If you’re preparing to say goodbye to your job, we’ve put together a variety of speech examples for you to choose from to help you prepare for a meaningful new beginning while thanking and impressing your longtime colleagues.
Advice to juniors when leaving the company
Hello, today I am leaving the public sector, which has been my whole life. First of all, I am so overwhelmed and happy that you have created this position for me, and it seems like just yesterday that I came here with so much excitement, and I am already feeling sad that I have to say goodbye to you. In fact, it would be no exaggeration to say that my career in government has been my life, my whole life. I’ve spent more days at work than I have at home; I’ve laughed, I’ve cried, I’ve been rewarded, and I’ve felt joy.
Looking back on it now, I have some regrets that I could have done things differently, but if I had to go back, I think I would have made the same choices. I believe that the choices I made in those situations, with a lot of thought and experience, have brought me to where I am today. I also think back to when I first started my civil service career here, when I was young and confident and believed that I could do anything. In fact, I was very arrogant even though I had no experience, and there were times when I didn’t listen to the advice of my seniors. But over time, I realized that the smartest way to adapt to the company and the organizational society was to listen to my seniors. What I would like to say to the juniors here is that I hope you will listen to your seniors as well. I learned a lot from my seniors when I was a rookie, just like you, but now I feel like I’m learning a lot from my juniors as well. Their enthusiasm, persistence, and fresh ideas have been a positive energy for me throughout my career. Looking back, I can only think of fond and rewarding memories.
What I can take some comfort in is that I have fulfilled my duties without making any major mistakes. I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the warm support and concern that my seniors, close colleagues, and juniors have extended to me. Although my body is leaving here, my heart will always be with my colleagues who have shared all the highs and lows of the past. Finally, I wish you all the best in your homes and future endeavors. Thank you.
A final message from an employee leaving the company
Good morning, everyone, I am a very happy man. Today’s retirement ceremony was so emotional that I don’t know what to say. I still haven’t realized that I’m leaving the company, but only after sitting here today does it feel real. I’ve had a few days off, and I’ve had some really bad thoughts, some empty thoughts, and I think this is regret. When I’m alone, tears well up in my eyes.
Like everyone, I look back and think about things. There were things I did right and things I did wrong. There were times when I was arrogant and thought I was good. There were times when I was tired and wanted to quit. There were times when I was unsure or scared. There were times when I felt sorry for myself because I didn’t do enough to help the underprivileged, and there were times when I felt inadequate. However, I think I was able to focus on my work because of two things: one was my experience as a young man in my 20s during the dictatorship. The second is my family. Thankfully, none of my family members have ever been hospitalized for serious illnesses or undergone surgery, and my two children have never broken my heart. Both of my children did well in their studies, went to national universities, and got jobs right after college. They were the decisive factor that allowed me to focus on my company.
In that sense, I feel like I’m a very fortunate person. I’ve had a lot of good things happen to me, I’ve met a lot of good people, and I’ve made as much money as I needed. Not only that, but as I’m here today, I think I’ve met my juniors well, although I’ve always thought about that. When word of my retirement got out, my juniors said, “Time is already flying by!” I guess it was a confirmation that they’re getting older. I think retirement is the worst time to be sad. When you’re eating a meal and you want a little more, it’s best to put down the spoon, right? Some people ask me what I’m going to do next, and I tell them to spend a lot of money and enjoy leisure since I’ve worked so hard. I’m grateful for all the good advice.
After retirement, I’m going to keep my options open. I think the way to repay the debt I owe to the people I’ve been grateful to is to continue to live harder in the direction I’ve been living. If the company needs my strength in the future, I will continue to lend my support, and I hope that everyone here today will continue to take a greater interest in the company. Thank you.
