You can be more personal here than in a typical retirement card. Mention your shared history, inside jokes they’ll get, and your plans to stay in touch outside work.
How to write it
- Mention how you met or your first memory of working together.
- Make a concrete plan: a lunch date, a walk, a visit.
- It’s fine to say you’ll miss them a lot. Friends appreciate honesty.
Personal and heartfelt
Fifteen years of coffee breaks, and you’ve been my favourite part of every one. Work won’t be the same — but our friendship will.
You were the first person to make me laugh on my first day, and you’ve kept doing it ever since.
Losing you as a colleague is hard. Keeping you as a friend is the easy part.
Thank you for being my work wife / work husband / work everything. Enjoy every minute.
You’ve been my sounding board, my lunch buddy, and my favourite person in every meeting.
Staying in touch
Lunch every month — I’ve already put it in the calendar. Happy retirement!
Retirement won’t get rid of me that easily. Coffee next week?
You’ll have more time for our walks now. No more excuses.
I’ll text you every Monday so you can gloat about not being here.
Funny for a friend
Who will I complain to about everything now? I expect you to answer my calls.
You’re abandoning me with these people. Happy retirement, you lucky thing.
The office is losing its best gossip source. Keep me informed from the outside.
I’m not crying, you’re crying. Okay, we’re both crying.
You can retire from work, but not from our friendship. Sorry.
Short and sweet
Best colleague, better friend. Happy retirement!
So happy for you. So sad for me.
Friends first, coworkers second. Enjoy it!
Here’s to more time for friendship.
What to avoid
- Private stories that could embarrass them in front of other colleagues.
Organising the whole card? Our retirement card guide covers timing and who to invite.