Work used to be different. Careers used to be different. Just a few decades ago, many people settled into a job early in adulthood and stayed for 20, 30, even 40 years. And it used to be that, if you did, you got a pension for the remainder of your post-working life. But things are different now. An uncertain economy, uncertain employees and uncertain times has made job hopping way more common than a long tenure at one company. So now more than ever, we should be honoring our retirees. Whether it’s engraved retirement gifts, a party with a cake, a card signed by the whole office or anything else, you should make your retiree’s last day an office-wide display of appreciation. It’s hard to get people to stay at one job for decades nowadays.
Suggestions on How to Personalize Retirement Gifts
A traditional gift might be an engraved retirement plaque or a beautiful crystal award with an engraved base, both things they can proudly display at home for years to come. But there are a bunch of other things you can do as well, because trophies and plaques aren’t for everybody. You want to make sure it’s a personalized retirement gift. If they love to fish, get the whole office to chip in for a gift card to their favorite outdoor outfitter. If they’re moving to Florida, grab them a bunch of beach gear and maybe even get beach towels custom embroidered with your company logo or the retiree’s name. Many people travel once they’ve retired – maybe they’d love a travel bag embroidered with their initials.
Ordering an Engraved Plaque for Retirement? Here’s Some Ideas on What to Say:
If you’re keeping with tradition and looking for a retirement award plaque to present your employee at their goodbye party, you may wonder exactly what you should say in this extremely permanent message. How do you get your appreciation across in a personal but professional way?
- Make it short and sweet: There’s not a lot of room on most engraved plaques, so you need to get your point across in as few words as possible. Quality over quantity is key here.
- Keep it consistent: Take a look at what you or others have done for past retirees. Marry tradition with a personal touch. They’re part of a legacy, but they’re also special.
- Be professional: “Professional” means different things at different companies. Sarcasm, jokes and lightheartedness might be appropriate at more casual corps like tech companies or breweries, while more formal statements are more appropriate at places like a law firm or a medical practice. “Read the room,” so to say.
- Focus on the positive: A long tenure at a company is a big accomplishment. Highlight the number of years your retiree has been with you. But retirement is also a big accomplishment. Don’t make it all about sadness at the exodus of your retiree; think about adding an encouraging phrase about this next step in their life. “The best is yet to come,” is overused, but is good inspiration for your own idea.
How Experiencing Displays of Appreciation Can Benefit Your Younger Employees
Think about it- you’ve got new employees, young employees, or even some who might be coming up on a decade with you but don’t know if they’re settled in. Making sure you recognize your retirees with an engraved plaque, an art glass award, gift cards, or anything else, might motivate the younger crew to stick around. A huge factor in employee turnover is not feeling appreciated. By showing your retirees how valuable they were to the company and how much they’ll be missed, you show your younger and newer employees that your work culture is about teamwork and appreciation. These values are important to employees and will have a positive effect on their loyalty to your company. It’s a great side effect of giving your retirees the recognition they deserve.
