Memory book for a coworker who is leaving for a new job
Agree a hand-over date, invite colleagues to send one photo and their own words, then check names and confidentiality. Arrange a copy the leaver can receive after their work account closes.
The window is the notice period, so plan backwards from the last day. Fix the hand-over first, then the deadline, then who to ask.
For a surprise, use a collection space the leaver cannot access and check its sharing settings. If they prefer to know, invite them to set any subjects they want left out.
A leaving book can cover a new role, retirement or another change. Ask contributors about shared work and let the leaver decide how much of the next step is mentioned.
Make the memory book together
Invite people to send photos and their own words, then choose what goes in the book.
Questions to send to colleagues
- What did you work on together, and what was their part?
- What did they teach you that you still use?
- What question did they always ask in meetings?
- When did they help you without being asked?
- What will the team have to do differently without them?
- Which day at work with them do you remember best?
- What did they bring to the office or the call that nobody else did?
- What would you tell their new team about working with them?
- Which photograph do you have of them at work, and when was it taken?
Collecting without the leaver noticing
Make a private list of everyone to ask, including people in other teams they worked with. Message each one directly; a group thread is easy to forward by mistake.
Avoid calendar invites with their name in the title. Check the sharing settings of any folder before sending its link round.
- Ask a manager for past team members who have moved on.
- Set the deadline two working days before the last day.
- Send one reminder, then stop.
Remote and hybrid colleagues
People who never met them in person can send a photograph of their own desk, or a call screenshot once everyone in it has agreed.
Give the deadline with its time zone and convert it for anyone abroad. In tbf scrapbook colleagues can be invited to send photos, words, audio and video, and the organiser chooses what goes in.
What colleagues should send
Ask for things only they would know: a project they shared, a habit at work, a question the leaver always asked. That stops thirty contributions reading alike.
Do not send sample messages round. Send the questions below and let each person answer in their own words.
- One photograph each, with the people in it named.
- Nothing confidential: no client names, figures or internal screenshots.
- The writer's name and team on every contribution.
Handing it over on the last day
Hand it over in the last team meeting or call rather than at leaving drinks, where half the team may be missing and remote colleagues cannot join.
Ask how they would like the finished copy delivered. If it uses a personal address, confirm that address and send only the book, without a public contact list.
Keep a submission register
Track contributor name, photo received, permission checked and page checked. Store this list outside the book; it helps you spot missing names without sharing private contact details.
Pages to make
The team as it is now
A recent team photograph, or a call screenshot everyone agreed to, with names and roles beneath it.
Work done together
One spread per shared project, with a photograph or a cleared screenshot and short pieces from the people who worked on it.
Everyday work
Their desk, the usual coffee spot, the meeting they always ran. Contributions about habits and running jokes go here.
Last day
The leaving card, a last-day photograph and a page of colleagues' names and teams, so they can find people again later.
Questions
How is a leaving book different from a retirement book?
A leaving book usually centres on the team's shared work. For retirement it can also include earlier roles, if the person wants those covered.
How many people should contribute?
Everyone who worked with them closely, plus a few from other teams. Ten contributions with photographs and detail read better than forty single lines.
What if someone does not send anything?
Send one reminder before the deadline, then leave them out. A page of names at the back can include everyone who wanted to sign.