How did you guys say Goodbye?

[MrBig1]

A little help,
How did any of you who truly liked the company you worked for and the career occupation that you strove to achieve? I don't understand why but even after being out of work for almost a year the finality of complete separation is causing me some discomfort. This Friday is my last official day with Mega Big Steel. Because it is a holiday, Monday the 27th I'll go in for the paperwork thing.
Have any of y'all had to leave a career due to injury? What did you say? I know this isn't the normal kind of question and to some it may look like I'm looking for some group therapy. Let me assure you I look forward to being Fire'd but I want to end my old life properly.
Thanks for reading.

 

[Senator]

I was not injured when I left, but sent this email out to everyone I could think of. I had a work retirement party too, so it was an invite as well.

Although I strove to achieve my career, I was really striving for retirement. My end goal was not work, it was not working. Everything until that was preparation for achieving financial independence.

This is a short note to let you know I am retiring from <megacorp>. My last day is Tuesday, 7/5/2016.

There will be a retirement farewell event in, Room #301, where there will be some food and refreshments. If you are in the area, please feel free to stop by, and/or forward the information on to anyone that may have known me and I missed.

My time at the <megacorp> seems long chronologically, but in real terms was relatively fast. I have worked at <megacorp> for 16 of the last 21 years. Working with the different individuals and teams at <megacorp> has been a great experience. Many of you I have worked with in person, some of you I worked with and never met. Yet all of the experiences have been rewarding and have helped me mature in my career. It is impossible to thank all of the people that I have worked with, and that have been extremely helpful (and patient), as there are so many.

I will miss all of the people I have met, and experiences that I have had at the <megacorp>, while I move to the next and final adventure of my life. Hopefully it will be another 40+ years, as I am only 56 today.

Many people think about retiring, but it is more than just leaving a workplace. It is leaving your work friends and work family too. It is entering into an unknown land, where everyone’s expectations and experiences are different. I plan on utilizing the last third of my life to the fullest.

My retirement adventures will begin immediately after I leave the workforce. My future plans are to travel to different parts of the USA while still having a home base here in Minnesota. Traveling will be very likely in a fifth wheel RV. At some point, five to ten years out, I will pick a future place to reside. It may well still be in Minnesota, but more likely a warmer and lower taxed state.

I wish you all the best and want thank you for making my time here at <megacorp> an enjoyable and rewarding experience. (And offer a late apology if I have upset you in the past during the fervor of a fast paced project…)

Feel free to pass this information along to anyone that you think may be interested, or requests it. I apologize if I missed you in this good-bye email; I assure you it was not intentional. Feel free to contact me, ask questions, or check up on me at any time.

email@gmail.com
651-555-1212

 

[truenorth418]

I liked some of the people but I was fed up with my company.

I wrote a nice email expressing gratitude for the great experience and wishing everyone them well. Before leaving the building for the last time, I sent the email to dozens of my favorite people at the company. I was pleased to receive many touching responses from my now former colleagues.

My last act before walking out was to collect up my various company "service" awards and setting them prominently on top of my trash bin, which I left out in the hall for everyone to see.

 

[scrabbler1]

The resignation letter I handed to my bosses 4 weeks before I left was very short and asked them to do what they could to expedite things with my last paycheck because that would speed up the processing of my 401k which I had to empty in order to use NUA with the company stock. I still have the letter.


I did send out a short email later on to my coworkers which was more heartfelt but I didn't save it. I declined the offer to have a resignation luncheon because I almost never went to anyone else's over the years. My closest friend/coworker did take me out to lunch. There was a small gathering at my desk in the afternoon and they gave me the money they would have spent on the luncheon (about $160). I made a short speech off the cuff and we quickly went back to work.


When it came time to leave, I left very quietly, as nobody saw me leave. I left my ID card with the security people in the lobby and headed for the train station for my final trip home.

 

[Danmar]

My boss, the CEO sent a note (very complimentary of course) around. Had a lovely dinner in the old boardroom which is atop one of the highest buildings in Toronto. I got to invite the guests and ensured all levels were included (several exec assistants). After the meal everyone got to “roast, me and I responded. Was a wonderful sendoff.

