Build a moment

Message ideas

What to say in a retirement message after all those years.

Pick one story from their working years, say what they taught or gave you, and wish them a good first year off. Here are 20 ideas, sorted by who’s talking.

From a coworker

  • The first thing you noticed about them at work, and whether you were right.

    Warm

  • Something the place ran on that nobody wrote down, because they just knew it.

    Warm

  • Their first Monday with nowhere to be: what you think they’ll actually do.

    Funny

  • An old system, machine or process they outlasted, and how they complained about it.

    Funny

  • You earned every single day of this.

    Short

From someone they managed

  • The chance they gave you before you were ready.

    Warm

  • A mistake you made early on, and how they handled it.

    Warm

  • Something they said to you that you now say to your own team.

    Warm

  • Their signature phrase in meetings. Do your best impression.

    Funny

  • You made me better at this. Thank you.

    Short

From a longtime client or partner

  • How long you’ve worked together, and what’s changed in both your businesses since.

    Warm

  • A time they fixed something for you that they didn’t have to.

    Warm

  • The order, deal or deadline you both still joke about.

    Funny

  • What you’ll now have to explain to their replacement that they always just knew.

    Funny

  • It was a pleasure doing business with you. Really.

    Short

From family

  • The early starts and missed dinners the job took from them, and what you hope they do with the time now.

    Warm

  • A memory of them heading off to work, or coming home, that stuck with you.

    Warm

  • The work phrases they use at home that nobody in the family understands.

    Funny

  • The jobs around the house they no longer have an excuse for, read out as a list.

    Funny

  • Welcome home. For good this time.

    Short

Tips for recording.

  1. Name actual years, places or projects you shared, since specifics mean more than "you’ll be missed".
  2. Leave complaints about the company out of it: this one is about them.
  3. If you’ve known them for decades, pick one story instead of trying to cover them all.

Collect everyone’s messages in one video.

Share one link. Everyone adds a short video, voice note, photos or a written message from their phone, and on the day it plays as one video. Free for up to 10 messages. No ads. Never posted anywhere.

Build a momentSee how it works for this