On Tuesday, Tom announced he was leaving: a new job in Manchester, last day in three weeks. By that evening someone had set up a "Tom's leaving do" group chat, and you had somehow been put in charge of the present.
Here are five farewell gift ideas for a coworker who is changing jobs, finishing a fixed-term contract or an internship, transferring to another site or moving away, followed by the farewell song in detail. Retirement is a different register: for that, read our retirement gift ideas and our retirement song page.
A colleague leaving is not the end of a career
A retirement party closes a whole career. A leaving do marks the end of a chapter, sometimes just six months of an apprenticeship. The tone is lighter, and everything moves fast: you hear the news two weeks ahead, and the gift is almost always a group gift, chosen by two people on behalf of fifteen. It does not need to be expensive. It needs to show that the team really worked with this person, not just next to them.
Five farewell gift ideas for a coworker
The group card or guest book
The basics, for every kind of departure. Budget: €5 to €25. Everyone writes a memory or a piece of advice for the new job. The trap: the card that goes round the night before and comes back covered in "All the best!". Start it in the first week.
A collection for something useful in the new job
For someone changing jobs or cities. Budget: €30 to €80, pooled. A good laptop bag, an insulated bottle for the new commute, a voucher for a bookshop in their new town. Our method for running an office collection without upsetting anyone works for every kind of leaving, not only retirement.
A team lunch
For a small, close-knit team. Budget: €15 to €30 a head, with their meal on the team. The gift is the moment itself: the usual restaurant, one last Friday lunch that runs a little long.
A personalized farewell song
For the colleague who left a mark on the team, whether they stayed ten years or ten months. Budget: our shortest package costs €5, split between everyone. It is the only idea on this list that tells the story of the team as it was with them. The trap: writing the story alone, without the team's memories.
A team keepsake
For the one who keeps everything. Budget: €20 to €40. A framed team photo signed on the back, a mug printed with the office running joke.
The farewell song, in practice
You tell the story, our music AI composes, and the song arrives within minutes. Choose the occasion "Company · Team", a style (Disco, International pop, Rap, Rock, Ballad or Dance soul), then write the story freely or by answering a few questions. Before you pay, you read the lyrics, edit them as you like and check the name. You then get two versions and keep your favorite.
What to put in the song
- Their first day: the badge that did not work, the meeting where they sat in the director's chair.
- The team's running joke: their nickname, the phrase they always say in meetings.
- The project they rescued: the delivery wrapped up at 7 pm on a Friday.
- What they take with them and what the team will miss: their desk plant, the morning coffee they made for everyone.
To gather these memories, send the team a single question as soon as the news is out: "One memory with Tom, in one sentence?". Keep five or six, say what tone you want (teasing but kind), and the story is written. There are more examples on our company song page.
The delicate case: a departure nobody chose
A fixed-term contract that is not renewed, a role that disappears: the send-off matters even more. Stay on gratitude, what they brought, what the team learned with them. No digs at the company. Write it into the story in plain words: "warm tone, no mention of the contract ending".
Giving it at the leaving do
Good news: playing it at the leaving do, in the office or among colleagues, needs no permission. Our terms of sale only cover public broadcast and commercial use.
Also slip the QR code of the gift page into the group card: they can listen again at home, with the MP3 to keep and share with family and friends. You can listen to a full song, karaoke included, before you start.
The mistakes that spoil a leaving do
- The in-joke that leaves people out: the new starters end up watching the old hands laugh.
- The dig at the company or the boss: funny at the coffee machine, awkward at the send-off.
- The gift that is too personal: perfume, clothing, a hint about their private life.
- Forgetting the people who are not there: the colleague working from home, the team at another site.
Prices and timings, straight up
Three packages, delivered within minutes, at €5, €8 and €13. The Single: about 2 min 30, two versions, a gift page with a link and QR code, and the MP3. The Gold Record: about 3 min 30, full-screen karaoke and an illustrated album cover. The Platinum: about 5 min, two styles, a slideshow of up to ten photos and an MP4 video sent by email as soon as it is ready. All the details are on the three packages page.
| Idea | Budget | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Group card or guest book | €5 to €25 | One to two weeks |
| Collection for a useful gift | €30 to €80, pooled | A week of collecting |
| Team lunch | €15 to €30 a head | One booking |
| Team keepsake | €20 to €40 | A few days |
| Farewell song (The Single) | €5 | A few minutes |
| Song with karaoke (The Gold Record) | €8, shared | A few minutes |
Frequently asked questions
What farewell gift works for a coworker you barely know?
A group gift, chosen by the people who know them best, with a group card. For the song, one memory from each colleague is enough.
How much does a team song cost per person?
Split ten ways, The Gold Record (€8) comes to just a few euros each. It can also be added to a collection for another gift.
Can we play the song at the leaving do, in the office?
Yes, with no permission to ask for: our terms of sale only cover public broadcast and commercial use. Also give them the gift page and the MP3 so they can listen again at home.
The leaving do is in three days: is it still possible?
Yes. The song is composed within minutes of payment, so you can order it the night before. The longest part is collecting the memories.
The bottom line
A good farewell gift for a coworker is a group effort, put together quickly and true to what the team lived through with them. Start the card as soon as the news is out, ask everyone for one memory, and stay on gratitude, especially if the departure was not their choice.