Example of an employee retirement statement
Hello, my name is ○○○, and I am retiring from the company. We often say that “time is like a flowing river”, and this April spring will be the last time I experience it in the company. During my time at the company, we’ve gone through many seasons and years: spring flowers blooming, summer with greenery after the flowers fade, fall with leaves, and winter with snow. I’ve spent countless springs, summers, autumns, and winters working with you in the company, but today, the spring of April is more beautiful than ever, and I’m sorry to say goodbye to such a warm and beautiful spring day. It’s time to hand over my position to my juniors and leave.
I am no longer the young man who joined the company 22 years ago at this time, full of promise and hope, but my steps are no longer as heavy as they were when I joined the company and left for another life. It seems like only yesterday that I took those first steps, and 22 years and five months have passed. Time doesn’t wait for us, and you, my junior colleagues here, must remember that you are also being pushed to the back of the line in the silent passage of time. Time is like an express train on a long journey.
In that rapidly passing time, I have learned a lot, and I am happy for every moment I spent with my seniors and juniors who stood by me through the difficult times I spent with you in the field. I also can’t forget the precious memories of 22 years, like a diary of hardships. I have enjoyed the time I have been able to work with you, laughing, crying, and sharing the highs and lows, but now that I will be pushed into an empty space, I can’t help but feel sad. I think it is only right that I should visit and say goodbye to all of you who have guided me to where I am today and helped me achieve a glorious retirement, and I trust that you will understand my greetings.
As someone who works with the company, I know that it hasn’t always been on good terms. To some of you, I may be someone you wish would just disappear, but I want you to know that just as a touch of the lapel is a bond, so too are our ties, no matter how much we may hate each other. I dare you to let go of all the bitterness and hate and remember the good. If we ever cross paths again, I dare you to remain the kind of person I would ask to shake your hand, even if it’s at a distance. I will consider my meeting with you as a once in a lifetime connection and will forever remember the time we spent together, thank you.
Police Retirement Speech
Good evening everyone, I would like to take this opportunity to bow my head and thank the Chief of Police and my colleagues for organizing this farewell ceremony for me as I retire for the last time. I would also like to thank all the guests, family and friends who have attended my retirement ceremony.
It is said that in 10 years, even Mount Kangshan changes. I am leaving this position now after serving as a police officer for three years when Mount Kangsan changed three times, sometimes being criticized and sometimes being ordered. I have performed my duties faithfully and without shame, and I stand here today, which I believe is only the result of doing my best to fulfill my duties with a firm view of the country and a strong sense of mission.
Although our retirees are not high in the ranks of the police organization today, they have done their duty faithfully in the positions they were given, and that is what has brought us to where we are today. To our remaining supervisors and colleagues: work harder than others, work with your colleagues, and do the best you can with the tasks you are given.
Unlike in the past, we, the police, have a much different consciousness of the country and the people in terms of working conditions and treatment. I feel like my grievances from my tenure are slowly but surely being removed one by one, and I see hope as I leave.
There are some people I need to take this opportunity to thank. I would like to thank my wife, who has endured many difficulties and helped without complaint for her husband who, while fulfilling his mission as a police officer, thought only of his work and neglected his family, coming home to sleep when he came in and going out when he woke up. I am also grateful to my children, who have all grown up well, even though they have never felt the warmth of their father’s love. To the Chief of Police and my colleagues, I wish you and your guests good health and may your families be filled with happiness.
Welfare Center Director’s Farewell Message
Hello everyone, it’s been eight years since I’ve been working here, and I don’t think I’ll be able to leave easily because I’ve made a lot of friends during that time. When I first started working here, it seemed like a strange place, but after a day or two, it started to feel familiar. The greeting I shared with the residents when I came to work was the beginning of my work day, and I always worried about them when I didn’t see them in the morning. Looking back at the eight years I’ve been given as the welfare center director, I think there were some difficulties, but there were more rewarding things.
