum pharmacist) - and am always overwhelmed when I have a farewell thrown for me. How do I get some control over myself - I'm not ashamed about crying but I do want to appear professional!" Melanie from Australia This is quite a common issue: you are not alone! It can be very overwhelming to have a mass of people show so much appreciation for you. During the work farewell itself, keep things light. Don't ever say good-bye, but "I'll see you in the outback somewhere when you need first aid". This way you are neutralising a farewell - with all of its 'never see you again' connotations - into something less intense. During a farewell speech to you - conduct a mental exercise with yourself. After every sentence think of a witty reply - this way your brain is engaging in something and not focussing so much on the intense meaning of the speech. And don't read the card until you get home!! Back to TOP
Work Farewell Question 4 "A co-worker of mine was recently let go unexpectedly and I feel really bad about the entire situation. My plan is to have everyone who worked with her sign the card and, if they want to, contribute some money for a gift card for her. However, I don't want to make it seem like I'm undermining the senior management that made the decision. I'm not going to ask the people who were involved with making the decision to let her go to sign the card. Is this the best way to deal with this situation? I just want people to sign their name on the card and not include a personal memo. This will not be related to the company in any way. It will be from her friends at work. Is there any other circumstance I should be aware of?" Jason from the United States First of all, thank you for considering your colleague in this way. Being let go is an emotional and devastating event. To offer a card that will essentially say "thanks for all you've contributed and we're glad to have met you" can really help lessen the blow and restore some dignity. It really is awful to be hurried out the door and to feel that you never even existed in a workplace. Some kind of a work farewell is necessary for closure and for validation. Just remember that anything to do with a work farewell should be voluntary - whatever people choose to write or donate should be up to them (tips on organizing office farewell donations here) . If people want to add a personal memo, it may help her feel better, and what they write does not reflect upon you. As for the office politics there are several ways to view this:
If anyone approaches you negatively about it, you can always say that if you leave, you would like people to do the same for you. Making this a general human gesture will remove it from the drama of this specific situation. Back to TOP
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