15 Creative Virtual Farewell Ideas to Bid Remote Employees Adieu

1. What Is a Virtual Farewell?

A virtual farewell is an online event conducted to bid farewell to someone who is leaving your organization, or team. This type of farewell typically takes place over video conferencing platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet. During a virtual farewell occasion, participants gather to express their good wishes, share memories, offer parting words, and possibly present gifts or awards as goodbye to coworker. 

Some of the best farewell function ideas include speeches, heartfelt messages, and sometimes even entertainment or games to make the event memorable and enjoyable.

2. Virtual Farewell Party Ideas for Remote Teams

2.1. Enjoy a “Who Knows” Trivia Game

Gear up to bid a farewell party in style with an engaging hosted Virtual Trivia event by Hooray Teams. This virtual team-building platform brings a fun and immersive environment right to your screen. Enjoy 4-5 rounds of fast-paced trivia questions covering history, milestones, employee quirks, and more, guided by an enthusiastic host.

To make it more special and personalized, Hooray Teams can easily customize the event for you with trivia questions that center around the farewell event such as notable moments with departing colleagues, challenges, success, or even day-to-day memories. You and the team could also pitch in questions that factor the exiting employee’s favorites or quirks to make it a memorable event.

2.2. Break Out From Dungeon Things

If you’re looking for virtual farewell party ideas with a dose of adventure, then Hooray Teams Virtual Escape Room is a perfect pick to ensure a memorable and lively event for your colleague.  In Dungeon Things - a thunderstorm transports your team to Lindale, where Jake mysteriously vanishes. You and your team’s mission is to unravel secrets behind other kids’ disappearances and Lindale's mysteries as you explore the town’s history.

You and your coworkers need to crack codes and decipher puzzles to break out of the room. An experienced game master will guide you and your team through the event and keep the momentum high. Hooray Teams also has a lineup of other thrilling themed escape rooms like  Patient 360, The Alchemist, and Mafia 360 that are guaranteed to pump up the adrenaline. 

2.3. Indulge in a Themed Icebreaker Game

Icebreaker games are a simple yet engaging choice in our list of virtual farewell ideas. To kick off the farewell party on a lighthearted note, consider playing a Virtual Icebreaker Game by Hooray Teams. The goal is to create a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere where everyone can interact and get to know your colleague who’s leaving, on a more personal level. 

Led by a dedicated host, you and your teammates can engage in collaborative activities such as quizzes, fun games, and more. Additionally, each of your team members can take turns sharing a cherished memory from their time together with the departing colleague, whether it's a funny anecdote, a touching moment, or a shared success. This will help them to celebrate the past and embrace the wonderful chapter ahead. 

2.4. Solve a Murder at Manor 

Add a gripping whodunnit drama to your virtual farewell ideas with Hooray Teams Virtual Murder Mystery challenge. You and your team will need to work together with the given clues to solve the Murder at the Manor where Lord Aubrey Falconer is found dead under suspicious circumstances at his home.  A lively host guides you and your team every step of the way while helping you sleuth out the truth. 

At the farewell party of one of our colleagues, our team played this thrilling murder mystery game and it was absolutely riveting. Throughout the gameplay, we collaborated to crack clues, solve the riddles, and uncover the dark secrets along the way.  The immersive experience turned our farewell into an unforgettable celebration filled with suspense, laughter, and camaraderie for everyone involved.

Read our article on murder mystery team-building activities to transform your remote gatherings into unforgettable experiences. 

2.5. Craft Cocktails in Salutation

Elevate the vibe of your virtual farewell party with a toast to great times ahead by joining Hooray Teams Virtual Cocktail Class. A professional mixologist will guide you through the process of muddling, mixing, and shaking your delicious cocktails to perfection. This hands-on activity is a perfect way to give cheers to new beginnings for your departing colleague with a blend of fun and learning. 

To make it more of a personalized event, you can ask your farewell colleague to share a few preferences and Hooray Teams can do the needful. Your team can raise a toast at the farewell event and enjoy some lighthearted conversations to make the event fun and memorable. 

If you want to explore more exciting virtual farewell ideas, check out our articles on bingo parties, virtual team building activities, or learn how to throw an ultimate virtual wine tasting party.