When I first got here, I took a good look at the current situation of the welfare center and came up with a list of issues that we should focus on: first, how to expand our welfare projects to provide more welfare benefits to our neighbors in need; second, how to renovate the welfare center’s aging and poor facilities, including the program classrooms; third, how to improve the treatment of our employees; and fourth, how to raise our own funds to expand our business. It is said that the farthest distance in the world is the distance between your heart and your hands. This means that it’s harder to do what you think in your heart and head. I believe that our donors and volunteers are the ones who put into practice what they think in their hearts and heads with their hands. The welfare center’s outdated facilities were remodeled thanks to the support of the mayor at the time. We were able to create a more comfortable environment than before, and with the support of the new mayor, I believe we will be able to create an even better environment. We also gradually improved the treatment of employees, and all of these things were possible because the employees were on the same page with me. I will always remember the feelings I had with the employees who worked with me for eight years, but I am happy to announce that my successor will be promoted to the position of director.
I can’t thank you all enough for being here today, and I wish you all love and happiness in the future, and I hope that you will make your life worthwhile by practicing neighborly love.
Retired CEO of a construction company
Hello, my name is ○○○, the president of a construction company. It’s a beautiful season when the trees everywhere are changing colors. I’ve been in the construction business for 35 years, and I can’t help but smile when I think back to my 20-something self, who started out with nothing. I worked hard to grow the company with passion, like hitting a rock with an egg, and I think I have the most love for this company than anyone else.
It’s hard to believe that I’m leaving this company in someone else’s hands, but I don’t regret my decision in the slightest, and I know there are better people than me to lead it now. I’m leaving the company to pursue my lifelong dream of living in the countryside, where I’m going to spend the rest of my life with a garden and a variety of crops in my mind and heart.
The last thing I’d like to say is, whatever happens, endure it, hang in there, and get through it. No matter what, hardship is essential. When you’re feeling down and out, look around you – you have amazing people working with you, don’t you? Be a tree for each other. Be the shade from the sun for each other, be strong to lean on, and lean on your coworkers when you’re struggling.
Do you know what a friend means to Indians? They say it’s someone who carries my burden for me. A man who has a friend on his side, a colleague, can never fall. I leave this company in your hands, reassured by the passion I see in your eyes. Thank you.
Outgoing chairman of the taxi union
Honorable taxi union members, I end my role as chairman with excitement on the one hand and a heavy responsibility on the other, thanks to your enthusiastic expectations and support. It seems like just yesterday that I started my first job, and eight years have already passed, and now I would like to leave behind my journey as chairman of the union and return to your side as one of your members. It has not been an easy journey, but I would like to express my deepest gratitude to you, the members, for your support and sincere efforts to make it a success.
When I look back on the past eight years with you, I realize that there have been many difficult and challenging times, but there have also been many rewarding ones. In order to secure the competitiveness of our private taxis, we have promoted the branded taxi business, the card payment machine installation business, the video storage device installation business, and the card payment fee support business. I strongly requested financial support from the city of Osaka to facilitate our business, and as a result, we received a large amount of financial support for the first time since the union’s founding, despite the city’s poor financial conditions compared to other cities. These achievements could not have been possible without your active participation and cooperation, and they are also the result of the capabilities and talents of all our members.
However, the past eight years have not been smooth sailing. Due to the deterioration of the taxi business environment, the number of passengers has decreased day by day, while the cost of transportation, including taxi fuel, has skyrocketed. Under these circumstances, whenever I dealt with members who were tired of living, I secretly shed many tears, feeling guilty that I had not fulfilled my responsibilities as chairman. I considered many aspects in each decision, and I put the interests of the taxi union first. However, despite my best choices and decisions, I feel that my sincerity may not have been properly conveyed to you. I have been frustrated and despairing when I have received criticisms and protests due to misunderstandings. However, for the past eight years, I have devoted all of my efforts to the development of the union and the interests of the members. I have no regrets about my past efforts. I will leave the choices and decisions I made as your errand boy and chairman to the future history of the union and the evaluation of the members.
I would like to thank you for the trust and support you have placed in me to fulfill my duties, which I have fallen short in many ways. I wish you and your families the best of health and good fortune. Thank you.