 

[street]

My company asked me when I retired if I would give them one year notice before I left. So that is what I did. I really had time to think about it and I was well prepared the day I walked out. They wanted a party and I refused that I didn't want it and just wanted to be a low key event. We had a lunch for everyone I worked with on my last day.
I wanted a fast quick break from the company. This was a very close nit company with only 25 employees and I knew them all well and hired almost all of them.

To answer your question I said goodbye and haven't been back. I don't even think about the place any more. My advise make a quick fast get away and don't look back. I went out on a high note and still loved my job but I loved my time more. Lol

 

[Car-Guy]

I didn't hate my MegaCorp or the people but it was just a place to work to me. There were a few folks there that I'd call friends but not like the friends I had on the outside. However, I did hate those retirement parties. I only went to a few over the years that I was invited to so I wasn't about to have one when I left. No parties, no letters. About a week before I left I started stopping by and said goodbye to as many as I could reach in person. Some I had to call since they were located around the world but that was my way of saying goodbye.

 

[athena53]

I left very quietly. I called my husband on a Friday afternoon and said I was thinking of quitting on Monday, we talked it over on the weekend, and I did quit. My last day in the office was that Friday.

I spent the interim week finishing up and documenting a project I'd been working on and write a long, constructive e-mail to my boss and the guy taking it over noting what I'd done to clean up the data and how to make it better in the future by addressing training issues. I told two trusted coworkers a couple of days before, gradually took personal stuff home and left without fanfare that Friday. I'm still on FB with the two coworkers. I hope I never see the weasel boss again.

Last month I attended a continuing education/networking event 3 hours away; it happened to be in the city where DS, DDIL and the grandchildren live. I still find the business interesting and DS is also in the business. Last May I went to a similar event in Toronto. They meet in Honolulu in late 2019 and I'm likely to go there. I suppose that will taper off as my contemporaries retire and I know fewer and fewer people.

 

[UnrealizedPotential]

Not injured. On my last day, even days prior there was not much conversation. I did talk to my immediate boss a few days before I left. I didn't care for some of the people I worked closely with. I didn't much care for the big wigs. So when I was in the position to do so I left.

I knew it was only a matter of time. Even I didn't know it would come as fast as it did. I've adjusted and even though I was afraid of leaving my job a year and a half ago I have many things figured out now and am largely settled in.

The job was also making my blood pressure high. Very stressful at times. A few months after I left the job I noticed my blood pressure went down. I have been off blood pressure medication for over year.

 

[scrabbler1]

I should add that on my last day I went to the office of one of our executive VPs who happened to be the man who first interviewed me 23 years earlier and recommended me for a second interview which led to my job offer. He wasn't a VP back then but had risen through the ranks over the years. I thanked him for giving me a chance and was glad how things turned out in my 23 years with the company. Even though 4 weeks had gone by since I gave my resignation letter, he actually didn't know I was leaving, as one of his immediate subordinates, my divisionhead, never told him.

 

[kcowan]

I have left several places. The first was a golden handshake at 49. Said goodbye to those that meant something to me. Was surprised to get emails from some who I was not close to. Two other times I was CEO so had a send-off.

I am not good at goodbyes so tried to minimize each event. Now I encounter people who have tried to maintain some relationship with megacorp. I don't understand it.

 

[GrayHare]

During the final couple weeks I made it a point to talk individually with everyone. We were not megacorp-sized so in total this did not take very long. To a few closer people I wrote brief letters.

 

[pb4uski]

I did truly like my employer and colleagues and clients.

My boss and his boss knew that I was retirement minded but it was never an issue. My retiring (really resigning since I was too young to retire) was more predicated on certain ducks lining up in my personal life than anything else.

I told them a few months before I planned to leave and told them that I wanted to leave on good terms and was flexible. Once we agreed on an end date I gradually shifted my project responsibilities to other colleagues.

They flew me and DW down to NYC and hosted a nice going away party at a bar near our offices where a lot of people who I had worked with over the 13 years that I was there stopped by to say goodbye.

