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Farewell gifts for a coworker.
From one of you, or all of you.

The best farewell gift for a coworker comes from the whole team: one card everybody writes in, and a pot that buys one good thing or goes to them as money.

Below are ideas by who is giving, ideas for a boss and for somebody remote, and what to write.

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A mug. You're leaving us for a place with a better kettle.

From the whole team

One gift from everybody beats six small ones from a few.

  • A card everybody signs

    With a collection inside, so the people who never meet them still get to sign.

  • One thing they would not buy themselves

    Paid for from the pot. Ask a close friend at work what that is.

  • Lunch on the last day

    Then the card, read at the table or sent that evening.

  • A book of the work

    Photos of what they built or shipped, each signed by whoever was there.

From one person

Small, and about the next job rather than this one.

  • A notebook and a good pen

    For the first week somewhere new.

  • Their coffee order

    As a gift card for the shop nearest the new office.

  • A plant for the new desk

    Pick one that survives being forgotten.

  • A note in your own hand

    Costs nothing. Kept longest.

For a boss

Give as a team. A gift from one person to a boss reads as a bid, even when it is not.

Something for after work suits a boss better than something for the desk: a dinner, tickets, a bottle they like. Put the card on top.

For a coworker who works remotely

Everything has to travel.

  • A card with one link

    Everybody writes in it from wherever they are, and it opens on the last day.

  • Money

    They can spend it anywhere, which a box of things cannot promise.

  • Delivery to their door

    Timed for the last afternoon, not the week after.

What to write

Three things a farewell card can say that a gift cannot.

  • One thing they did that you still use

    A checklist, a template, a way of running the Monday call.

  • A moment only your team would get

    The outage, the offsite, the printer.

  • Where you hope to see them next

    A conference, a pub, the next company.

How much to put in

Most people give what they would spend on a round of drinks. Nobody should be told an amount.

Let people give nothing and still sign. A pot that shames the quiet ones is worse than no pot.

Pick a design

  • A set of car keys. You were the only one who knew where the spare keys were.
  • An envelope. Good luck. We'll forward anything that comes for you.
  • A pot plant. The office plant will miss you. It told us.
  • Marker lettering with a highlighter stroke. It's not the same without you. It's quieter, mainly.
  • Two-colour printed lettering. The new lot don't know how lucky they are.
  • A printer. Who's going to fix the printer now?
  • Marker lettering with a highlighter stroke. We had a whip-round. It came to £11.40 and a button.
  • A suitcase. Congratulations on escaping.
  • Marker lettering. Jealous you're leaving. "Sorry" is crossed out and "Jealous" written above it.
  • Marker lettering with a highlighter stroke. You made Mondays less bad. Not good. Less bad.

Questions

What is a good farewell gift for a coworker?

One gift from the whole team, with a card everybody signs. If it comes from you alone, keep it small and about the next job.

What do you give a boss who is leaving?

Give as a team, and pick something for after work rather than for the desk. A dinner or tickets, with the card on top.

How much should each person put in?

What they would spend on a round of drinks, and nothing if they would rather not. Everybody signs either way.

What if they work remotely?

Use a card with one link that everybody can write in, and send money or a delivery timed for the last day.

Part of online leaving card.

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