Farewell due to promotion
The past few months with you have been very precious, and I’m sad to say that I’m parting ways with you and moving to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance. I wasn’t going to say goodbye, but I couldn’t help but thank the people I worked with face-to-face every day, so I decided to say goodbye in this gathering.
While I was on the development team, I worked hard without thinking about promotion. I honestly didn’t expect to be promoted, but thanks to all of your hard work, I was promoted to team lead. It’s all thanks to everyone on the Dev team, so thank you.
It was January 1 last year when I was promoted to team leader of the development team, and I still remember the awkward greeting as we looked at each other’s faces. The atmosphere that you all showed me at the beginning was different because I was a team leader instead of an employee, but that didn’t matter to me when I first joined the development team, because I had a huge amount of pressure and responsibility to succeed in a project that was the lifeblood of our company. The atmosphere that you all showed me was no longer there when you saw my hard work. I was always on my feet for the team, for the betterment of the project. Leading a team was harder than I thought it would be. Even if it wasn’t my fault, but the fault of a team member, the responsibility was always the team leader’s. But after many failures and mistakes, we were able to achieve the success of the project we started with the life and death of the company.
If you remember at the last competition, leaders from all walks of life were raving about our project. As a team leader, I realize that I’m not alone in what I’ve accomplished, but with you, and that it’s a great contribution to our company. I was just as excited, if not more, than I was when I first joined the Dev team a few months ago.
Now that I’ve completed my time on the development team, I’m moving on to the finance team, and this time I’ve been promoted to finance team leader, which means I have a lot more responsibility. I am very aware that my promotion is not just a result of my own efforts. To the team, I want to thank you for your hard work, and I’m honored to have had the opportunity to work with you. Thank you.
Judge’s retirement farewell
Good morning, dear Court family! Thank you, Chief Justice and fellow Justices, for organizing such a meaningful time for so many of us in the midst of our increasingly hectic lives, and thank you to the Chief Justices, Justices, and Court family members who have traveled from far and wide to be with us on what will be my last day.
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s May, the skies are blue and the leaves are green. It’s a hard reality for me to realize that at this most vibrant time of the year, I am reaching the end of the road. However, it brings with it new expectations and hopes. It has been a little more than half a century since the judiciary of independent modern Korea began.
The history of constitutionalism, rule of law, and democracy, which has swirled in the long stream of world history, has been developing in our reality for half a century, which, coincidentally, is roughly the same length of time that I have lived, the length of my life. As an individual, as a citizen, and as a judge, it is gratifying to see that history unfold in the time that I have lived. The ambition and wistfulness of my youth, the pride and insight of my accumulated years, but an unavoidable distance from the tactile touch of reality. And an embrace of reality, but concern and compassion for a world that is growing older. These complex emotions blur together like the fog of dawn.
Among the many memorable moments, there is one that remains poignant to me today: the fact that I have tried, however inadequately, to come close to what the law truly strives for in the face of the desperate pleas of any one life. It was also about trying to be part of meaningful change in the midst of our society’s winding course, and if I have any regrets, it’s that I didn’t fully capture their voices, and that I didn’t keep my eyes wide enough to see the way society was moving.
It is the inevitable fate of a lawyer to be on the cusp of great societal change, to be confronted with the desperate lives of others, and to stand on the cusp of great societal change. And society leaves us in its place. They call it “justice. I must approach that essential ‘justice’ by emptying myself, by lightening myself, and it has taken me decades of trying to keep that fact out of my mind, to come this far, to this May, and now, as I leave the court, I have seen what society demands of me, and I must be willing to accept it.
And I think that’s what it means for me to stand before you in this May: I am now on the road again, alone. I am reminded of a poem by a certain poet. “Our life is good to be sad. Let us gaze at the blue star on that gatehouse road.” That star, to me, represents history and faith in the future of society. You will continue to see that star in the courtroom, and I will continue to see that star in the fields, but it will be the same star, and I think that’s why I’m able to leave this blue October with a story of hope.
