Funny Leaving Messages for a Work Friend — 35 Examples

Written by the Gratillo team · Updated 13 June 2026

Writing something funny for a friend's leaving card is different from writing something funny for a colleague you respect but don't really know. The range is wider, the licence is greater, and the expectation is higher. You can reference things that would read as cryptic or pointed from anyone else. You can be honest about how inconvenient it is that they're leaving. You can lean into the joke because the care underneath it is already established — they know. That's the gift of a proper work friendship.

What to avoid: anything that sounds like a dig when read cold by someone who doesn't know your dynamic, anything that could embarrass them in front of a new employer (leaving cards get photographed), and anything that implies they're leaving chaos in their wake. Funny messages should punch at the situation — the absurdity of the workplace, your predicament without them — not at the person. The best ones make people laugh and then, half a beat later, feel the warmth underneath.

Tone calibration: if you'd say it to their face and they'd laugh, it's probably fine. If you'd need to immediately add 'you know I'm joking' afterwards, pull back. The goal is a message they'll read in six months and smile at, not one they'll need to explain to someone.

35 messages to borrow

1.Please don't go. I've just worked out my ideal lunch route and it specifically requires you to agree it's a good idea first.
2.Officially, congratulations. Unofficially, I'd like to register a formal complaint that no one consulted me before you accepted.
3.My plan was for us to be the last two standing when they inevitably turn this floor into a gym. Cheers for ruining that.
4.Happy for you. Delighted. Absolutely thrilled. (I am none of these things, but I've been practising saying them in the mirror.)
5.Do they know what they're getting? Like, have you fully disclosed the spreadsheet situation? The singing in lifts? I'm asking as a friend.
6.A year ago I would have said this job was fine. That was largely down to you, and I'm now furious about it.
7.Right, so we are absolutely still friends. But I will be sending a strongly worded letter to whoever offered you that job.
8.New role, new colleagues, new commute. Still going to text you about the thing we saw on the bus, though. That's non-negotiable.
9.Fair warning: your new desk neighbour is going to have a very different standard to hold to. Good luck to them, honestly.
10.Not going to lie — I've been using you as my benchmark for 'are we doing something completely absurd here or is it just me?' This is a crisis.
11.You're the only person I've ever genuinely enjoyed a two-hour meeting with. Not because the meeting improved. Just because you were there.
12.Best of luck. And when they do the thing where they describe a three-month project as a quick turnaround, you've got my number.
13.Had a whole thing prepared but it mostly involved the words 'please don't' and that felt a bit desperate. Just know: we all meant it.
14.Going to have to find a whole new person to ask 'is this email too passive aggressive?' Standards were high. Don't worry.
15.Between us: you were the reason I turned down that job last spring. Still think it was the right call. Genuinely do. (Little bit don't.)
16.For a while there I thought we'd both just stay forever out of stubbornness and not having updated our CVs. Turns out it was just me.
17.Poached by someone who clearly has taste. Annoying. Understandable. But mostly annoying.
18.New job, same WhatsApp group. You're not getting away from us that easily. We've discussed it.
19.You've been my 'mute this meeting and moan to' person for over two years. Replacing that role is going to be significantly harder than replacing your job title.
20.Gave you loads of inside knowledge about this place when you started. You had the audacity to learn it yourself, develop opinions, get better than me at most of it, and then leave. Rude.
21.May your new colleagues have the same questionable taste in biscuits. May the printer work. Neither is likely, but you deserve both.
22.Honestly thought I'd be sad when this day came. Turns out I'm sad AND jealous, which is somehow worse. Take that as a compliment.
23.Already planning your leaving drinks, pretending it's for you when really it's so I have something to look forward to this month.
24.It's fine. You're off to something brilliant and we'll stay in touch and it'll all be great. (I have eaten half a packet of biscuits while writing this, in case the tone doesn't fully convey things.)
25.My professional advice, having worked alongside you: stop underselling yourself in interviews. My personal advice, having been your friend: don't tell them about the spreadsheet.
26.Told myself I wouldn't get emotional about this. Cried at my desk at 11am on a Tuesday when you told me. Please don't mention it.
27.If your new team doesn't immediately clock how good they've got it, give them six months. They'll work it out.
28.Put your name forward for the project, took you to my favourite lunch spot, laughed too hard at your jokes in meetings. I have been a very good friend and I'd like that acknowledged as you walk out the door.
29.Heard you got a leaving card and thought: they have no idea. I know everything. I have witnessed everything. My message is short to protect us both.
30.Somehow found someone in this place I'd actually want to have a pint with. Absolutely typical that you'd go and do something about your career.
31.[Name], the specific combination of 'very funny' and 'actually useful in a crisis' is rarer than people admit. You had both. They're getting an excellent deal.
32.Spent three years sitting near enough to hear your side of every call, know your coffee order, and recognise exactly what your 'this meeting is forty minutes too long' face looks like. This is very useful information that I will miss having.
33.You once described a particularly bleak Tuesday as 'fine, actually, when you think about it' and I believed you. That is a skill. It's going to serve you brilliantly.
34.Of all the leaving dos I've attended at this place, this is genuinely the one I'm most annoyed about. You know why. Good luck.
35.Already working on my explanation for why things are going the way they're going once you're gone. Current draft: 'We're in a transitional period.' Realistically, it's not going to hold up.

How to make it yours

Swap a generic reference for something specific to your shared history — 'the Henderson pitch' or 'that week in Birmingham' lands harder than 'a big project'. The specificity is what makes it yours rather than something anyone could have written.
If there's a running joke between you — the terrible coffee machine, the 9am all-hands, a phrase one of you overuses — put it in. Readers who don't get the reference will still sense the warmth. Readers who do will feel it properly.
Name the exact thing you'll struggle to replace. 'Someone who actually reads the brief before the meeting' is funnier and more affectionate than 'a brilliant colleague'. Specific beats vague every time when the tone is funny.
Add a line about your plans post-their-departure — if you've already texted about Thursday's lunch, reference it. It signals this is a friendship that continues outside the building, not just a work connection that ends at the door.
If you can quantify the time, do. 'Four years, two desk moves, and one genuinely terrible restructure' beats 'a few years'. Numbers give comedy something to land on, and they show you were paying attention.
End with something forward-looking rather than valedictory. 'See you Friday' or 'text me when you've survived week one' keeps the tone light and confirms the friendship carries on — which, for a proper work friend, it always does.

How funny should a leaving message for a close work friend actually be?

As funny as you'd be in person — then pull it back one notch, because a card gets read by more than one person. The best funny messages work because genuine warmth is obvious underneath the joke. If someone who doesn't know your friendship could read it and still sense the affection, the level is about right.

Is it okay to include inside jokes in a leaving card if other people are signing it too?

Yes — that's often what separates a memorable message from a generic one. Keep the reference brief enough that other readers sense warmth rather than confusion. One specific detail only the two of you will fully get lands better than three references that exclude the whole room.

What should I avoid writing in a funny leaving message for a work friend?

Anything that could embarrass them in front of a new employer (cards get photographed), anything that sounds like a dig dressed as a joke, and anything that implies they're leaving a problem behind them. Funny should punch at the situation — the absurdity of the workplace, your predicament without them — not at the person.

How long should a funny leaving message be?

One well-aimed sentence can outperform a paragraph. But if you've been close for years and the right words come, three sentences is fine. The rule: stop when it's still funny, not when you've run out of space. Funny loses its footing when it overstays its welcome.

Organising the whole thing? How a leaving send-off works on Gratillo