They’ve handed in their notice. You’ve been handed the leaving card. Now you need something better than “all the best” written in the corner next to fourteen identical messages.
A funny leaving card gives your colleague a proper send-off: a little affection, a decent roast and a reminder of the people they’re abandoning. Whether it’s your work bestie, your manager or the person who knows how to fix the printer, here’s how to choose the card—and what to write inside.
Shop funny and rude leaving cards
Choose a leaving card that suits your colleague
For your work bestie
Choose a card that sounds like the way you actually talk. If your friendship runs on sarcastic messages, emergency coffee breaks and complaining about meetings, a cheeky insult will feel more personal than a formal goodbye.
Add a reference to something you survived together: the impossible customer, the broken booking system or the colleague who thinks every question needs a meeting. Finish with one honest sentence about missing them. You can be rude and still give a shit.
For a colleague you don’t know that well
Stick to shared office nonsense: endless meetings, dodgy coffee, disappearing biscuits and the printer nobody understands.
Keep private matters out of it. A joke about escaping the weekly catch-up is easier to enjoy than a surprise comment about their age, relationship or reasons for leaving.
For your boss or manager
Match their sense of humour. If they regularly join in with the team’s banter, a gentle dig about approving holiday requests can work. If they’re more formal, keep it light and add a genuine thank-you.
The leaving card is probably not the place to unveil your seventeen-point review of their management style.
For your work bestie: A proper send-off for the person who made work tolerable.
For a colleague who enjoys rude banter: Who will you blame for your questionable work now? A sweary send-off for someone who'll appreciate the joke.
For the departing boss: One last gentle roast before someone else starts approving your holidays.
10 funny leaving-card messages you can copy
Use these as they are, or add a name and an inside joke to make the message your own.
1. For your work bestie
“Congratulations on escaping. Slightly selfish of you to leave me here, but I suppose I’ll get over it. Going to miss you, you absolute bastard.”
2. For the colleague who kept you sane
“Thanks for making this place bearable. Please leave a forwarding address for complaints, gossip and screenshots.”
3. For someone you don’t know very well
“Good luck in the new job! Hope the coffee’s better and the meetings are shorter.”
4. For the office expert
“Who the hell is going to explain everything to us now? Seriously, this feels poorly planned. Good luck—you’ll be brilliant.”
5. For your manager
“Good luck with your new team. We’ve set the bar impressively low, so you should have a lovely time.”
6. For a remote colleague
“We’ll miss your face, your advice and the first thirty seconds of every call when you’re on mute. Good luck with the next adventure!”
7. For the colleague who loved a meeting
“Congratulations on the new job. We’ve booked a meeting to discuss how much we’ll miss you. You’ll be delighted to hear it could have been an email.”
8. For a message from the whole team
“We’re genuinely sorry you’re leaving. Not sorry enough to do your handover properly, but genuinely sorry.”
9. For a short, cheeky goodbye
“New job. New people. Same old you. Give them hell.”
10. For funny with a bit of feeling
“You’ve been brilliant to work with and a terrible influence on my productivity. I’ll miss both. Go and smash it.”
What to write in a group leaving card
Keep your message to a few lines so everyone has room to sign. Include your name, especially if your handwriting looks like it belongs on a prescription.
An easy formula is:
One joke + one genuine thank-you + one good wish.
For example:
“Thanks for answering all my stupid questions without visibly losing the will to live. You made starting here much easier. Best of luck in the new job—they’re lucky to have you.”
If the card is from the whole team, choose a front that everyone is comfortable signing. Save the particularly filthy inside joke for a separate card from you.
How rude should a leaving card be?
Think about the recipient and where they’ll open it. A card from a close mate over drinks can be much ruder than one read aloud at a company farewell.
Aim the joke at familiar habits or shared workplace chaos. If you’re unsure whether a subject is sensitive, choose a different joke. The goal is to make them laugh, not leave them wondering what everyone really thought of them.
And if they’re leaving under difficult circumstances, keep the message supportive. “Congratulations on escaping” won’t suit every goodbye.
Get the card ready before their last afternoon
Allow time for delivery and for everyone to sign. For a remote colleague, check where they’d like it sent and leave enough time for it to reach them.
Check our delivery information before ordering.
You don’t need a speech worthy of an awards ceremony. Pick a card that suits them, write something personal and give them a reason to miss the people—even if they won’t miss the job.
Find their send-off in our funny and rude leaving cards collection.