14 Virtual Farewell Party Ideas for Remote Coworkers

You found our list of virtual farewell party ideas.

Virtual farewell parties are online celebrations that allow teammates the chance to say goodbye to departing colleagues. These occasions show appreciation for leaving employees, foster camaraderie among the remaining teammates, and promote positive company culture. Virtual farewell parties are also called virtual goodbye parties or virtual going away parties.

These gatherings are similar to virtual retirement parties, are a type of online team celebration and often include virtual party games.

This list includes:

• virtual farewell party games
• Zoom farewell party ideas
• online farewell party activities
• ways to say goodbye to remote coworkers

Here we go!

List of virtual farewell party ideas

From surprise parties to playlists to time capsules, here is a list of ideas for virtual going away parties to give your teammate a memorable sendoff.

1. Host a surprise party

Your soon-to-be-gone colleague may insist that no one makes a fuss, however, you cannot let them leave without a proper goodbye. Hosting a surprise party is one of the most fun Zoom farewell party ideas.

To host a surprise party online, invite your guest of honor to a fake meeting. Then, send guests the same meeting and calendar link, tell attendees the true purpose of the call, and ask employees not to spoil the surprise.

For best results, open the Zoom room a few minutes early and ask attendees to get in place so that everyone call yell “Surprise!”

2. Play Virtual Farewell Party Bingo

Virtual Farewell Party Bingo is an interactive online game that gets guests listening for conversation cues. To play, give each guest a link to the randomized card generator listed below. Every time another guest says a phrase or does an action listed on the card, the player can mark off the box. Any player who gets five squares in a row can call Bingo.

Here is the Virtual Farewell Party Bingo template:

Check out icebreaker Bingo as well.

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3. Create a time capsule

Your departing employee is sure to miss the team. Instead of giving all your well-wishes at the virtual going away party, send your teammate off with a time capsule. A time capsule is a package meant to be opened at a later date. For your virtual going away party time capsule, we recommend asking the recipient to wait to open it for one month. You can fill the box with photos, messages, and mementos that will remind your coworker of the good times you shared at the company.

You can either mail these items to your teammate, or send the time capsule digitally via scheduled email.

4. Film a video tribute

Making a video tribute is one of the best virtual farewell party ideas. To create your video, ask teammates to submit a clip of thirty seconds or less with a special message for the guest of honor, using an app like Loom. Then, edit the clips into a video using iMovie or Windows Movie Maker. Adding background music will make the clip more memorable. After the party, send the video file to the honoree so that they can rewatch it anytime they miss their job.

5. Display personalized Zoom backgrounds

Fun virtual backgrounds can make any online party more festive. For a virtual going away party, consider asking guests to change backgrounds to a graphic that represents the honoree. For example, a picture of the guest of honor or the honoree’s favorite color or movie. You could even make and send a special background to attendees.

Here are more fun Zoom meeting ideas.

6. Share memories

Sharing memories is one of the most common online farewell party activities. These parties are a time to reflect and reminisce on the experiences you and your coworker shared. You can ask guests to come to the party with at least one memory to share with the group, then take turns speaking. Or, ask attendees to submit the memory via form or email pre-party, and compile the stories into a slideshow to present during the call.

7. Give toasts

Online goodbye parties are a time to give toasts and express what the departing coworker means to the team. Attendees can take turns giving short speeches. For the sake of time, try to keep each toast under a minute.

Here is a toast template teammates can use to structure the speeches:

• Helped me with….
• Would be lost without ______ because….
• _____ is always….
• During the time with the company, X has achieved…
• I think X will achieve in the future….
• I’ll never forget….
• My favorite part of working with X is ….

Here is a list of employee appreciation quotes for inspiration.

8. Mail a care package

Going away parties often involve presents for the leaving teammate. The group can send gifts to the guest of honor even if not meeting in person.

We recommend polling the group for gift ideas. You can gather money from each teammate, or set aside a certain budget to spend on the gift. Once you choose a present, mail the item to the recipient. Including handwritten notes from the team is a nice touch.

You can also send other partygoers treats, such as noisemakers or snacks to enjoy during the call.

Here is a list of the best retirement gifts for employees, and the best employee gifts.

9. Hold a scavenger hunt

Virtual scavenger hunts make fun activities for online goodbye parties. To play these games on Zoom, list items one by one, and award points to the first player who shows the object on screen. Or, list all clues at once, and give players a two minute time limit to grab as many objects as possible.

For remote goodbye parties, you could base the clues around the guest of honor. Here is an example:

Check out more virtual scavenger hunt tips.

10. Host a trivia competition

Trivia is one of the best virtual farewell party games. You can make a trivia game of questions about your honoree, and compete with coworkers to see who knows the guest of honor best.

There are a few different ways to play trivia on Zoom. For example, read the questions out loud and award points to the first correct answer in the chat, use the poll feature, give guests a form to fill out, or use Kahoot.

Here are a few examples of personalized trivia questions to ask:

• What was their first job?
• What is their pet’s name?
• How many years have they been with the company?
• Where did they go to college?
• What is their partner’s name?
• What is their favorite food?
• Favorite way to communicate?
• What website do they spend the most time on?

Check out this guide to online trivia games.

