Tag: Retirement Cards

Retirement Party Ideas For Coworkers

When planning someone’s retirement party, think about what they like when it comes to the theme, speeches, and who to invite. Not all retirement parties need to be galas. Think about local hangouts, parks or even a party in the office depending on what suits the person.

A retirement party can be anything you want it to be:

  • A luncheon during the workday
  • A big gala on a Saturday night
  • A sporting event on a Sunday afternoon
  • After work dinner with the team

There are no particular etiquette rules to guide a retirement party. The party can really be anything that suits the interests and personality of the retiree.

A retirement party is the opportunity to celebrate the retiree’s past accomplishments as well as their future endeavors. The party should therefore reflect these endeavors.

Some retirement party ideas for what to do at the party are as follows: Speeches, Commemorate the Retiree, Create a theme, do invite Family and Friends of the retiree, and create a playlist with fun songs.

The final thing to decide on would be the food. If you know the retiree’s palette then you can order food that they would like followed by CAKE.

Retirement Party Ideas For Coworkers

A retirement party is a way to celebrate your coworker’s past accomplishments and also to celebrate what the future will hold for them. Retirement is a big deal. It marks the start of another chapter in your coworker’s life.

Retirement evokes mixed emotions – you are happy for your coworker’s next chapter and then you are a bit sad at the thought of losing your daily time and interactions with this person.

So a memorable transition with the help of a retirement party celebration focusing on your coworker’s career will make their leaving a special event!
Here are some ideas for a retirement party – which could be anything that reflects your coworker’s wishes.

Plan a party

  • A luncheon – either in the office or out at a restaurant, with all their favorite foods and possibly a roast to them
  • After work drinks and appetizers
  • An event focused on their favorite hobby or people in their lives, like their spouses, children or grandchildren.

Prepare

  • A memory jar – with a collection of all the very best memories of their time on the job
  • Bucket List jar – to place ideas for the retiree to do with their new found freedom
  • A retirement card – signed by everyone in the office
  • A retirement gift – It can be gifts related to travel, or their favorite hobbies or a personalized gift

Whatever you end up preparing your coworker will know how much you care and how much you will miss them. Be sure to keep in touch with them through Facebook or by providing coworkers with their contact information, as one the hardest aspects of retirement is saying good bye to your work family.

Sending Retirement Cards To Employees

After an employee retires, one of the first things you should do is send them a retirement card. The Gallery Collection offers retirement cards perfect for any office.

A favorite is The Gallery Collection’s Retirement Bliss Card. This card oozes relaxation! It harkens to the possibility of the kind of rest—and fun—your former employee could be about to enjoy during their retirement. You could also go for a more generalized Congratulations card and have the inside be more personalized.

It can be hard to know what to say to your employee inside the card, once you have a design selected. On the inside you could use any of The Gallery Collection’s many greetings in case you’re at a loss for words. An example would be M3: “Happy retirement! May the years ahead bring you the best of everything!” There are also 1 -2 lines included at no additional charge where you could write something like:

“FROM ALL OF US AT [YOUR COMPANY NAME HERE]” and have everyone sign the card. You could also have the inside say: “THANK YOU FOR YOUR ______ YEARS OF SERVICE. IT WAS TRULY A PLEASURE WORKING WITH YOU AND YOU WILL BE MISSED!” this way you can change it depending on which employee it is for.

Warmest Wishes – What to Write on Your Co-Worker’s Retirement Card

A co-worker’s retirement is a wonderful occasion to celebrate.  You will no doubt want to share a heartfelt sentiment to wish your co-worker well on a retirement card.  Here are some tips and suggestions to help you express your warm wishes.

-Be positive.  Sometimes retirement can be a scary time of transition in a person’s life.  While he or she may really want to retire, it is still a big lifestyle adjustment and can make even the most financially comfortable retiree a little nervous.  Also, retirement signals that one is definitely getting older, which can also be a little unsettling to your co-worker.  You can help ease the tension by being nothing but positive in your message on the retirement card.

-Be personal. While it’s nice to express standard congratulatory sentiments-like wishing your co-worker the well-meaning but generic “good luck”, it’s even better to try to be specific and show your co-worker that you connected to him or her on a personal level.  Instead of just saying, “Now you will have more time to pursue your hobbies”, get specific!  Is he or she an avid reader? Say “Now you’ll be up-to-date on all the current bestsellers!” Maybe gardening is more your co-workers thing?  Mention that “now you’ll have more time to tend to those gorgeous roses!”  If she or he is a sports and fitness enthusiast, you can quip that you expect to see her in the next marathon, or see him serving aces on the tennis court.  Many retirees long to travel, having put it off while working.  If this applies to your co-worker, you should definitely wish her or him exciting and safe travels. If you happen to know where he or she is interested in visiting, it’s even better to mention it specifically!  Whatever your co-workers interests or hobbies, it will mean so much to her or him that you remembered and mentioned it!

-Be sincere.  Everyone wants to hear that they will be missed, so make sure to end your message with such a sentiment.  It’s great to get personal here as well and mention something that you will specifically miss about your co-worker.  We all want to be remembered for something other than just showing up every day and doing our jobs; we like to be recognized as individuals.  Maybe she has a great sense of humor and you will miss her witty one-liners that always made your Mondays a little less bleak; be sure to tell her!  Maybe he always had a bowl of candies that often got you through a rough day; let him know!    If you don’t know your co-worker that well, try to at least think of one anecdote or memory that you share and mention that-perhaps there was a dreadfully long meeting you both attended or a festive holiday party where you shared a toast?  Taking the time to recall such memories will make your co-worker feel very special.