Workplace farewell etiquette

April 27, 2022 8:30 PM

After nearly 7 years at my job I am moving on! I would like to say thank you and goodbye to my co-workers and also have some pictures I would like to give them. I’m debating between giving hand-written cards plus prints of the pictures vs. emails plus digital copies of the pictures. If your co-worker was leaving, which would you prefer?

For some more context, I work at a small organization (total staff of about 24 people), and have been long time co-workers with about 20 of those people (this place has good retention rates). I am leaving on (mostly) good terms and want to send (most of) my co-workers a heartfelt thanks and farewell note. I also have been sorting through lots of old computer files and have found a bunch of great/sweet/funny pictures from over the years - enough for about 3-4 pictures per co-worker. I’d love to share the pictures in some form. I am in my late 30’s, so although analog cards/pictures were the norm when I was younger, it seems like digital is more common and socially acceptable these days. Also I don’t relish the idea of writing 20 hand written cards. Also open to other suggestions (cards/prints for some people, digital for others).
So, polling the hive mind:
1) Would you rather receive a hand-written card or an email from a departing co-worker?
2) Would you rather receive physical prints of pictures or digital copies?

posted by sleepingwithcats to Work & Money (19 answers total)

I strongly prefer handwritten cards and printed photos- the labour is part of what makes it special, and a much nicer keepsake than a computer file.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 8:41 PM on April 27, 2022 [8 favorites]

I would rather receive an email. For coworkers I like, I reply to this email and cc both personal emails so I can retain contact information.
posted by shock muppet at 8:51 PM on April 27, 2022 [10 favorites]

Digital. If I value our relationship enough to actually want the additional physical object in my life, I'm probably going to stay in touch with you anyway.
posted by hoyland at 8:56 PM on April 27, 2022 [4 favorites]

If I have any interest in the photos for the future I would want digital copies in either case.
posted by yohko at 9:00 PM on April 27, 2022 [3 favorites]

Make some cards with printed photos, make the digital photos available digitally for anyone else. Perhaps at a website where they can also sign a virtual guest book.
posted by vrakatar at 9:06 PM on April 27, 2022

For coworkers? Email, or a Google drive folder or something. I can print my own photos, and with printed photos I don’t care to keep the only thing someone is giving me is guilt over binning them. If you’re especially close with someone (seeing them outside of work on weekends instead of just like a department happy hour), maybe both, but at least the digital versions.
posted by supercres at 9:24 PM on April 27, 2022 [2 favorites]

Email with digital photos, preferably sent from your permanent (i.e. non-work) email address so I’ll have that too.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 9:50 PM on April 27, 2022 [1 favorite]

Handwritten card, with group farewell email with contact info and link to site where pictures are kept.
posted by praemunire at 9:53 PM on April 27, 2022 [6 favorites]

Email 100%. If you want to keep in touch with colleagues, give then your personal email address as well.
posted by dg at 10:16 PM on April 27, 2022 [2 favorites]

I wouldn't feel guilty if you don't want to send cards, literally no one would be expecting that (like, it would never occur to them to be like "wtf, an email instead of a card?") A goodbye email has been standard at my company, and if someone had included a few nice photos that pertained to me I would have thought it lovely.

I do like the idea of having a site where all the photos are kept. So maybe an email with whatever photos you would have given that person attached, and a link to the site to see all the pictures.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 3:32 AM on April 28, 2022

Put the photos in a central digital location where they're accessible to all, choose one particularly great one to attach to a group "thanks and goodbye" email to everyone.

Additional individual emails to a handful of people who meant most to you saying whatever you wanted to say to each of them and maybe attaching one more photo and reminding them to check out the group cache because there are some great ones of them in there.
posted by penguin pie at 3:36 AM on April 28, 2022 [3 favorites]

I’d strongly prefer digital for both.
posted by Stacey at 4:36 AM on April 28, 2022 [1 favorite]

I would have no preference, either would be nice.

I think it's really neat you are doing this for co-workers.
posted by james33 at 4:55 AM on April 28, 2022

I love hand-written notes and I have little framed photos all over my house; HOWEVER, emails and a group digital photo album would still be more than I expect from a departing coworker these days.
posted by kimberussell at 5:49 AM on April 28, 2022 [1 favorite]

A print and a handwritten card would be very lovely. There may be people who wouldn't be into it, but some will -- and I think the risk/reward calculation makes it very worthwhile to create printed items. Make them beautiful; why not?
posted by amtho at 6:31 AM on April 28, 2022

I prefer the digital version of both because I don't want to keep any physical notes/photos around.
posted by WizKid at 6:59 AM on April 28, 2022 [1 favorite]

I think handwritten notes are a lovely touch and have been pretty common in the office settings where I've worked. I will just add a different take on the photos, knowing that it likely varies by workplace culture. But in the nonprofit and academic institutions where I have worked, the individual photos would likely have been too much. Unless, perhaps, photography was a part of your professional role there. It seems appropriate in that case to email a link to all of the great photos you have taken over the years in that capacity.
Otherwise, I would err on the side of emailing only a select few colleagues photos who you think will appreciate them and with whom you have rapport.
posted by fies at 8:10 AM on April 28, 2022

I would only go so physical note if I had always been that way. It would be a bit strange and out of character to suddenly leave notes and cards and pictures and such, weird.... If that was your work character, go ahead. An odd change at the end... seems like a wake or memorial. Unless that's always been your thing, then it's normal or at least not surprisingly weird.
posted by zengargoyle at 9:29 AM on April 28, 2022

Response by poster: Thanks for the thoughts, everyone! In case it wasn't obvious, I was way overthinking this and it really helped to hear what others would want/appreciate. My workplace is pretty casual (we are a non-profit youth organization, so the pictures are mostly of staff & kids, nothing formal or fancy). I'm going to stick with digital notes/pictures for everyone except the E.D. who has a preference for hand-written notes. Thanks again everyone!
posted by sleepingwithcats at 3:26 PM on April 28, 2022