Corporate Adulting
With the pandemic, many of us found ourselves saying goodbye to long-time colleagues, employees and possibly even our managers.
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During the global Covid-19 pandemic, many of us found ourselves saying goodbye to long-time colleagues, employees and possibly even our managers. I had the experience of both saying goodbye to many colleagues and then leaving myself. Since we spend more time at work than at home, I had worked with many of these people for years, so saying goodbye wasn’t easy. During the pandemic, it has not been unusual for people to leave before you ever got to say goodbye face to face.
Best case scenario, you know when someone is going to leave the company before they are gone. But in many cases, layoffs have occurred where people have left immediately, without notice. Here are some mostly virtual ways to say goodbye to your colleagues at work.
1. Hold a Virtual Going-Away Party. Host a video call in honor of that person. Set a time, send out a calendar invite and get together with the team or working group. Before I left my company, I wanted to say goodbye to my team. I wanted to be able to see their faces and talk to them in person. We scheduled a video call for an hour, and during the call, I asked if everyone would share with me a memory or something they had learned from me while I was their manager. We took turns by having people on the call raise their hand when they wanted to speak so we weren’t talking over each other. I jotted down notes during the call of what everyone said — some was surprising and definitely touching. It was a great way to achieve some closure.
2. Send an E-Card with well wishes. There are tons of different e-card options available. Group Greeting allows you to send an ecard signed by a group of people. Blue Mountain, Hallmark and American Greetings all have free ecard options available online. Some company firewalls may block these sites, so be sure to know your specific policies before using this option.
3. Send a Gift Card. If you traditionally would give a gift to someone leaving your team or organization, a pandemic-approved method would be to send a virtual gift card. Many companies now offer virtual solutions and you can often send a customized card and/or email with your gift, sending your well-wishes for their future. Additionally, Amazon.com allows you to schedule the email delivery of the gift card for a specific date.
4. Create a Going Away Video with Pictures. This was the “parting gift” I gave to my team when I left. I had taken pictures of our team events for many years (I managed the group for ~10 years) and I had many pictures of the fun times we’d had together. I used the iMovie app on my iPad, selected the photos, and set the whole thing to music in an evening. I later uploaded it to my YouTube channel and shared via email with a note to my team. It was several hours of work, but was worth it to preserve the memories.
5. Send an Email. Upon hearing of my upcoming departure, many of my colleagues reached out via email both before and after I left the company to let me know they had enjoyed working with and/or would miss working with me. It only takes a few minutes to type up a note to let others know they were appreciated, and it certainly feels great to be the recipient of a note letting you know someone is thinking of you and wishing you well as you start a new chapter in your life.
6. Give the Person a Phone Call. If you know this person well and know you won’t have a chance to see them before they go, give them a phone call or schedule a meeting to have a chance to say goodbye. If you know they have a busy schedule, send a calendar invite or shoot them a text to schedule some time. You can also do a video chat via Facetime, if desired. Several of my former colleagues and I have done this over the last couple of months and it’s nice to be able to see facial expressions while chatting.
7. Follow Up After They Leave. Because of many of us working from home, sometimes you may not hear that someone has left the company until after they have gone. This may particularly be the case if the person left due to a furlough or layoff and got very little, if any, notice. Don’t wait for them to reach out to you. If they have been laid off, they may be embarrassed and uncomfortable about calling former co-workers. Make the first move. If you don’t have their number or email, reach out via a social media channel, such as Facebook or LinkedIN. If you still can’t find a way to contact them, reach out to a shared contact or your local HR representative, who may be able to help you connect.
8. Leave a Recommendation on LinkedIN. Chances are that unless your colleague is leaving for another job, they may be searching for a new role. Leave a glowing recommendation on LinkedIN to let recruiters and future employers know what was awesome about working with this person. Sincerity matters in your recommendation. If you don’t feel you can sincerely recommend the individual, it may be best not to provide a recommendation.
9. Send a Small Gift. Depending on how close your relationship is to the person, it may be appropriate to give a small personal gift. I gave this bracelet to several former female coworkers. Another coworker gave me a necklace similar to this one when I left. I’ve also given or been given framed pictures, inspirational signs, mugs, fun notepads, planners and other small items over time. There are some great ideas for going away items on Pinterest and Etsy as well. It’s not the cost of the item that matters, it’s the thought that goes into that means the most to the recipient.
10. Make Plans for Post Covid-19. If you didn’t get a chance to catch up, make plans for later. Depending on the degree of social distancing you are comfortable with, plan to get together for coffee or a drink at a local restaurant you both enjoy. Even if you schedule for a few weeks out, it gives you both something to look forward to.
Saying goodbye to people you have spent many hours at work with isn’t easy, but these are some ways you can let them know their impact on your work life. And just because you aren’t coworkers any longer doesn’t mean you have to stop being friends. Keep the connections alive after you leave by intentionally scheduling some time periodically to get together and catch up.
Thanks for reading! Read more of my Corporate Adulting Blog series at https://monicaojendyk.medium.com/.
