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  3. Condolence message from company

Condolence message
from a company.

Name the person they lost, say the whole company is thinking of them, and keep it short. A card from a company should feel warm, not formal.

Each condolence message here is sorted by who is signing: a manager, the wider team, or a small group of colleagues.

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Everyone's words in one card.

Updated

A bench. Remembering the good times with them.

There is nothing we can say that helps. We are here, and we mean that.

From Priya

We are all thinking of you. So sorry for the loss of [name].

From Kofi

So sorry. Ring any of us, any time.

From Rosa

Pick a design

  • A leaf. So sorry for your loss.
  • Marker lettering. Thinking of you today, and on the days after too.
  • A bird. Sending you strength.
  • Marker lettering. We'll miss them too.
  • A bunch of flowers. With love.
  • Botanical sympathy card. Thinking of you.
  • A candle, lit. A light for them.
  • A paw print. We're so sorry about your dog. They were the best.
  • Marker lettering. We don't know what to say, so we'll just say we love you.
  • A sun. Sending love.

The question

Each writer gets a question.

One at a time, about Sam. They answer in their own words, or write without one.

Who they are to you
  1. A memory you would like Sam to have.
  2. Something you saw between them that you will not forget.
  3. A thing you learned from the person who has died.
  4. Something kind you saw Sam do for them.
  5. What you will remember them for.
  6. A plain offer of help you mean to keep.
  1. The moment you knew you had a proper friend in Sam.
  2. Something Sam did that only a friend would.
  3. A thing you still laugh about together.
  4. The time Sam turned up when it mattered.
  5. Something Sam knew about you before you said it.
  1. Something Sam did for the family that went unsaid.
  2. A habit of Sam's that you have caught yourself copying.
  3. A memory of Sam from when you were younger.
  4. Something Sam put up with from you.
  5. Something Sam taught you, mostly by example.
  1. A small thing Sam did that you noticed and never mentioned.
  2. The moment you knew.
  3. Something Sam did this year that made things easier for you.
  4. A thing about Sam you would not change.
  5. Something Sam carried that was yours to carry.
  1. The thing you go to Sam for.
  2. Something you picked up from working beside Sam.
  3. A bad day at work that Sam turned round.
  4. Something a new starter should be told about Sam.
  5. Something Sam did that made the job feel worth doing.

Or write without one.

Condolence messages from a company

Pick one, add the name of the person they lost, and sign it from the team.

From a manager

  • We are so sorry for the loss of [name]. Please take all the time you need. The work will keep.

  • The whole team is thinking of you. We were glad to know [name] through you.

  • There is nothing we can say that helps. We are here, and we mean that.

  • Take whatever time you need. Come back when you are ready, and not before.

  • We are so sorry. You do not need to reply to this or to anything else right now.

From the wider team

  • We are all thinking of you. So sorry for the loss of [name].

  • The whole office sends its condolences. We are here whenever you need us.

  • Sorry for your loss. We will keep things running. You focus on what matters.

  • We did not know [name], but we know how much they meant to you. Thinking of you.

  • From everyone here: we are sorry, and we are thinking of you.

From a small group of colleagues

  • We have been thinking of you since we heard. So sorry about [name].

  • You have been a steady presence for all of us. Let us be that for you now.

  • Please do not worry about anything here. We have it covered. Thinking of you.

  • We miss you and we are thinking of you and your family.

  • So sorry. Ring any of us, any time.

What not to write

Do not mention return dates, handovers, or who is covering. The card is not the place for logistics.

Do not write that they are in a better place, or that everything happens for a reason. Keep faith out of a company card unless you know it is shared.

Avoid phrases they will have read on every other card. Say one true thing. Stop there.

Keep it short. A card that fills a paragraph of formal sympathy reads as a letter from HR, not from people who actually know them.

One card from the whole company

Set the card up today. One link, and everyone signs from wherever they are.

  1. 01

    Start the card now.

    There is no opening date on a sympathy card. It goes when the team is ready.

  2. 02

    Share one link.

    Everyone signs from a browser, at their desk or at home. No card to walk round the office.

  3. 03

    They read it when they are ready.

    Every message signed with a name. They keep it.

Create a card

Questions

What should a company write in a condolence card?

The name of the person lost, a short expression of sympathy from the whole team, and one offer to help. Two or three sentences.

Should a condolence card from work be formal or personal?

Warmer than a letter, shorter than a personal message. They know it comes from colleagues, so plain and kind is better than formal every time.

Who should sign a condolence card from a company?

The direct team and their manager, at minimum. A wider circle can sign if the card is online, because there is no desk to walk it round.

Part of group sympathy card.

More guides

Somebody has a day coming up.

Create a card

Everyone's words in one card.