Bons Mots
A send-off idea for a colleague's retirement
After twenty-five or thirty years on the job, a colleague is taking her bow. The social committee handles the cake and the gift, but the essential part is often missing: what people would actually like to tell her, each in their own words.
That's precisely what lasts, long after the gift card has been spent: the stories retold, the thank-yous, the hallway anecdotes. You just need a way to collect them without turning it into a chore.
The gift that doesn't fit in a box
A collective page of kind words is simple: each person — the close team, former colleagues, management, the long-time client — writes their message at their own pace, from wherever they are. On departure day, the retiree receives a single, beautiful, complete page with all those words gathered together.
Unlike the paper card, nobody is squeezed into two lines in a corner, remote workers take part as easily as anyone else, and the page stays secret until the moment you give it. It's the kind of gift people reread years later.
Collecting the words in three steps
Create the retiree's page
A title, a mood, two minutes. You get your links right away, without creating an account.
Invite the team to contribute
Share the contribution link by email or in the team channel. Everyone writes when it suits them.
Hand over the page on the big day
At the farewell, give her the reading link — or read a few words aloud to the team first.
Frequently asked questions
Could my colleague stumble onto the page before she leaves?
No: the link for contributing and the link for reading are separate. As long as you keep the second one to yourself, the page stays invisible to her.
Can former colleagues and people from other offices take part?
Yes, just forward them the contribution link. No account required, wherever they are.
How much time should I allow?
Creating the page takes two minutes. Then give the team a week or two to write — the best words rarely arrive on day one.
Bons Mots was made for these moments: a collective page, secret until the big day, that your colleague will keep.