To all the members of the court, thank you so much for your care, encouragement, and understanding. I wish you and your families all the happiness and love in the world. Farewell.
Outgoing President of the National Association of Women with Disabilities
Good evening, everyone, today is the day I relinquish the undeserved honor that has been bestowed upon me. I am deeply grateful for the trust and support you have given me over the years.
Looking back, it’s been a bumpy road. Our desperate rights were often ignored. The law taught us that all people are dignified, but the world was so callous when we stood up for our own dignity. Our wheelchairs sometimes creaked as we climbed those steep hills. We had the double handicap of being disabled and female, we had so much to face and overcome, but we weren’t afraid to make our voices heard.
Do you remember the time we stood in the sweltering heat at City Hall Square, calling for disability welfare with one voice? Do you remember the time we stood up against sexual crimes against women with disabilities? I am grateful for all of those moments. With each other’s support, the Women with Disabilities Association has become as strong as a giant tree.
I am very proud of the days I have spent as President of Women with Disabilities, and every moment that has passed will fuel my passion for the rest of my days. I remember the ups and downs of the world that we have climbed together. But in the name of the Women’s Association for the Disabled, we have finally traversed them and returned.
There will be many more climbs ahead, but I’m not worried at all, because as I’ve seen, you are too strong. You are willing to endure pain and discomfort for a noble cause.
For me, the road ahead is now downhill. The uphill climb is an uphill struggle that takes your breath away, but the downhill slide is a downward plunge with one wrong step. Now, I want to tread carefully down the path that lies ahead of me, and I do so with all the sincerity and respect that you have prepared for me.
Gentlemen! I honor you. I wish you all the best for the future of the Women’s Association for the Disabled, and I pray that your future is filled with happiness, and I will now go my way. Thank you.
Doctor’s outgoing remarks
Good morning, everyone, and thank you so much for giving me this opportunity to say goodbye to my position, and even more thank you for honoring my wishes by holding such a small but fitting ceremony.
It’s a sunny April morning. There’s a saying that goes, “Frog tadpoles never think twice.” It means that when you’re in a higher position, you don’t remember how hard it was to be you before. Everyone has a first time. Many people forget that once they get past that first time, they had a first time too. It’s not uncommon to see cars on the road with “learner driver” signs. We’ve all been there, and yet some people get angry at new drivers for making the roads worse. We’re where we are today because we’ve been through the tunnel of firsts, and I hope you can applaud someone’s first time. I, for one, have always strived to be a doctor who never loses his first time. I don’t know if that came across as well as I intended, but I hope I will always be remembered as someone with a beginner’s mind.
My life so far has been a morning, and I would like to tell you on my deathbed that after today I will live a life of peaceful afternoons, but unfortunately, winter afternoons are very short indeed. Five years have already passed, and I’ve reached retirement age. Retirement age is a strange thing: time seems to stand still, go backwards, or go fast.
For a wanderlusting, lazy guy like me, 22 years is not a short time, but I’ve lived it well, and I’ve been pretty lucky, too. Some of my favorite times have been in the operating room. You may not have noticed, but there have been several times during surgery when I’ve been unable to breathe for more than about a minute and have been fiddling with my hands and stones. Also, patients who are still alive and well after surgery give me pleasure.
I’ve also made some good students. Most of all, it is because of you, the people in this room, that I have made it to retirement age in one piece. I am very grateful to you.
I’ve lived a happy life, because I’ve loved my surroundings, and I will continue to do so.
I’ve only recently realized something. I realize that I’ve spent my life going around in circles and coming straight, only to end up in the same place at the same time, and it was all for nothing. I realize that the free spirit that was a small part of my soul wandered around and saw the world in its wandering journey. From now on, I want to be a little more of a free spirit and enjoy a peaceful afternoon. I just hope I don’t get sick, and in the meantime, thank you.
