10 Unique Ways To Honor an Employee Retirement

Retirement is something that many individuals look forward to throughout their careers. The average age to retire is around 65 years old, but you can retire sooner or later depending on your financial circumstances and overall health. No matter when someone chooses to retire, it’s something worth celebrating after a lifetime of hard work. There are many different creative ways to celebrate someone’s retirement and send them off with joy and good wishes for their next phase of life. Here are 10 unique ways to honor an employee’s retirement.

Host a Retirement Lunch

The first unique idea for honoring someone’s retirement at work is to host a retirement lunch. You want to thank the retiree for their hard work over the years and show gratitude for all the effort they put into the company and business, so hosting a lunch is a great way to do that. You can take them out to lunch on their lunch break to honor them or host a company lunch in the office and invite fellow employees and managers to the luncheon. It’s a great idea to hire a caterer for the event if you plan to have a large number of guests. That way, there’s enough food for everyone attending.

Give a Retirement Award

Giving the individual a retirement award is another thoughtful way to honor their retirement. Awards are a way to recognize someone for all of their accomplishments and achievements throughout their career. There are several types of awards you can present to this employee. For example, you can give them a plaque that says their starting and ending date at the company, their years worked, their name, and any other inspirational quotes or information you wish to include. An award is something that they can cherish for a lifetime and place somewhere significant within their home to showcase their career achievements.

Present a Slideshow

The third unique way to honor a retiring employee is by presenting a slideshow. Presentations are very common, especially in corporate work environments, so why not make and present a slideshow to commemorate and honor someone’s history at the company? You can gather photos from over the years, such as company event pictures, professional headshots, funny behind-the-scenes photos from the office, and even family images and memories during the period that they worked at the company. You can add captions to the pictures to give further detail and share funny and special memories from over the years. You can also add music to the slideshow if you choose.

Create a Scrapbook

Creating a scrapbook is another fun way to celebrate an employee’s retirement. Much in the same way that you would gather photos for a slideshow, you can collect photos and memorabilia from this person’s career. Some great things to include in a scrapbook for someone’s retirement are photographs, cards, newspaper clippings, articles written for or about this individual, significant projects they worked on, and other various highlights from their career. The best thing about a scrapbook is that this individual can keep it forever and look back on it anytime they want so that they can remember all the good memories and everything they accomplished during their working years at the company.

Get a Retirement Gift

It’s also a great idea to get a retirement gift to celebrate a retiring employee. People typically love receiving gifts, especially during significant times in their lives, and retirement is certainly a pivotal moment. There are all kinds of unique gift ideas for someone’s retirement. For example, you can get them a shadow box showcasing special memories from their career. You can also get them a special present that they can use during retirement. If you know this retiree has a hobby or interest like golfing, you can get donations from multiple employees to get them new golf clubs that will likely get a lot of use during their retirement.

Throw a Retirement Party

The sixth option for honoring someone who’s retiring at your company is to throw them a retirement party. Parties are one of the most fun ways to celebrate major life events. If you want to throw this individual a retirement party, you’ll need to plan accordingly. For example, you’ll need to pick an appropriate location for the party. You can choose an event venue or hold the party in the office if there’s enough space. Then, you’ll also need to plan food and drinks, music, performances, decorations, and other details.

Make a Special Video

Making a special video is another unique way to celebrate an employee’s retirement. You can film little clips of various employees and managers from the company giving special messages to the retiree. This video is a great way to thank the employee for their hard work over the years and to share fun memories and anecdotes that the individual can cherish for years to come. If you plan to film a video, it’s a good idea to keep the subject matter upbeat and positive and focus on happy times throughout this person’s career.

Give an Honorable Speech

You can also give an honorable speech to commemorate someone’s retirement. Gather several employees to give speeches or toasts to this person. You can choose to do it in the office, or you can do it at a party if you plan to throw one. The speeches don’t have to be long. Short and sweet is usually more effective. But you’ll want to highlight specific moments and memories from their career that show off their hard work and accomplishments.

Get a Retirement Cake

The ninth way to honor an employee when they’re retiring is to get a retirement cake. If you know the employee doesn’t love large parties and events, you can get them a cake to enjoy in the office before sending them off into their next phase of life. You can present it to them during the work day or lunch break, let them enjoy a piece, then allow them to take it home to celebrate their special day later.

Plan a Fun Activity

Planning a fun activity is another exciting way to celebrate an employee’s retirement. You can choose from all kinds of activities to celebrate this life event. For example, you can play a fun Jeopardy game in the office with details regarding this employee’s career achievements. You can also plan a weekend trip or getaway that involves golfing, camping, kayaking, or other activities this individual enjoys.

So keep these 10 ideas for celebrating an employee’s retirement in mind as you plan. Crystal Central has a gorgeous selection of personalized plaques for retirement that would make a great gift for a retiring employee at your company.