The best farewell gift for colleagues

“Friends are family that you choose” – that’s what it says. But what are colleagues then? The 'family' that was brought together based on economic forces and with which one often spends more time than with the real one? When valued team members leave the company, it's a shame! And especially in times of home office, it is particularly difficult to create a nice farewell. That's exactly why we've put together ideas for you on what you can do to say goodbye.

It's the final countdown

Farewell parties are a rollercoaster of emotions! It is often sad that a nice team member or a long-time colleague leaves the company. At the same time, it's also nice to celebrate the time we spent together and look forward to the time we still have together. Especially when you're approaching retirement or a sabbatical, it's a nice idea to create a countdown. You can create and share custom countdowns using sites like Counting Down or Time and Date.

Look back together on the time you spent together

At farewell parties, speeches are often given - sometimes a little longer than necessary - pens are handed out and hands are shaken. This is not always possible at the moment and may now be a bit out of date. With the help of online tools, you can make the farewell party for your colleagues much nicer, more visual and more interactive. And we also have alternative suggestions for the filler...but more on that later ;-)

Send your colleagues a physical farewell gift

Even if (or especially because) the farewell party is taking place online, you should think about a physical farewell gift. Of course, you could also give an online voucher or credit as a gift. However, especially in the digital context, it is nice to also include a physical component. If this is then supplemented by a greeting card, it makes the whole event complete. When it comes to the gift, it is important that you allow enough time for coordination and shopping. You can vote on the farewell gift using tools like Doodle or in a special Slack channel. Also remember to write in the event invitation that the incoming package should only be opened at the event.

A final appreciation for colleagues as they say goodbye

Sweeten your farewell with a shared chocolate tasting

...or: it's best unpacked together! Instead of a farewell gift, you can of course also create an event around the gift and make not just your colleague happy, but the whole team. Our – admittedly obvious – suggestion would be a joint chocolate tasting . This definitely makes saying goodbye easier and will be remembered fondly for a long time!

A chocolate tasting as an extraordinary farewell gift

Arrange a reunion with the team

Who does not know that? It's much easier to say goodbye "for now" than forever. And while everyone usually agrees that you should stay in touch, it happens far too rarely. If the colleague or employee is particularly important to you, you should follow your words with actions. Set up a doodle and look for a 'digital coffee' appointment 4-6 weeks after the farewell party. It's best to plan three minutes at the end of the celebration so that everyone can register immediately. You can then enter the date directly into your calendar and have something to look forward to!