As the baby boomers continue to retire, you are likely to be invited to a growing number of retirement celebrations. Many people bring a gift to commemorate the occasion. Here’s how to appropriately recognize a co-worker’s retirement.
Acknowledge years of service. Some retirement gifts are inscribed with the number of years of service or the dates the employee worked at the company. “Something that references the occasion can be nice,” says Peggy Post, director of The Emily Post Institute and author of “Excuse Me, But I Was Next: How to Handle the Top 100 Manners Dilemmas.” “Sometimes things are engraved with the year the person started and the year they leave.”
Recognize future plans. If you know what activities your colleague plans to pursue in retirement, you could purchase a gift that will be useful. “It’s a good idea to think about what the person is going to do in the next stage of their life and try to think of something that could match up to that,” Post says. Checking in with a spouse or close friend could help you come up with ideas that will be appreciated. “If you know they plan to travel, something geared toward their trip would be appropriate, such as a passport holder or suitcase,” says Barbara Pachter, president of Pachter & Associates and author of “The Essentials of Business Etiquette: How to Greet, Eat, and Tweet Your Way to Success.” “However, if they are going on a fishing trip, maybe get them some fishing gear.”
Consider experience gifts. Retirees have a lifetime of accumulated possessions and often don’t need additional household items. But a fun experience or night out might be more appreciated. “If the person is a golfer, getting them a couple of rounds of golf would be a very nice gift,” Pachter says. “If they are a sports fan, you can get them a couple of tickets to a sporting event.” A foodie might enjoy a gift card to a nice restaurant or a wine-tasting experience.
Be sensitive to unplanned retirement. Retirement is not always a choice. Some people retire due to a layoff, health problem or to help care for a loved one. In this case, there may not be a party, but it can still be nice to mark the occasion, especially if you are close to the person who is retiring. “If it’s a health-related issue, maybe you want to get them some books that they can read and some movies, and include a really nice note,” Pachter says. Retirement is not necessarily an ending, but a transition to a new phase of life.
Consider group gifts. Giving a gift as a group often helps keep costs down. It can also make the gift more meaningful if everyone in the office or department signs it and writes a personal message. Scrapbooks, photo albums and collections of letters from customers, clients or colleagues are likely to be cherished by the retiree.
Personalize your gift. For someone you know well, include a note with your gift that highlights any meaningful impact the person retiring had on your life or career. “Giving a custom gift that is personalized with the recipient’s name can really make the gift that much more memorable,” says Diana Adair, a spokesperson for the online retail site Zazzle. Also consider a gift related to the industry or field you work in such as a framed photograph of a noteworthy work achievement.
Tread carefully with humor. A humorous gift can make a retirement celebration more fun, if you can avoid offending the recipient. “The biggest trend is humor, with funny cards, mugs and [T-shirts] that say things like ‘goodbye tension, hello pension,'” says Emily Bidwell, a merchandising specialist at Etsy, an online marketplace for handmade and vintage items. Etsy’s humorous gift ideas include a hand-stamped fork that says, “I’m Done.” Zazzle’s top-selling retirement gifts include a clock with the numbers scrambled that says, “Who cares! I’m retired!” and a personalizable mug that says, “Joe Smith can retire, but the legend will live on!”
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How to Commemorate a Colleague’s Retirement originally appeared on usnews.com
