How many of us are already looking towards our retirement? No matter how much you enjoy your current role, no matter how much it fills your soul and brings you joy to get out in the world and do what you do, you can’t deny that there is a tiny part of you that is looking forward to your golden years.
Retirements can feel bittersweet, as much-beloved coworkers head off into the next stage of their lives. A card with well wishes from everyone can be a great centerpiece of a send-off, but when that card is coming towards you and you have to think of something to write, you can panic!
Do you write something heartfelt? Something witty? Something generic?
Do not panic; we have just the list for you. Here are some of the best retirement messages you can pass on to your colleagues as they prepare to leave the workforce and enter their golden years.
Planning a coworker’s retirement
With a coworker retiring and leaving the company, you have a perfect opportunity to plan. On the contrary, when someone leaves for a new role, it can be sudden and unexpected. There can be little time to set up conversations around succession adequately. Even if you have spoken to mentees about the importance of career paths and planning, there is no guarantee that any of what you have planned will come to pass.
Colleagues don’t have to be your best friends, but there is no denying that you spend a lot of time with them. When a colleague retires, they don’t need to be a trusted mentor for you to recognize that their loss might prove a problem for the company. Management needs to be proactive and ensure adequate succession planning is in place to cover the loss in knowledge and expertise the team member’s retirement will bring.
While the rest of the team organizes a retirement gift and fusses over what to write in a card, management should be focused on ensuring there won’t be significant gaps in the team. Does the retiree have a mentee ready to step into their shoes? Is there enough time to set up a few months of shadowing and mentorship to make an internal handover smooth? Will you have to turn to external recruitment if there is no internal talent to take over the retiree’s duties?
Retirement is a time for joy and celebration where we happily look back at a hard worker’s achievements across their career. However, the companies and managers losing them need to be prepared for the negative effects their leaving may bring. It is more of a balancing act than most might initially believe.
So, with all that in mind, why don’t we take a look at some of the messages you might want to leave in a retirement card?
Short retirement messages
Only got a tiny space for a few words? Here are some short and sweet messages that won’t take up a lot of space in a card that needs to be signed by everyone:
- Wishing you joy in this exciting new chapter.
- Cheers to endless happiness and days of fun.
- You’ve earned every moment of your freedom; enjoy it!
- May retirement bring you health, happiness, and adventure.
- Time to relax, travel, and enjoy life to its fullest.
- Congratulations on your retirement. Time to celebrate big!
- Wishing you sunny days and peaceful nights ahead.
- Here’s to new adventures and happy memories incoming.
- May this next chapter be your happiest yet.
- Retirement looks great on you, don’t forget to enjoy it!
Messages for a retiring colleague
You hear that a colleague is leaving. You don’t know them that well, but you have maybe worked with them on a couple of projects. This is a well-deserved retirement, and you want to give them a good send-off. You might decide to write something like:
- Wishing you a truly wonderful retirement, filled with happiness, good health, and plenty of time to enjoy all the things you love most.
- Congratulations on reaching this exciting milestone. You’ve worked so hard and deserve every moment of relaxation, adventure, and joy that retirement brings.
- May this next chapter be filled with peace, laughter, and new opportunities to spend your days exactly as you wish.
- It has been a pleasure working alongside you, and I hope your retirement is every bit as rewarding and fulfilling as your career has been.
- Your dedication and commitment over the years have been inspiring, and I wish you nothing but happiness and contentment in this next stage of life.
- Retirement is such a special time. May it bring you good health, many wonderful memories, and the freedom to do all the things you’ve looked forward to.
- Congratulations on your retirement! May the years ahead be full of joy, travel, hobbies, and plenty of time with the people who mean the most to you.
- I hope your retirement gives you the chance to slow down, enjoy the little things, and create wonderful new experiences along the way.
- Best wishes as you move into this new chapter; may it be filled with laughter, peace, and many happy moments to treasure.
- Thank you for everything you’ve contributed. You’ve made a real difference here, and I wish you a retirement as rewarding as your career.
Wishing a happy retirement to a friend
Colleagues might not be your best friends, but there will be some with whom you do form a special connection. Whether you came up in the trenches of an internship together or just connected in the past few years, here are a few messages you could write for a coworker who is also a friend:
- Congratulations on your retirement! I’m so happy for you, and I know this is just the beginning of something really special for you. I can’t wait to hear about all the adventures you will go on.
- It won’t be the same here without you, but I’m excited to see you enjoy life at a new pace and finally have the time to do what makes you happiest.
- Wishing you all the laughter, love, and contentment in the world as you step into this exciting new phase of your journey.
- I’ve loved working alongside you and will truly miss our daily chat. You deserve all the happiness this next chapter brings.
- Your friendship and support have meant a lot to me. I hope retirement brings you as much joy as you’ve brought to those around you.
- Congratulations, my friend. May this new stage of life give you time for the people, places, and passions you’ve always wanted to enjoy.
- You’ve worked so hard and inspired so many along the way. Now it’s your turn to relax, recharge, and embrace everything life has to offer.
- While I’ll miss seeing you every day, I’m so excited for you to have the freedom and all the joy you absolutely deserve in retirement.
- Thank you for the kindness, laughter, and wisdom you’ve shared. I’ll always treasure our time working together, and I hope retirement brings you endless happiness.
- Wishing you a retirement as rewarding as your career and as joyful as our friendship. I’m so grateful to have shared this journey with you.
Retirement wishes for your manager
A manager’s retirement marks a significant change for a company and a team. They are being sent on a new journey, and everyone will need to adjust to a new style of leadership and way of working, even if one of their number is promoted. Here are some ideas as to what to write in the exiting manager’s card to celebrate this important career milestone:
- Congratulations on your retirement! Your leadership and guidance have made a real difference, and I hope all your future endeavors bring you great joy and fulfilment.
