Ideas for an Office Goodbye Party

Parties can provide comfort to co-workers who may have regrets over their departure.

Whether a co-worker is retiring, or just moving on to a different employer, saying goodbye to a close office friend shows your appreciation for the time you got to spend together. Planning the right goodbye theme ensures your departing co-worker leaves with a few positive memories of the time she spent in the office, and gives you an opportunity to thank her for her hard work.

Themes

Goodbye party themes can incorporate humorous or serious motifs, such as an event centered around jokes about a retiree's age or a ceremony of appreciation where colleagues take turns telling the departing co-worker how much he means to each of them. If you know about your co-worker’s hobbies, especially hobbies he intends to pay more attention to after leaving, develop a theme around these activities. For instance, a fishing-themed party works for someone who is retiring to a house by a lake, or have a gourmet food party if he enjoys cooking in his off time.

Gifts

Gag gifts are an amusing way to show a co-worker you're excited about her opportunity to move on to the next stage of her life. Gag gifts are often inexpensive and they allow guests to share in implementing the party theme. You could, for instance, instruct guests to get gifts that are generally used by someone much older than the departing co-worker. In addition to the gag gifts, go in together as an office and purchase one real gift for your co-worker. Pool money from each person you invite to the party and try to collect enough to send the co-worker on a vacation, or purchase something she will enjoy, such as a new fishing pole or video camera.

Activities

An office goodbye party is an excuse to play. Turn off the lights in the office and hall, except for a single bright desk lamp directed at the departing co-worker. Host a formal abdication ceremony in his office where he formerly passes some of the more annoying parts of the job to a successor, such as an on-call cell phone or a list of the most challenging clients. Alternately, host a light-hearted roast, where co-workers tell friendly jokes about the guest of honor, or just spend time sharing stories about the years you worked together. Turn the event into a tradition at the office for anyone who leaves.

Making Memories

Some co-workers are more than just co-workers, especially in offices where people work closely together and form strong friendships over their years. For these colleagues, prepare a special departure gift. Make a video of each person in the office saying something nice about the departing co-worker or telling an old office story. Include the video disc as part of the party gifts, giving your co-worker something she can watch anytime she wants to remember her time in your office.

References

• Your Fond Farewell Guide: Farewell Party at Work
• Purple Trail: Bidding Adieu – Say Goodbye With Style
• Your Fond Farewell Guide: Office and Work Farewell Party Themes