Farewells are never easy. This holds true even when saying goodbye to your job and co-workers. While you may have mixed feelings, it is always best to part on a positive note and a simple goodbye mail is an effective way to accomplish the same.
For those changing their job for the first time, writing a goodbye email can be tricky. You question the content of the mail, its audience and the tone, among others.
Here are some useful rules that you can follow to say goodbye the right way:
Brevity and tone
While composing a goodbye email addressed to the entire staff in your office, it is best to keep it formal and brief. Simple words with clear, concise meanings that best convey the motive of the mail should be used.
Gratitude
A goodbye mail to your co-workers is an effective way of conveying your gratitude towards them. Farewell mails should not dwell on past grudges, it should rather focus on things that you appreciated during your tenure at the organisation.
Keep a balanced approach
It is never a good idea to brag while bidding farewell to your co-workers. Take the road of humility, as nothing is worth the resentment, not even the gratification of showing off your new accomplishments. Keeping the mail to-the-point helps you avoid the temptation of straying from the main goal.
The one for the boss
It is advised to create a separate mail for your immediate boss or manager. This is the one person you worked closely with, and therefore, it is important to address the person seperately. In this mail, you can highlight the path that you traversed under their mentorship and talk about the lessons you learned. You can add some suggestions for improvement as well but do so in the humblest manner possible.
Subject line
For any mail, the subject line is very important and the same goes for a goodbye mail as well. The subject line should be short, crisp and curated with care, keeping in mind the purpose of the mail without it sounding too alarming.
Talk about your work
Since work was one of the only threads that tied you to your colleagues, it is good to use that as the base. Talk about some of your projects, the challenges you faced and the things you learned during your tenure.
Contact details
An important aspect of a goodbye mail is your contact information for any further communication. It is best not to cut any ties with the people in your field and mentioning the contact details at the end of the mail helps you do so.
Timing is crucial
It is very important to keep the timing of the mail in mind while sending it out. The perfect time to send a goodbye mail is on your last working day, probably just a few hours before you leave. A little while after the mail, make sure you are present at your desk, having completed all the formalities, to greet anyone who comes to see you off.
Writing a goodbye email is now a standard, globally. The above points can help you maintain professional relations that can turn out to be extremely beneficial in the long run.
