Are big retirement gifts from employers a thing?

[disykat]

I just saw something on Facebook where the employee left Burger King after 28 years and got a thrown together gift bag worth about 20 bucks. People are all up in arms and David Spade sent the man money. I think it's great to be acknowledged, however that just doesn't seem abnormal to me. I'm guessing BK might not even have a retirement gift policy at the store level and that store has probably never run into that before. I would have guessed maybe a certificate or small plaque?

I'm surprised by the hype and the vitriolic messages. (Though I guess I shouldn't be!) From my employer I got a clock probably worth about $20 (and my coworkers gave me a plant and made treats for a brief gathering for those of us retiring the end of that school year.) It was nice. DH got a framed picture from his employer (and his coworkers signed the mat and bought a cake.) Also nice, and the company part was probably about $40 or less because they buy them in bulk. Maybe my expectations are skewed because we both had government funded employers.

So, what's your experience? Do employers give more than token gifts to retirees? (I think coworkers doing something or your family/friends throwing a party is different, I'm talking about employer funded.)

 

[focusondisney]

I don’t know anyone who got a gift from their employer, whether they retired from the public or private sector. I retired this spring after 44 years with a large hospital corporation. The hospital gave a certificate recognizing years of service. My coworkers gave me a generous Disney gift card, some smaller gifts, flowers & a pizza lunch. Group gifts from coworkers is how all we did all milestones for my whole career.

 

[VandVsmama]

Nope.

 

[Minnesota!]

My company gives money, a party, cake, etc. And, most of the time, coworkers go in on a really nice gift, too. Retirements, company wide, are announced via the intranet and when/where the party will be. They are well celebrated

When my mom retired about 15 years ago, she got like 700 towards a home computer, a party, cake. Different company, but a Fortune 500 one, like mine.

 

[kymom99]

I retired from teaching. There’s no money for that. The party I got was funded by my coworkers. I did get a flame plaque with a verse engraved on it. They also gave me a framed picture with words to describe me. I got a lot of nice gifts from individuals and groups.

 

[disneychrista]

I am a public employee, so gifts are not a thing. I guess our gift is the pension we get for the rest of our lives.

 

[sam_gordon]

Our company has traditionally given retirement gifts worth hundreds (like $300-$500). Before our current GM, it was specific to the retiree (a travel credit for someone who likes to travel, I think tickets to a concert for someone who like music, etc). Current GM has "standardized" the gifts... retirees get an iPad (engraved).

 

[Magical2017]

No. Maybe a watch or plaque. I work at a university and when someone retires the coworkers throw them a party and pay for a small gift.

 

[tvguy]

My wife and I retired last year.
My company gave me a $500 gift card and brought in food for a small gathering in the office. I had worked there 16 years.
My wife got a $100 gift card. At her request there was no "gathering". They normally order a cake. She worked there 42 years

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I retired from teaching. There’s no money for that. The party I got was funded by my coworkers. I did get a flame plaque with a verse engraved on it. They also gave me a framed picture with words to describe me. I got a lot of nice gifts from individuals and groups.

When my aunt retired in 2019 after more than 40 years teaching they named the street for the school area she spent many of her teaching years after her. The investment I don't believe was all that much though. I think a lot of the school stuff is school by school in what they do

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Retirement in corporate world seems to have followed a traditional party of some sorts. I mean it's really not uncommon for gifts for X number of years of service (usually in 5 year increments). So when you actually retire a party isn't unheard of to be given in your name, gifts given, etc along with a company's gift.

I think the reason the fast food (which is usually what I see and BK is only one of the ones I've seen) has gotten a lot of furor is because it's usually feels more like an insult after so many years of working the company gives you some silly token given the type of job it's in staying that long is quite the feat. Perhaps it's more like nothing at all would be better than some movie tickets.

