Guide · updated 2026-10-14
How to organise a leaving gift for a remote colleague
When the team is spread across cities and time zones, there is no office card to pass round and no leaving drinks. A recording of voice messages from the team works well remotely: everyone records when it suits them, and you give it on their last call.
Short version: Make a private channel without them, post one link with a deadline two working days before their last day, ask their manager to remind people, and play or send the recording at the end of their final team call.
Timeline
1–2 weeks before
Make a private channel without them. Record your own message and post the link.
Halfway
Remind the channel. Ask their manager to message people directly.
2 working days before
Deadline. Leave a working day for late messages.
Their last day
Play the first few messages on their final team call, then send them the link.
Message to post in the channel
Hi all, Alex's last day is Friday 24 October. We're making a recording of messages from the team as a leaving gift. Could you record a minute by Wednesday (5 pm London / 12 pm New York)? Start with your name, then a project you'll remember or what you'll miss about working with Alex. Please keep it quiet!
Change the names and dates, then paste it into your group chat or email.
Keep it secret on Slack or Teams
Create a private channel or group chat with the team, minus the person leaving. Name it something dull.
Ask their manager for a list of people they worked closely with in other teams, and add them.
Post the link with a deadline, a sentence on what you are making, and two or three prompts.
Across time zones
Give the deadline in each main time zone ("Thursday 5 pm London / 12 pm New York") or simply make it a day earlier than you need. Because everyone records alone, nobody has to be online at the same time.
Getting people to record
Post the link with your own message already recorded, so people know what is expected. Remind the channel halfway through and on the last morning. A direct message from their manager gets more replies than any channel post.
Handing it over
On their final team call, share your screen and play the first two or three messages, then send them the link to the whole recording. Or send the link the evening before their last day, so they hear it alone first.
What usually goes wrong
- They see the channel. Check the member list before posting.
- Only their own team records. People in other teams they helped often have the best stories; ask them.
- The deadline falls on their last day. Leave a working day spare.
- Messages are all about work. A prompt like "what you will miss about them" brings out the personal ones.
The same job with VoiceHug
With VoiceHug you post one link in Slack or Teams. Colleagues record in the browser with no account, the person leaving never sees it, and you get one recording to play on the call.
1. Record your own message
Say who it is for and record first, so everyone hears how it sounds.
2. Send one link to the group
Post it in the family or friends group chat, or send the WhatsApp invite. You see who has recorded and can remind anyone invited by email.
3. Each person records on their phone
They open the link and tap the microphone, with prompts if they need ideas. No app, no account. They can also send a WhatsApp voice note.
4. They get one recording
VoiceHug levels every voice, puts a short pause between them and makes one MP3 with a chapter for each person, plus a gift page to send.
Free for you and up to 5 others. $9.99 once for a larger group.
Questions
- What is a good leaving gift from a remote team?
- Something they keep that has the team in it. A recording of voice messages works without anyone being in the same place, and it costs little or nothing.
- Can colleagues record without an account?
- Yes. They open the link and record in the browser on a phone or laptop.
- How much does it cost?
- Free for you plus up to 5 others (6 people). For a larger group it is a one-time $9.99, with no limit on how many people record. Contributors never pay.