11. Play online Jeopardy

Jeopardy makes a fun online team building game for any occasion. For Zoom goodbye parties, you can create a Jeopardy game with questions themed around the honoree’s personal details and interests.

Categories can include topics like the guest of honor’s hobbies, hometown, favorite movies, famous figures with the same name, and personal or professional achievements. You can also create a work-themed version of the game with office trivia and memories, with categories like projects, inside jokes, and team outings.

Check out this guide to team building Jeopardy, and this list of ways to play Jeopardy online.

12. Make a goodbye playlist

Playlists make an inexpensive and hassle-free yet meaningful going away present for remote colleagues. You can build a music mix with the team’s favorite songs or give song recommendations. Every time your teammate listens to the mix, they will think of the group.

To generate the playlist, you can ask teammates for song suggestions via Slack thread, email, or form. Then, log into Spotify, Pandora, and YouTube, and add songs to the list. When complete, share the playlist with the guest of honor and the rest of the group. You could even turn the activity into a party game and challenge the honoree and other guests to guess which colleague contributed each song.

Here are some of the best team building songs for work.

13. Put together a digital address book

Digital address books help staff say, “see you later,” instead of “goodbye.” You can gather contact information from the team and compile this information into an easy-to-access file. First, collect whatever means of contact teammates are comfortable sharing, such as social media profiles, emails, phone numbers. Then, input the information into an address book app or a Google Doc. Finally, share the data with your leaving teammate.

14. Launch an alumni channel

Slack Connect allows users to communicate with individuals outside the organization within Slack. You can use this feature to create an alumni channel so that teammates can continue communicating even after the teammate leaves the company. Simply create the channel, and then send the guest of honor an invitation to join to their personal email address. You can make an announcement within the channel that the team member is now an alum, and other past and current employees can congratulate the teammate on their new endeavors and adventures.

Be sure to moderate the channel to keep conversations on non-work topics. You should treat your alums like guests and friends, not employees.

Ways to say goodbye to remote coworkers

Here are some examples of sentiments to share when a remote colleague leaves the company.

1. I’m sad to see you go, even if I won’t see you go. I’ve loved working remotely with you.
2. Slack won’t be the same without you.
3. We are going to miss you more than you know.
4. Don’t be a stranger! Stay in touch– we’re only an email away.
5. Your smiling face brightens up every Zoom meeting. Your presence will be missed!
6. My microphone is on mute so that you can’t hear me cry. I’m going to miss you so much!
7. Can’t wait to creep on your social media and see what wonderful things you accomplish!
8. Your new company has no clue how lucky they are to have you.
9. Working from home is much more fun with a coworker like you. I’m going to miss you.
10. In your short time with the company, you’ve made great bounds.
11. Jealous of your new coworkers. They’re getting a gem!
12. You put the mate in teammate. Going to miss you, work friend!
13. I’ve learned so much from you.
14. Best of luck, though I know you won’t need it!
15. Wishing you nothing but the best on your new adventures.
16. Your home office may not change, but this is the start of something new and great for you. Best of luck!
17. Our work days will look much different without you.
18. Thank you for the support. I never felt alone while working from home with you on the team!
19. Congratulations on the new job! I hope it’s everything you hope it is and more!
20. I’m so glad to have met you, even if we never met in real life. Hoping our paths cross virtually again!
21. Even though you’re across the country, I feel so close to you. Going to miss working together!
22. I have no doubts you’ll succeed and exceed expectations in your new role. Knock ’em dead!
23. You have taught me so much, and acted as someone to look up to. Being your coworker made me a better employee.
24. Your replacement has big shoes to fill.
25. When in doubt, I think about what you would do to help me make the right decision. I am so thankful for your guidance.
26. Though you may leave the team, you will never leave our hearts.
27. I’ll miss that little green dot next to your name. It feels weird to know you won’t be a message away.
28. Hasta la vista virtual buddy.
29. Was going to bake you a cake, but I couldn’t figure out how to email it. Take these sweet words instead– we’re going to miss you.
30. We may not have worked in the same room, but your absence will be sorely felt.
31. Thank you for showing me how to work from home, and how much fun working together apart could be!
32. I never thought it would be so hard to say goodbye to a colleague I had only ever met online. I’m going to miss you.
33. Being your boss has been a real pleasure. I could always count on you to get the work done right, without having to look over your shoulder. I could not have asked for a better remote employee.

You can use these messages in ecards, emails, Zoom backgrounds, and speeches. Feel free to tweak these phrases to get the sentiment right.

Here are employee appreciation quotes to give you more inspiration, and a full list of retirement wishes for employees.

Conclusion

Having a farewell ceremony is a rite of passage that is just as important in virtual environments as in traditional offices. These gatherings give coworkers the opportunity to get together, reminisce, bond and give a fitting goodbye to the colleague. The parties also honor and thank the employee for hard work and send the message that the team will care and will miss them.

Also, these parties help facilitate the transition between jobs. When employees move between remote roles, the home office environment does not change. Online going away parties mark the end of one job and the start of another, and can give honorees closure by separating the end of one position and the start of the next.

Not to mention, these online bashes send employees off on a high note, and makes for a better company culture for the team members that remain.

Next, check out these lists of workplace trends and executive team building ideas. Plus, these ideas to say thank you virtually.