When an employee retires, it creates a wonderful opportunity to recognize the years of service they have given your organization. It also provides you with an opportunity to send them off on a high note and feel gratitude for their contributions. At the same time you get to demonstrate to your team that you value loyalty and longevity.
Roughly 60% of employers provide a years of service award to employees. And, when an employee chooses to work until retirement with your organization, it’s a vote of confidence in the company.
Celebrate with your retiring employee by awarding them with an award that speaks to their dedication. Check out these ideas:
17 Retirement Award Names to Celebrate Retirees
- Chief Closer Award
- Going Out on Top Award
- Good Luck and Goodbye Award
- Exiting in Excellence Award
- We Bid You Adios Award
- Remarkable Dedication Award
- Dedication and Service Award
- Leaving a Legacy Award
- Heroes Are Remembered, Legends Never Die Award
- Permanent Recess Award
- Farewell Friend Award
- Start of a New Journey Award
- Missing the Master
- Departing Dignified Award
- Extraordinary Service Award
- Silver Shield Service Award
- Fun with 401k Award
Retirement Often Brings Conflicting Emotions
Retirement is often a time of mixed emotions for employees and employers alike. Retirement is often a time looked forward to. An employee gets to enjoy more free time and do some of the activities they’ve dreamed about for many years. And, they still get an income.
But, the retiree has spent years, sometimes decades at their place of work. They’ve formed relationships and faced failure and success. They are a different person than when they started. They’ve grown, expanded, and changed. They’ve formed friendships, stressed, and felt jubilation when they’ve succeeded.
For some retirees, retirement is both exciting and frightening. Much of their identity has included what they do and who they work for. This is an exceptional quality of your older workforce. Your Millennial workers seldom tie their employer to their identity.
Take time to acknowledge the honor of having an employee who has worked until retirement at your organization. Honor them back for their dedication and service. Ask them what they are feeling and hoping. Find out what their most memorable memories are.
Recall Memories and Send them Off With A “Scrapbook”
One expression of appreciation that speaks to the heart is a Memories book. This can take many forms. Pass around a scrapbook and ask employees to share photos and write memories that involve the retiree.
Dig into your archives or the employee file and add notes of appreciation, letters, or customer feedback that shows the positive impact they’ve made.
If you don’t regularly keep photos and records of team celebrations, accomplishments, or events, start keeping a record. At least a year before your retiree leaves, watch for opportunities to snap a photo or save a note that reflects their efforts.
Inside the Thanks Platform, Memories provides a seamless way for team members and colleagues to share a message with the retiree. Insider jokes, challenges overcome, and impactful moments should be included. In addition to a digital memory book, memories can be printed out or given in a PDF format with the retiring employees.
This memento provides a deeply personal touch, as well as a physical gift they can look back on and remember the positives of their career.
How to Throw A Memorable Retirement Party
Throwing a party is an important act to show your employees that you value their contributions. While a party takes time to plan and a budget to fulfill, you can make it something that makes a positive difference on both your retiree and remaining employees.
Set Goals for the Celebration
Make sure you define the goals of your party. Goals can include:
- Highlighting the accomplishments and showing appreciation for the retiree
- Creating fun memories for the whole team
- Strengthening bonds between colleagues
- Providing a place where the retiree can say goodbye and have closure to their work-life
- Encouraging employees to participate in the 401k
- Motivating remaining employees vía a motivational speaker
- Celebrating team accomplishments the retiree impacted
Plan the Food
No party is complete without food or dessert. You can plan to have lunch catered, eat at a favorite restaurant, or have a potluck. Or, host a dessert party with various types of desserts. Make sure you keep your retiree in mind when you plan the food and go with a food theme that accommodates their tastes and preferences.
Games and Entertainment
Your options are endless. You can focus on retiree-specific games that help the guests learn more about the retiree. Or, you can take the party to a specific location for a team-building activity. Or, bring in a special guest, live music, or local talent to entertain the guests.
Memorable Gifts
Send your retiree off with a unique and special gift. Present their retirement award with a gift. You can purchase something, or a gift card for something they’ve been eyeing. But, even with a purchased gift, make sure to give something from the heart. Have coworkers write notes and advice to them. Collect photos and create a scrapbook, or have a guest book that you gift to the retiree.
Toast the Retiree
Don’t let the party end without giving a speech of appreciation to the retiree and all they’ve done. Reminisce about projects they’ve impacted, the influence they’ve had, and share a few insider jokes. You could also allow partygoers to have 1-minute speeches where they give a farewell address to the retiree. (Don’t forget to record these messages so you can give them to the retiree after) Then, give the retiree a few moments to share their thoughts and feelings before ending the party.
Conclusion
Retirement provides employers a prime opportunity to show and express appreciation for a specific employee and a time for all employees to express gratitude and form greater bonds. It’s critical that employers don’t miss this special occasion.
About Thanks
Thanks is a leading provider of a recognition-based platform that increases communication, builds teamwork, and makes recognition a part of company culture. Fast, easy and simple Thanks makes it easy to bring data-driven employee recognition to your entire organization. O.C. Tanner purchased the Thanks platform in 2019 to fulfill the recognition needs of smaller businesses.
Thanks customers benefit from the same decades of research in employee motivation and company culture that O.C. Tanner enterprise clients enjoy, but in a product that is geared for fast, easy and simple deployment. Whether you’re starting a recognition program or improving and expanding on what you already have, Thanks has everything you need to engage your people with effective, scalable recognition.