On my last day, I sent a nice goodbye email blast to just about everyone on my address book and that was it.

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

As you may have heard by now, tomorrow, February 1, will be my last day with Mega. I am so thankful to have worked with all of you for the last 13 years. I have a lot of great memories of the times we have spent together.

After working for almost 35 years for four great employers with no breaks other than vacations, I have decided to take an elongated break from work and further enjoy other aspects of life. I am looking forward to a lot of skiing, snowmobiling (if we ever get enough snow), boating, sailing, golfing and other hobbies. For some reason that I don't quite understand, I hesitate to characterize this as a retirement because it sounds so final, but we'll see.

Some people who know me well think I will get bored silly and want to get back to work after a while. I don't think so, but as they say, never say never.

I truly believe that Mega is a great place to work. I will definitely miss the camaraderie of the people of Mega and our clients (most of them anyway). I probably won't miss performance reviews, annual plans, difficult clients and client situations and most of all, time reporting.

While I will miss you all, there are a handful of people that I need to publicly thank for their important roles in my Mega experience over the last 13 years:

[current Boss] - for making providing outstanding client service so darn fun.
[another boss] - for keeping me out of trouble (for the most part) at [notable client] .
[First boss], - for recruiting me to the firm and for his sage counsel over the years (at cigar and other bars).
[another boss] - for making Project [X] and other projects so fun and letting me occasionally travel in style
and last, but in no way least, [my assistant], for her infallible support during my entire time at Mega (how many people get to have an outstanding EA for 13 straight years?).

For those who want to keep in touch, you can reach me at or at [phone number].
[/QUOTE]

 

[Ronstar]

On October 1, 2012, I emailed a letter stating that I was giving 6 month notice to terminate my employment contract. Within the 6 months, the company and I agreed that I would work 960 hours in the next year and that the company would buy my remaining company shares. I walked out the door on April 2, 2014. But I have done a couple hundred consulting hours for the company since.

 

[RunningBum]

You'll probably be the only that remembers it a year from now (unless you leave with drama, which does not sound like your intent), so do what makes you feel good. But if you want to maintain contact with some people, a nice parting will make that more likely. I was not injured but worked remotely the last few years. I came back and invited some people to join me after work for beers, and was touched at the number of people who showed.

 

[W2R]

I was not injured, but here is how I said goodbye when I retired.

There was the obligatory retirement luncheon a couple of days before I retired.

Then on the morning of my retirement I sent a farewell e-mail to everyone I worked with, either inside or outside the agency, stating my retirement date. In it I first praised the organization for its hard work in accomplishing our mission, its ethics, and expertise, and said I was proud to have worked there. All of that was true, but I probably poured it on a bit. Then I indicated that my work would be left in the very capable hands of my supervisor, and individually thanked those in my chain of command who I worked with. I wrote a couple of sentences about what I was going to do in retirement (! I know! I said I was going to grow roses and take up the piano again and move north, none of which ever happened). And, finally, I wished everyone good luck and said goodbye.

The last couple of days at work I had a stream of people passing through my cubicle to say goodbye, to wind up loose ends on work projects, and to ask who they would be interacting with about this or that now. Most of them wanted to know why I was really retiring, so I told them that I could and that I had been planning it for some time. Anyway, I got to say goodbye to everyone individually that way.

 

[brett]

I worked with very good people. My employer, a megacorp, had gone downhill in terms of employee satisfaction etc. so my job satisfaction has decreased a little.

I said goodbye to those I worked with, local and remote, and then walked away. I intended to stay in the industry either part time or consulting. Time and other activities overtook this. We did not have any financial stress to FIRE-quite the opposite.

I had a good career, enjoyed it immensely, met some wonderful people and on balance worked for an excellent company, an excellent employer who treated me well. I am very thankful for this and for the opportunities for personal and career growth that they provided.

But it was time to draw a line under this part of my life. So I did, and moved on.

But I still have a slight tinge of guilt when we buy a competitive product to those of my former employer!

