15 best virtual farewell ideas to bid remote employees goodbye the right way

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Have you never organized a virtual farewell before?

Don't panic! We've got the best virtual farewell ideas to help you organize your employee's most exotic and lively virtual farewell.

But here's the thing; goodbye parties are easier to organize when everyone's together in one area. But, if you have a distributed or remote team, you must have more creative virtual farewell ideas and be deliberate when re-creating the social vibes that make the encounter more interactive.

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Also read: 8 perfect ways of how to tell someone they didn't get the job

Bidding remote employees goodbye the right way is crucial to maintaining positive relationships, preserving business relationships, and promoting a positive and ethical work environment.

Maintain positive relationships: It's essential to maintain positive relationships with employees, even after they leave the company. This can lead to future opportunities for collaboration or rehiring them in the future.

Protect company reputation: Employees who leave the company with a positive experience are more likely to speak highly of the company, even after their departure. This can help protect the company's reputation and attract future employees.

Boost employee morale: Having good virtual farewell ideas for colleagues is crucial. When employees see their colleagues leaving on a positive note, it can boost morale and create a more positive work environment.

Preserve business relationships: Employees leaving the company may have business relationships with clients or partners that are important to the company. Saying goodbye the right way can help preserve those relationships and prevent any negative impact on the business.

Maintain ethical standards: Bidding remote employees goodbye the right way is simply the right thing to do. It demonstrates ethical behavior and respect for employees, which can lead to a more positive and productive work culture.

The best virtual farewell ideas for your employees

As more and more employees work remotely, saying goodbye to remote employees has become common. Here are the best virtual farewell ideas to bid remote employees goodbye the right way.

Pre-virtual farewell party interaction:

When it comes to saying goodbye to remote employees, clarity and transparency are key. Be upfront about the reasons behind their departure, such as downsizing or restructuring, and provide them with any information they need to transition out of the role.

1. Schedule a one-on-one meeting

While remote communication is excellent for everyday communication, it can be challenging to say goodbye over email or a group chat. Schedule a one-on-one meeting with the employee to say goodbye in a more personal and respectful way.

2. Plan ahead of the virtual farewell party

Planning ahead is the best virtual farewell idea. When the remote worker is on notice, start preparing the party. You must count the number of participants, verify the time window they will be available for, and conduct an inventory of the send-off gift.

The team members can even help you come up with gift suggestions, settle on a budget, and come up with ideas for a virtual farewell. They would have a better understanding of a meaningful present because they have all worked with the leaving employee. It could be a gift-store coupon or a care package imprinted with the logo of your business.

3. Bring everyone into a celebratory mood

Let's face it: embarrassing moments abound during virtual meetups, including awkward pauses, dropped calls, re-entries, latecomers, and background noises or conversations. It is the facilitator's responsibility to reiterate the meeting's goal and the joyous mood. You or a project manager or team leader who has worked closely with the soon-to-be ex-employee can serve as this facilitator.

You may create the ideal atmosphere by psychologically preparing the attendees in advance. Send imaginative emails and group messages to your staff members on Samepage, Slack, or any other messaging platform. The more vibrant the invitation, the more probable it is that staff members will feel like having a good time.

4. Physical gifts should be delivered before the time

One of the most significant virtual farewell ideas is to get the gifts delivered before time. Remote employees are unlikely to turn into their workplace for handovers or swaps; hence, arrange for a trusted courier to deliver their gift boxes.

This can take some time, so it's essential to plan the gift selection, wrapping, and delivery so that it gets to the recipient before they leave the room. They can utilize the same service to send back any office supplies or equipment that were given to them when they first started working there.

During the virtual farewell party ideas

1. Break the ice by thanking them

When saying goodbye to remote employees, it's essential to thank them for their contributions and the work they've done for the company. Let them know that their hard work was appreciated and that they will be missed.

This way, you break the awkwardness and inspire other team members to talk positively about the employee leaving. Such initiations are essential to set the tone of your virtual farewell party.

Hello everyone. Today, we're here to bid farewell to some of our most valued team members. As you know, they've been working with us remotely for some time, and now they're moving on to new adventures. While we're sad to see them go, we're also incredibly proud of everything they've accomplished during their time with us. These are just some of the faces that helped make our organization what it is today. From their home offices, they've brought their talent, dedication, and creativity to every project they've worked on. They've proven that distance is no obstacle to building a solid team and delivering exceptional results. To our remote colleagues, I want to say thank you for everything you've done. Your contributions have been invaluable, and we'll miss your energy, your insights, and your friendship. We all wish you all the best in your future endeavors, and we're confident that you'll go on to achieve even greater things. And now, it's time for the rest of us to say our goodbyes. We've gathered some messages from your colleagues who wanted to share their appreciation and their hopes for your future.

2. Film a video tribute

One of the finest virtual farewell party ideas is creating a video tribute.

Use an app like Loom to produce your video and encourage your team members to send in a 30-second or shorter movie with a personal message for the special guest.

Finally, use iMovie or Windows Movie Maker to edit the clips into a video.

It will become more memorable if there is background music added.

Send the video file to the honoree after the celebration so they can watch it again whenever they miss work.

