Great Sample Resume

Retirement Letter of Appreciation

It is not easy to lose a good employee or coworker, even if the reason is a well-deserved retirement. A well thought out retirement letter of appreciation can make the goodbyes a little easier to give and take. Properly written, this letter is instrumental in ending the retiree’s working relationship on a positive note.

Content and Format:

The tone of the appreciation letter is generally less formal that other business letters. The retirement letter of appreciation is used to acknowledge an employee’s upcoming retirement and to say thank you. The body of the letter is dedicated to positive examples of the work relationship followed by sincere well wishes for the future.

Sample:

This sample retirement letter of appreciation is written by a boss to an employee. The boss accepts the employee’s resignation letter and expresses a little sadness at her departure. The boss uses specific examples to let the employee know she was valued and appreciated during her time with the company.

Dear Jennifer,

I received your official notice of resignation from our company. I acknowledge that your last day with Lakeside Productions is July 1, 2013. I accept your resignation with some regret. While I wish you the best in your well-earned retirement, you will leave a void on our team that will be hard to fill. Your years of dedication are greatly appreciated.

A list of your accomplishments would take more space than this letter allows, so I will just name two. Three years ago, you initiated a new customer feedback system that allows us to respond to customer complaints within two hours of receipt. This year you created a new intranet so our employees on three continents can share information as needed, regardless of the time difference. Wow! Not only did you conceive these ideas, you proactively championed for their approval and then implemented them in record time.

What I believe your coworkers will miss the most is your beautiful smile and your positive attitude. In all of the years you have worked for me, I do not remember ever hearing you speak negatively about someone else. Your work ethic is impeccable: You show up early and are always the first one to volunteer to stay late. As you know, we have decided to fill your position by promoting Geoffrey Stiles. I realize it will take time for him to develop your level of skill and polish, but I am hoping you can coach him some before you leave.

Jennifer, you will be greatly missed. I have so enjoyed having you on my team. I hope when I get ready to retire people say half the positive things about me that they are saying about you. I sincerely hope you will stay in touch. Congratulations on your retirement. I wish you all the best.

Sincerely,

Loretta Lake

Ms. Loretta Lake

Marketing Communications Manager

Lakeside Productions