 

[Cobra9777]

I liked my old Mega and most of the people. But the work had become very stressful in the latter years, especially the last 5, which included frequent trips to Asia and some political nonsense. As soon as I was comfortable that the numbers worked, I told my boss I was retiring. It was quiet for about a month while he and his boss planned the transition. Then he sent a nice email announcing my retirement, followed by one announcing my replacement and some other dominoes. That was fairly standard procedure at Megacorp for someone at my level.

That announcement generated lots of very nice 1-on-1 emails from people I had worked with over 25 years, including people who had long-since left the company. I spent several days answering all the emails, which was a lot of fun. I never sent a separate "thank you" or "goodbye" group email, which some people did. It was a little awkward because I ended up staying 6 months after the announcement. They wanted me to help with the transition and finish up an acquisition project I had been working on. My boss wanted to have a retirement party for me but I resisted. Instead we had a really nice lunch with 7 or 8 people about a month before I finally left. I also had multiple 1-on-1 lunches during that period with people who really meant a lot to me.

 

[lwp2017]

Go say private goodbyes and shake hands if you can in your last few weeks. Those mean the most.

 

[Luvdogs]

I worked for the same company for 20+ years. I had been working at home but only about 15 minutes from our office. I called my manager and told her I would like to talk to her, went in and she was in her cube. I told her we need to go into the conference room and gave her an envelope. She said "I don't think I want to open this." I said "oh yes you do!!" It was my two-week retirement notice.

We had a good relationship, the director happened to be there and she said let's talk to him. This was February 2010 when very few people were "voluntarily" retiring. My manager said, why don't you stay until April when bonuses come out. Director reminded her that bonuses are for the prior year so I would be eligible anyway since I retired and did not quit/get fired. So I got my bonus in April.

Next thing he said, would you like to come back sometime as a temp/special projects. I said maybe but leave me alone for a year. The following February he contacted me about some special projects. I did some things over the next couple of years for them but haven't in a few years.

And oh--I'm not the first that this has happened to--they said don't tell mega account that you are retiring; the bigwigs will let them know. I said fine.

Well it turns out no one told them and I found out that the account was complaining that I wasn't returning phone calls--after I retired!

 

[FreeBear]

I knew I wanted an early exist within the first 5 years of my tech career. I greatly enjoyed the technical w*rk, but didn't care for the political BS which grew with every passing year as the industry offshored.

When DW and I hit our target number, I joined her in retirement. I gave a short notice, and used the time to clean out my desk and say long, in person goodbyes to my w*rk friends. During the last week, I visited over a dozen people at their desks or over lunch. It was my best week ever at w*rk! Folks told me I had a huge grin on my face

I'm only in occasional contact with a few people after 3 years of FIRE. This is fine with me. We've all moved on.

 

[marko]

After 35 years of building a company, we were acquired; as part of the senior team I was not included in the transition.

I wrote a general note to our 5,000 employees:
"As many of you know, I will be not joining you at [New Company]. [Old Company] and I started our careers together and grew up together and so now, it's only appropriate that we should retire together etc etc "

I did not get a retirement party per se as we were living in Europe at the time, away from HQ. DW threw a small get together for our closest friends in Cannes however, which was quite nice. (and the new company didn't know it but they paid for it!!)

 

[Senator]

Go say private goodbyes and shake hands if you can in your last few weeks. Those mean the most.

Great points. I went to lunch many days with soon-to-be former co-workers over the last few months. I also gathered email addresses and contact information that I may have trouble getting after I left.

 

[martyp]

Not injured. I gave 3 months notice and burned up 2 months of vacation before the official retirement date. I told my boss I was retiring in person so the resignation email was 1 sentence. On the last day I sent a bulk email to colleagues and said goodby. I enjoyed my career there but it was a good time for me to leave. Everyone was happy for me. I got a retirement luncheon about a week before I left. Since then I've met my old work colleagues for lunch and kept in touch through Facebook.

One bit of advice. If you don't like the job you are leaving then don't send out a nasty farewell letter/email. I've seen a few of those and it's just wrong. Let it go and just leave quietly.

 

[MrBig1]

Many thanks. Gotta just do it.

Thanks all. I know what I have to do now. It just pretty much means send out an email broad notice of retirement and let it go.