2.6.  Play Some Pictionary

Looking for a fun, competitive activity to create a unique send-off for your colleague at work? This is one of the virtual farewell ideas that will be put to great use! Divide the team into a pair or groups to compete against each other. Have everyone share screens and draw out objects via Miro, Mural or Stormboard. The team that gets the maximum number of right guesses can be declared Pictionary champions! 

It makes for an amazing farewell game for colleagues online as no minimum number of people is required to play this game. This classic game is great as a farewell to coworker.

2.7. Coworker in a Word

This is one of the simplest remote farewell ideas where everyone on the team comes up with an adjective for their coworker who is leaving. You can then announce all the adjectives that best sum up the person as a whole! You can also give it a flip and ask your farewell colleague to share adjectives that they correlate with other teammates.  If you want to make this exercise more group-friendly and not limit it to just the outgoing employee, you can have people pick chits with their coworkers’ names on them. They have to then describe whoever they get.

Remember to ensure that there’s only positive or neutral sentiment! Once all entries are in, the team can simply say the word, and the rest of the participants have to guess who best fits that particular adjective. Everyone can have up to three guesses before revealing the person!

2.8. Act Out Through Improv and Skits

If you are looking for some virtual farewell ideas that require a creative twist, you can have everyone do a skit or improv routine to present to the outgoing employee. The team can collectively brainstorm for a storyline that centers around the departing coworker, assign roles or parts, and then devote some time to rehearsals post-work.

You will be surprised at how this activity encourages deep thought as well as sheer fun! It's an interesting way to let loose and will give the departing colleague something to remember their team by!

2.9. Cook Up a Storm 

No send-off party is complete without mouthwatering delicacies on the table. Plan an extensive menu and encourage team members to share their dishes at the table or dishes your outgoing coworker cooks or orders when out at team lunches! 

There are plenty of theme-based potluck party ideas such as Barbeque, Asian, Mexican, and more.  Take dietary restrictions into account to modify the potluck if need be so that everybody can truly enjoy participating in it. As you sit down to eat, take a moment to appreciate the departing colleague and encourage them to share their farewell speech.

2.10. Go on a 3D Tour

Take your team on a virtual trip to explore a foreign city or a particular attraction via Google Earth. You can even choose to tour the streets, landmarks, and cultural hotspots in your outgoing coworker’s hometown. Make this activity even more interesting by learning fun facts and curiosities about the place. To make it more interesting, choose a place that your farewell guest of honor would like to visit on his or her bucket list and connect with a professional platform to provide an entertaining  themed virtual 3D tour.

This virtual farewell ideas list entry offers a refreshing departure from conventional virtual farewell parties, allowing participants to bond over travel aspirations and new goals.

2.11. Enjoy Some Standup 

Want to send a colleague off with a laugh-out-loud experience? Then streaming a stand-up comedy show is one of the perfect virtual farewell ideas to leave a lasting impact on the person leaving the company. Story narration, improvisation, and spontaneous wits promise abundant fun at the farewell party. 

If you want a live experience, SOSParty brings you a renowned stand-up comedian live on your Zoom screens to entertain your remote team with rich humor and lots of chuckles. 

2.12. Plan a Farewell Party Bingo

Celebrate your colleague's departure on a fun note with a virtual farewell party bingo game. To play virtual farewell bingo, create cards with a list of farewell-related phrases and activities. Distribute these cards to all participants before the virtual farewell party. Here's a carefully curated list of bingo ideas and phrases to ensure your virtual farewell party is nothing short of spectacular:

• "Goodbye Speech": Start your bingo card with this essential moment as you bid farewell to your guest of honor.
• "Travel Plans Mentioned": Did your departing friend drop a hint about their upcoming adventures? Check it off!
• "Funny Anecdote Shared": Laughter is the best medicine, and so are funny stories.
• "Nostalgic Story Told": Ah, reminiscing about the good old days at work is a must
• "Work-related Acronym Used": Did someone sneak in a bit of workplace jargon?
• "Photo or Memory Shared": Reliving cherished moments is an essential part of farewells.
• "Pun or Wordplay in the Farewell Message": Clever wordplay always adds a smile.
• Reference to Coworker Quirk or Habit": Celebrate the unique qualities of your colleagues.