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Also read: Hiring top talent for Sleek made easy with AllRemote’s recruitment team

3. Fun with backgrounds

Each online gathering can be made more joyful by using amusing virtual backgrounds. Consider requesting that attendees of a virtual farewell party change their desktop backgrounds to a picture of the recipient—for instance, a photograph of the honoree's favorite color or film. Even better, create a unique background and email it to attendees.

4. A goodbye playlist

Playlists are a simple, affordable, and heartfelt farewell gift for distant coworkers. The team's favorite songs can be used to create a music mix, or you can provide song suggestions. Your teammate will think about the group each time they listen to the mix.

You can use a Slack thread, email, or form to solicit music recommendations from your teammates for the playlist. After that, sign into YouTube, Pandora, and Spotify to add songs to the playlist. When finished, present the playlist to the group as a whole as well as the honored guest.

The game time

A common ground

Each person should make a list of five to ten things they share in common with the departing employee. You may step it up a notch by asking them to do this activity in under a minute. Everyone displays their list on camera and compares notes when the allotted time has passed. This is one of the best virtual farewell party ideas since it can encourage dialogue between those who may not have previously interacted.

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Also read: Why retaining your employees is important and the best ways to do it

Virtual trivia

Choose a platform: There are many platforms you can use to host virtual trivia, such as Kahoot!, Quizizz, or TriviaMaker. Choose the platform that best fits your needs and that the remote employees are familiar with.

Create questions: Create a set of questions related to your company, industry, or the remote employees themselves. Include questions that cover different topics and levels of difficulty.

Determine the format: Decide how you want to structure the trivia game. You can have individual players or teams, and you can choose to have a certain number of rounds or a time limit.

Invite the remote employees: Send out invitations to the remote employees with the details of the game, including the platform you'll be using, the time and date of the game, and any other instructions.

Host the game: On the day of the game, log into the platform and start the game. Ensure to provide clear instructions on how to play and answer the questions.

Have fun!: Trivia games are meant to be fun and engaging, so keep the energy up and encourage the remote employees to participate and enjoy themselves.

As you play the game, highlight the remote employees' contributions and accomplishments and express your gratitude for their hard work, determination, diligence. and dedication to the company. This is a great way to celebrate their time with the company and bid them farewell positively and engagingly.

Virtual escape room

This is a fun and interactive game where the remote employees work together to solve puzzles and escape a virtual room. You can use platforms like Escape Room in a Box or Mystery Mansion to create and play the game.

Choose the platform

Create the game (Using the platform you've chosen, create the virtual escape room game. Determine the theme and storyline of the game, and make puzzles and challenges that are related to the remote employees and their time at the company).

Invite the remote employees.

Host the game

Have fun! (encourage the remote employees to work together to solve the puzzles and complete the game).

4. Virtual bingo

There are several tools and platforms you can use to create a virtual bingo game, such as Bingo Maker, My Free Bingo Cards, or Bingo Blitz.

Using the platform you've chosen, create the bingo cards for the remote employees. Include phrases or experiences related to the remote employees or their time at the company.

5. Virtual scavenger hunt

Create a list of items or tasks for the remote employees to find or complete around their home or neighborhood. You can use a platform like GooseChase to create and play the game.

Virtual scavenger hunts provide fun diversions for online goodbye parties. List the items one at a time to play these games on Zoom, and give points to the first person to display the item on the screen. Alternatively, give participants two minutes to acquire as many objects as they can and list all the clues at once.

6. Virtual board games

Many classic board games can be played virtually using platforms like Tabletopia or Board Game Arena. Choose a game that the remote employees enjoy and play it together.

7. Pictionary

Pictionary is a fun game, so we have included it in our list of best virtual farewell ideas. Use a whiteboard program at work, such as Stormboard, Mural, or Miro. One of the best suggestions for a virtual farewell is this one! Share screens with everyone and have them sketch things. To compete against one another, split the squad into pairs or small groups. The winner of the game of Pictionary is the team with the most accurate guesses. There is no minimum player requirement, so it makes for a wonderful farewell game for coworkers online.

8. Describe in one word

One of the easiest virtual farewell ideas available is this. The remote team comes up with a descriptive word for each member who is quitting their position. Then you can declare all the adjectives that accurately describe the individual as a whole! People can choose chits with the names of their coworkers on them to make the practice more inclusive of the whole group and not just the departing employee. Then, whoever they receive, must be described. Make sure there is just positive or neutral sentiment, always!

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Also read: The best remote perks and benefits to offer to your remote team

Post virtual farewell party ideas

1. Offer assistance

If the employee is leaving on good terms, offer to help them in any way you can, such as providing references, helping with their job search, or offering to write a recommendation letter.

2. Provide closure:

Saying goodbye can be difficult, but providing closure can help ease the transition. Let the employee know that they can reach out to you in the future if they need any assistance or have any questions.

3. Keep in touch:

Just because an employee is leaving doesn't mean the relationship has to end. Keep in touch with the employee and check in with them occasionally to see how they're doing.

Closing lines as a host

To all our remote employees leaving, we want you to know that you'll always be a part of our team. We're grateful for the time we've spent together and excited to see where your journey takes you. Remember that you're leaving behind a legacy of excellence and that you've impacted our company and our culture.

Farewell, and good luck.