Get well cards
What to write in a get well card for your boss
Supportive without being familiar, and without making them think about work. Lines for a manager who is off sick or recovering.
Wishing you a smooth recovery. Everything is in hand here, so please rest properly and take all the time you need.
HeartfeltWe are all thinking of you. The team is doing fine, thanks in no small part to how well you set us up.
HeartfeltGet well soon. Please do not give work a second thought — we want you back well, not quickly.
HeartfeltSending warm wishes from all of us. Look after yourself first; everything else can wait.
HeartfeltGet well soon. The team is coping admirably, although the meeting notes have become noticeably less organised.
FunnyWishing you a speedy recovery. We have been extremely well behaved in your absence, and there is no evidence to the contrary.
FunnyHope you are feeling better. The office plant has been asking after you, and so have we.
FunnyWishing you a quick and complete recovery.
ShortThinking of you. Rest up and get well soon.
ShortTake all the time you need. Everything is covered here.
ShortWishing you a speedy and complete recovery, with best wishes from the whole team.
FormalWe were sorry to hear you are unwell. With warm wishes for a full recovery.
Formal
A get well card to a manager has one job that is easy to miss: it must not add to their worries. Managers off sick often feel guilty about the team and anxious about what is piling up, so a card that mentions deadlines, the backlog or how badly you need them back can land as pressure, however kindly it is meant.
So reassure rather than miss. Tell them the team has things covered, wish them a proper recovery, and keep it warm but at the same professional distance you would normally keep. Unless they have shared details, say nothing about the illness itself — a get well card is not the place to show you have heard the rumours.
Three things worth getting right
- Tell them things are covered. It is the kindest thing a team can say to a manager who is off sick.
- Never mention the work waiting for them, even as a joke.
- Leave medical details out unless they have shared them with everyone.
Common questions
What do you write in a get well card for a manager?
Wish them a full recovery, reassure them the team has things in hand, and tell them to take the time they need. "Everything is under control here — please rest and take all the time you need" is the line most managers most want to read.
Should you send your boss a get well card?
Yes. A card from the team is appropriate and usually appreciated, and a group card is often better than one from a single direct report: it reads as the team's care rather than one person's gesture.
Can I joke in a get well card to my boss?
Gently, and only about things that are neither their illness nor their workload. A light line about how quiet the office is, or how the plants are coping, is fine; anything implying they are urgently needed back is not.
One card, signed by everyone
You have the words. Card Event collects everyone else in one link, with photos, video and voice notes, and no app or account for the people signing.
Start a cardWriting to someone else?
All card wording guides — lines for your boss and everyone else