2.13. GENSMAK Virtual Game

GENSMAK! Digital trivia is a fun and interactive game you can include in your list of virtual farewell ideas. Based on the GENSMAK! card game, this digital version allows remote teams to come together and challenge their trivia knowledge with questions spanning five generations and hints written by comedians. 

The game is easy to play (and it's free!). With teams of up to 12 players, you will earn points for answering questions correctly and additional points for not using hints. The more questions you answer outside your generation, the more points you get. 

2.14. Organize a Milestone Celebration Event

Farewells often mark the beginning of a new chapter, and there is no better way to celebrate this transition than with Hooray Teams Milestone Celebration Event. In this activity, everyone, including the outgoing employee, receives a unique title or award for their contributions or accomplishments. Rather than just an award ceremony, this one-hour event comes with various other enjoyable activities and surprises. 

This event will be a cherished moment of reflection, gratitude, and anticipation for their future endeavors. Additionally, you can also decide to give a going away present to your colleague.

To create an unforgettable virtual experience, delve into employee appreciation party ideas, hosting virtual dinner parties, New Year's Eve extravaganzas, work anniversary celebrations, and festive holiday party ideas. 

2.15. Send Out a Gift Box

Though goodbyes are hard, you can add some sweet moments to the occasion by sending a personalized gift. Including a farewell card with sentimental thoughts and best wishes from all the team members will create a lasting impact on them. Consider your colleague's preferences to curate a lovely gift box with items that they can use or cherish. Some of the popular gift ideas for going away party for coworker could include:

• Laptop bags
• Customized photo frames
• Personalized Coffee Mug
• Succulent Plants Pots
• Amazon Gift Voucher

3. Examples of Best Farewell Wishes to Remote Workers

• We wish you all the best in your future endeavors. You will be missed here
• It's been truly inspiring to work alongside someone as talented and dedicated as you. Best of luck in your future endeavors
• Teams won’t be the same without you 
• Congratulations on the new job!  May your new journey be filled with success, growth, and fulfillment. 
• Although we may be miles apart, I hope our paths cross again in the future. 
• As you embark on new adventures, the memories we've shared will endure. Wishing you farewell and all the best. Take care.
• Wishing you nothing but the best on your new journey.
• The company you're joining is really lucky to have you.
• Leaving us? Well, we're truly jealous of your new colleagues!
• Our team is going to miss you more than you know. Stay in touch

4. FAQs

4.1. How do you celebrate farewell virtually?

You can celebrate a farewell virtually with various virtual farewell party games and activities based on the employee’s years in service and the reasons behind their exit. If they’re retiring, the party needs to be planned to make it memorable for them, and enjoyable for the coworkers. If they are resigning and moving on to another opportunity, you should speak to them about

1. How they wish to celebrate, i.e. the scale of the event
2. Who else should be on the guest list

You should also obtain feedback on what kind of farewell present to get them on everyone’s behalf.

4.2. How do you say goodbye to a remote worker?

Saying goodbye is never easy, which is why we prefer to term it a ‘ see you again’ ! That being said, remember to convey your wishes and regards to the person who is departing, either via text or call over a meeting platform. You can arrange to do it at a mutually convenient time so that the knowledge transfer isn’t interrupted, and the goodbye isn’t rushed.

4.3. Why is it important to throw a virtual farewell party?

It is important to throw a virtual farewell party as they help make the employee feel valued and appreciated, highlight their impact, provide closure for their team, and leave the door open for their return. Goodbye parties should be seen as part of an employee engagement strategy. Additionally maintaining a good relationship with employees is important as it can lead to positive advocacy for the organization.

4.4. How to do a Zoom farewell party?

• Begin party planning during the notice period.
• Recognize the busy work schedule and limit the party's duration.
• Address potential virtual meetup challenges, such as awkward silences or technical issues.
• Show appreciation by sending care bags and physical gifts.
• Choose a date and plan various games and activities for the farewell.
• Involve the team in customizing the experience for the departing employee, including guessing games, quizzes, or a slideshow presentation.

4.5.What is a good farewell message to colleague?

A good coworker farewell message should convey your best wishes and express gratitude for the time you've spent working together.