- Wishing you a happy and healthy retirement, filled with new adventures, cherished memories, and the well-deserved rest you’ve earned.
- Your support and direction have been truly appreciated, and I wish you all the very best as you begin this exciting new stage of life.
- Thank you for your encouragement and leadership. It has been a privilege working with you, and I hope retirement brings you peace and happiness.
- May your retirement be as rewarding and successful as your career, and may it bring you plenty of time for family, friends, and new experiences.
- Congratulations on this milestone! You’ve set a wonderful example as a manager, and I wish you nothing but joy in the years ahead.
- Your dedication and leadership have left a lasting mark. May your retirement be filled with everything you’ve been looking forward to.
- Wishing you all the happiness and good health in the world as you step into this new chapter. You’ve more than earned it.
- Thank you for being a thoughtful and inspiring leader; may retirement bring you the same sense of fulfilment you’ve given others.
- Best wishes for a retirement full of laughter, relaxation, and the freedom to enjoy life’s next great adventure.
Retirement wishes for your mentor
Having the right mentor can be one of the most fulfilling relationships you encounter in your career. Seeing or hearing their retirement announcement can be bittersweet, whether they are actively mentoring you right now or helped you on your path years ago. Here are some of the messages you might like to include when writing a note to a retiring mentor:
- Your insight and encouragement have opened doors I didn’t know existed. Thank you for sharing your wisdom so generously. May retirement reward you with the same richness you’ve given others.
- Few people can lead and inspire at the same time. You’ve done both with the most exceptional grace. Wishing you endless opportunities to enjoy the life you’ve worked for.
- Your influence has left a lasting mark not only on my career, but also on how I see leadership. I hope retirement gives you as much pride as your career has.
- You’ve been more than a mentor, you’ve been a role model. May the years ahead be full of meaningful moments, laughter, and ease.
- Your advice has been a compass during uncertain times. I hope retirement brings you the freedom to explore life entirely on your own terms.
- The patience and perspective you’ve shared have changed how I approach challenges. Thank you, and may this new stage be filled with lightness and joy.
- Your generosity of spirit has shaped those around you in ways you may never fully see. May retirement be your chance to enjoy that legacy.
- Working with you has been like learning from a masterclass every day. I can’t wait to see how you enjoy your well-earned time.
- You’ve given so much of yourself to others’ growth; I hope retirement is your time to focus on everything that brings you happiness.
- I’ll always value the lessons and perspective you’ve passed down. They’ll stay with me for many, many years to come. Wishing you peace, laughter, and pride in all you’ve accomplished.
Funny retirement wishes
Finally, let’s wrap things up with some fun and snappy one-liners. If the office comedian is retiring, they may appreciate a chuckle as they read their card:
- Retirement: where every day is a Saturday, but without the hangover.
- Congrats! Now your commute is just from the bed to the fridge.
- Retirement is the world’s longest coffee break. Enjoy every sip!
- Welcome to retirement, where the boss is always you.
- Goodbye tension, hello pension!
- Don’t think of it as retiring, think of it as upgrading to “professional relaxer.”
- Now you finally have time to do absolutely nothing… properly.
- Retirement is when you stop living at work and start working at living.
- Warning: Retirement may cause excessive smiling and random afternoon naps.
- Congrats, you’ve traded deadlines for tan lines!
3 tips for writing the best retirement wishes
If you aren’t feeling any of ours, let us at least give you a little advice to help you craft a fantastic retirement message yourself. Even if you would not consider yourself to be the most eloquent of writers, following a few guidelines will help you create a message that will bring a smile to the face of the retiree.
1. Balance warmth with formality
While happy retirement wishes are a given, you need to make sure you balance warmth with formality. If you know the person well, you can be warmer and maybe even a little bit playful in your message. If they are a mentor, someone above you in the company, or someone you don’t know very well, keep your well wishes warm but more on the formal side.
2. Acknowledge their contribution or character
A retirement is not just about someone leaving work; it is also about celebrating their legacy. Reference and acknowledge something about their contribution or character that you really admire. Even adding something like “Your support has made a big difference to me” can demonstrate your care.
3. End on positivity
To tie the message up in a nice way, end on a positive wish for the recipient’s future. Give them a small well-wish for time with their family, good health, a life of adventure; whatever you think might be most appropriate to them based on what you know of them.
Set your retirement up for success with mentoring
Have you thought much about your retirement yet? Though you may have signed a retirement card or two so far, the day you skip off to your golden years might seem too far off for you to even think about at the moment. However, it is never too early to set yourself up for success. After all, Americans believe the retirement age should be 58*, nearly five years earlier than the normal retirement age (NRA) of 65 to 67, as defined by SSA*.
If you want to receive a retirement card brimming with messages about your legacy and contributions to the company, you need to ensure you build connections that help you take your career to new heights.
Mentoring is one of the best ways to do so. If you seek a mentor yourself, you could gain insights into a part of your industry you are interested in or receive guidance to help you open doors to where you want to be. As a mentor yourself, you can be the one to offer this helping hand and become a guide to the next generation of business excellence.
MentorcliQ helps organizations make mentoring easy. Our #1 enterprise mentoring software takes the admin and the guesswork out of matches so you can be certain the right mentors and mentees are paired together for lasting success. We know that a good mentoring relationship can set you up for a great career. Whether you want to build a legacy for the ages, pass on knowledge to learners, or are seeking a mentor yourself, we want to help you do so with confidence.
Book a demo with us today, and find out how we can help you build great memories of mentoring for you to reminisce about at your retirement party.
