Retirement Thank You Letter

The age of retirement is usually predetermined by the government of the country, and in some specific situations the organization determines the age limit for retirement. Anyone, who crosses this age limit has to retire from his/her job. On retiring, one usually writes a retirement thank you letter. This letter is written by the person who is retiring, to thank his colleagues and seniors. It is usually a generic letter, but one can write specific letters to specific people, like your immediate boss, someone from the management, human resource department, etc.

What is a retirement thank you letter?

When a person retires from an organization, it is clear that he has spent a long time working with the organization. During this tenure he would have interacted, worked and met different colleagues, bosses, etc. Also, many would have supported him. This letter will thus, allow him to show his courtesy towards all those people. It is a positive gesture, which allows the person to leave the organization on a positive note, and thank all the people who have been with him all this while.

Whom should the letter be addressed to?

As mentioned above, this letter can be addressed to a group of people in general, or to someone in specific. If the person wishes to thank his teammates, colleagues, etc., he can send this letter via email to all the people. If he wishes to thank someone in person, he can write a specific letter addressed to that person.

How to write a retirement thank you letter?

Usually, this letter is a formal letter, but in some situations this can be an informal letter too. As mentioned above, if one wishes to thank some friends or colleagues at work, he can write an informal letter. On the other hand, if he wishes to thank someone senior in position, or someone with whom he has a strictly formal relation, he can draft a formal letter. We would discuss the same with two different sample letters given below.

What should be the contents of the retirement thank you letter?

The letter is written when someone is leaving the organization, and thus should be written in a positive tone. It should be written to thank the concerned people, and should speak about the great moments spent at work, learnings, etc. Thus, the letter should speak about the good moments and experiences at work.

Let us read a few samples before we discuss it further -

Sample retirement thank you letter – addressed to the senior

From,
Louis V. Salzer
St. Patrick's School
2293 Lady Bug Drive
Brooklyn, NY 11206

To,
Debbie G. Buchanan
School Chief
St. Patrick's School
2293 Lady Bug Drive
Brooklyn, NY 11206

Subject: Thank you letter on retirement

Dear Ms. Buchanan,

Today, as I write this letter, I live with the fact that I am about to leave this school and my profession as a Teacher here at St. Patrick's School. Next month, I will be 60 years old and thus, will retire from my job. I wish to take this opportunity to thank you for all the trust you showed in me during my work tenure.

I still remember the day when I joined this school. Your words filled me with courage. I was a fresher then, and you told me that you believed me and my abilities and also said that I will be a great teacher. Over these years, I have learned a lot from you, my colleagues, and also the students. You gave me great opportunities to use my potential to the fullest. Every day at school has been a great learning experience for me.

I thank you for all the love and support.

Regards,

Louis V. Salzer

Sample retirement thank you letter – for colleagues

From,
Louis V. Salzer
St. Patrick's School
2293 Lady Bug Drive
Brooklyn, NY 11206

To,

All the Co-teachers and Teacher Assistants

Dear All,

Today as I retire from my position of a High School Teacher here at St. Patrick's, I wish to thank you all for being such wonderful colleagues. It's all of you, who have made my every day at work, wonderful.

I joined this school 25 years back, and since then have been working with you. Some of you were posted with me, while others came after me. I am proud to work with colleagues like you, and each one of you have taught me some wonderful lessons of life, work, etc. I must say that only a few get the chance of working with great colleagues.

Although I retire, I request you all to stay in touch, and also wish you all the best for the time to come.

Thank you once again.

Regards,

Louis V. Salzer

The two sample letters given above show how one can write this letter, and thank his colleagues or seniors at work. The letter written to colleagues can be an informal letter. However, a formal letter would do in both situations. Also, you can look Thank You Letter For Help and Thank You Letter For Hospitality for samples of letters.