Retirement video ideas for a coworker who deserves a proper send-off

Someone who has sat three desks away from you for twenty years is leaving, and a card with forty signatures that all say "Enjoy!" does not quite cover it. A retirement video gives the team a chance to say the real things: thank you, we will miss you, and who is going to fix the printer now?

Here are ideas that work in a real office, lines you can hand to colleagues who say "I don't know what to write", and a simple plan for collecting it all without a single reply-all disaster.

What makes a good retirement video for a coworker?

It is short, it is specific, and it sounds like the team. A good retirement video mixes one or two laughs with real thanks, mentions the things only this person did, and ends by looking forward to their next chapter. Aim for 1 to 3 minutes. Nobody at a farewell party has ever said "I wish that video was longer."

Retirement video ideas the whole team can join

• The replacement job ad "Wanted: someone to replace Maria. Must know where every file is, remember everyone's birthday, and make coffee strong enough to wake a meeting." Ends with: "Position cannot be filled."
• Famous habits A countdown of the things they are known for: the 7:58 arrival, the tidy desk, the mysterious drawer of snacks.
• One line from everyone Each colleague gives one sentence of thanks. Short, many voices, lots of warmth.
• The career in five chapters The first day, the big project, the move to the new office, the year of the flood, the last day.
• The retirement forecast "Mondays: sunny with a chance of sleeping in. Tuesdays: garden. Wednesday to Sunday: see Tuesday."
• The out-of-office reply "I am out of the office permanently. For urgent matters, please contact my hammock."
• The handover notes A mock list of everything nobody else knows how to do. It is long. It is alarming.

Thank them for the work. Then thank them for being them.

What should coworkers say in a retirement video?

Something specific they did, something you will miss, and a wish for their retirement. One or two sentences each is perfect. Specific beats general every time: "Thank you for training me when I did not know where the bathroom was" lands better than "Thanks for everything."

Heartfelt lines to copy:

• "You taught me more in my first month than any course ever did."
• "Thank you for always having time, even when you had none."
• "This place runs on your patience. We will have to find some of our own now."
• "You made Mondays better, and that is not easy."
• "Twenty-six years of showing up, helping out and never taking credit. Thank you."

Lighter lines, for the brave:

• "Enjoy retirement. We will enjoy guessing what you did with the stapler."
• "Your new boss is your garden. Good luck, it does not do weekends either."
• "Finally, you get a break longer than the one we called lunch."
• "We are not crying, the office just got very dusty."

How do you collect messages from the team?

Ask everyone for one sentence by a clear deadline, in one private place, without telling the person retiring. A shared document or a simple email to one organizer works. Give people two or three example lines, because a blank box makes everyone write "Enjoy!" again.

1. Step 1

   Pick one organizer. One person collects, so nothing goes astray and nobody replies to all.

2. Step 2

   Send a short ask. "One sentence about Maria, by Friday. Examples below."

3. Step 3

   Choose the idea. The job ad, the famous habits, or simply one line from everyone.

4. Step 4

   Order the lines. Funny early, heartfelt in the middle, the manager or closest colleague last.

5. Step 5

   Test it on the party screen. With sound, before the cake comes out.

How long should a retirement video be?

One to three minutes for a party, under a minute to send by email or chat. If thirty people each say one sentence, that is already about two minutes. Longer tributes are lovely to keep, but at a party the room will start eyeing the buffet.

What should you avoid in a retirement video?

Jokes about age, health or being "finally out of the way", and inside jokes only three people understand. Their family may be watching, and a retirement is a proud moment. Tease the habits, never the person.

For more on goodbyes at work, read a film for somebody leaving. If the person is not retiring yet but has been there forever, a work anniversary video might be the better fit.

Making it in Nine

Nine makes short drawn films with a voice, music and sound effects, and it suits a team message well. Paste the collected lines as a script: each paragraph becomes its own scene, in the order you chose, so every colleague gets a moment. Want the job-ad idea? Give Nine just an idea in one sentence and the crew makes it while you watch. Change it by saying so plainly: "more cheerful", "bigger name at the end". Nobody has to find a flattering photo of the retiree. You get a video file in wide for the party screen and tall for phones, and Nine sends it nowhere. The Film plan, from $29 a month, makes films up to 20 seconds, perfect for an opening card; the Production plan reaches 90 seconds for a longer team film. See pricing.

More ideas for films at work: an employee birthday video, and how to make internal messages that actually get watched.