Bowing out of the works WhatsApp group gracefully. What do I say?

[Itwillendhere]

Hi, please can anybody help me with this?

I left work a year ago due to burnout and stress. The amount of changes that occurred in the space of a few months became too much and I had to go.
Until then, I was good at my job and I loved it and the people I worked with.

By the time I left, I was not who I was, my work suffered, and I found it took a lot of energy to get out of bed in the morning.

I kept in touch with my colleagues during the year, but when we met up, I felt out on a limb and still not myself. I felt ignored as I can’t join in work chit chat now due to not being there, so I think it might be best to move on.

I’m on the works WhatsApp group and want to leave it, but I can’t just leave without an explanation.

I spent so many years with them and I feel sad it’s come to this, but what do I say? I can’t just leave the group without saying anything as that would be rude.

Hi everyone, just wanted to pop in to say I think it’s time for me to leave this chat. Wishing you all the best and it would be lovely to have a coffee if anyone is in the area

The trick is that you don’t actually need to give a reason or justify yourself. You can just leave

Just say something to the effect of- it was good working with you… thanks or something like that. Or just archive/mute the chat or just leave. You left a year ago- it doesn’t sound like it was a nice time. It’s only a WhatsApp chat. I wouldn’t over think it x

No need to leave - just mute it if it’s bothering you.

Just leave. You don't have to explain yourself to anyone.

Just mute and archive. No need for a big announcement.

Just mute it. The group won’t know and you won’t see the messages.

Easy and no drama.

You don't owe anyone at your old workplace anything. You are allowed to leave the group.

I would (a) set "mute notifications" to one week. Then (b) send something to the group saying "Hi all. Now I've been gone from (employer) a year I feel it's time to move on from this group but I didn't want to leave without saying anything. I will actually leave on Friday (3 days from now) so that we have a chance to say goodbye.

Between now and friday check in once a day to say thank you to anyone who says goodbye. Then on Friday you actually leave.

It's totally ok to leave but it can be sad if someone announces their departure and you can't reply to say goodbye because they left within 5 minutes of saying so.

I would say something like it's been lovely working with you....time to move on...coffee if you're in the area etc. as the first reply says. No specific reason given for leaving other than it's time. Then I'd also stay in the group for a day or two so you can reply to any individual messages. Then I'd leave.

Muting means it'll still come up when you go into WA and you don't need that in 10 years time still!

Well I don’t like confrontation so I’d probably just archive it and never respond to anything on there!

Ive heard that WhatsApp doesn't announce that you have left the group anymore.

why can't you leave without an explanation?
If you really must just say "since i'm not involved with the day to day things, I'm leaving the group." and don't look back.

But you could just leave. People who want to contact you presumably can?

I'd just leave tbh, no big announcement. It's normal to leave a work group if you don't work there anymore. Do you have friends in the group you'll keep in touch with individually?

We have people on our work WhatsApp that have left and tbh, it’s really irritating. They left - get over it and move on. Occasionally I will ‘accidentally’ delete them myself!

To be honest your colleagues probably think it’s weird you are in the work WhatsApp group a year after you left…

just say thanks everyone, time for me to leave the group. They will probably all be thinking ‘about time’ 😂

Just leave. It's a bit odd that you havn't done already.

Just leave it doesn’t announce it anymore so no one will even notice. I did it on my work WhatsApp chat where I currently work took ages before anyone spotted I wasn’t on there anymore and when they mentioned it I just said oh I had too many chats blah blah no one cared

Just mute it and it'll drop to the bottom of your chats list. Easy, no angst.

I'd find it odd that you hadn't left tbh.
Something like I'm going to leave this group now. it's been a pleasure to work with you all. Wishing you all the best.

No big deal honest. No one will give it a second thought.

Are you a big participator in the chat? If not, just leave and I doubt anyone would even notice - most people probably assume you'd already left; and it's only the admin of the group that will get a message saying you've left. Honestly you are completely over thinking this.

Don’t be weird and announce a leaving message. If you don’t contribute to the group now anyway they probably don’t know you’re still in it.

The people that care enough will get in touch, and the rest wont. That’s life, things move on. You don’t work there anymore It’s not a big deal honestly. Just leave.

Just delete and get on with your life. No explanation required.

It's not an airport, you don't have to announce your departure!

Just leave.

My friend did this (ex work colleague) and she just sent a nice message saying she finds large group chats overwhelming at the moment so is leaving the group but wishes everyone well.

I would mute it and not post or reply on there.

Then after a couple of months just leave the group and if anyone asks why, just explain.

Just leave, no one cares.