Also at least for this particular video the OP is talking about it was 27 years without missing a day at work. Imagine if you never missed a day at work for nearly 3 decades..at an airport (where people are not their best) and your boss doesn't even remember it. That part was left out of the OP but I feel that's incredibly important because how many of us can even comprehend that. This story is also from end of June. On the other hand it was 27 years which isn't a traditional milestone year and he wasn't retiring from the company nor leaving the company just offhandedly said it was 27 years there.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I have not heard of many retirees receiving "big gifts". I know my mother in-law retired from some drug company and she received a clock. Retiring teachers I have known received like a plaque, signed pictures, and maybe gift cards (I would say under $50) and usually a party. It was kind of individualized really. Where I am now, in banking (back office), there is usually a company-wide email sent out thanking them, and telling everybody to congratulate that person if they see them. The only person I know on a personal level who retired from my company said that her supervisor gave her a bottle of wine upon retirement (this is in addition to the email). Of course we also had a "pitch in" at our office level with gift cards and the like. As far as I know the only thing provided by the actual company was that heartfelt email.

 

[_19disnA]

It wouldn't be 'social media' if people weren't constantly 'outraged' over something..............LOL.

I think it mostly depends on what is common practice at that company and also what level you are within the organization. Someone who is the VP of a division might get more then someone who was a secretary their entire career. I know of many companies who don't fund any kind of gift, but the people in their department usually coordinate having a luncheon where people can donate to a gift of some sort.

 

[DisneyHardin]

I'm a teacher. When someone retires at our school we have a party, but no school money is allowed to be spent on it. The principal usually buys the cake and the other teachers from the retiring persons team will do the drinks and paper products. We generally collect money to give the retiree, so they may get a couple hundred dollars,

 

[easyas123]

We don't do parties or awards or anything like that but we do buy company pick up trucks for several of our guys and they get a new one a year or two before they retire and we gift the truck to them to keep.

 

[ronandannette]

It wouldn't be 'social media' if people weren't constantly 'outraged' over something..............LOL.

I think it mostly depends on what is common practice at that company and also what level you are within the organization. Someone who is the VP of a division might get more then someone who was a secretary their entire career. I know of many companies who don't fund any kind of gift, but the people in their department usually coordinate having a luncheon where people can donate to a gift of some sort.

Yes - this, at least at our company. When regular rank-and-file retire, there will be a corporate gift (usually a gift card these days, rumoured to be $500.00), a catered lunch party in the office where employees from our other business units are invited to stop by, and various small gifts given by other employees. They are also featured in a nice little bio piece in our international news letter.

When the long-time VP of our business unit retired last year he was flown first-class to our head office (all the other VP’s company-wide were flown in too) and honoured at a gala evening dinner-dance. The company also constructed and dedicated a fancy gazebo to him, in a park in one of the local subdivisions our company developed. Not sure whether they also gave him the $500 gift card.

 

[Mysterian]

Where I work, you have to be here a certain amount of years to get a fruit tray, and then longer to also get cake. Something like that.
David Spade is welcome to send me money though.

 

[mrodgers]

My experience is, it depends on who you are. I'm of the peon population, we don't get squat. I am also part of the elite populations, I'm the peon who works with and for the elites. They get all kinds of stuff not just for retirement, but for leaving for any reason. I've been to many fancy expensive dinner parties for elites who have left.

I couldn't care less. When I leave or retire, I just want to leave. No need to show how much you appreciate me 30 years later, you should have been showing me for the 30 years I was making money for you.

 

[Darcy03231]

When DH retired (commercial construction) he got about $5k in gift cards from the company. He'd been there for over 20 years.

Where I work the company does a party/cake and gift cards. Dollar amount depends on how long you worked here. Over 20 years and it's around $1k-$1,500. Co-workers also get together and do a dinner and take up a collection for a gift, usually a piece of jewelry (mostly women here).

 

[GreatLakes]

At my current and last job if you were there for a while you got a few hundred worth of gifts and a party. I had a few people that reported to me either directly or a few people removed retire and I tried to personalize what I got them in addition to what the company got them. A few restaurant gift cards and a good bourbon for my last retiree based on what I knew she liked.

The higher you are the more you generally get.

Also at least for this particular video the OP is talking about it was 27 years without missing a day at work. Imagine if you never missed a day at work for nearly 3 decades..at an airport (where people are not their best) and your boss doesn't even remember it. That part was left out of the OP but I feel that's incredibly important because how many of us can even comprehend that. This story is also from end of June. On the other hand it was 27 years which isn't a traditional milestone year and he wasn't retiring from the company nor leaving the company just offhandedly said it was 27 years there.

When I see people never missing work or school all I think about is how often they came in sick and got their customers, classmates, or co-workers sick. I don't think never missing work is anything to celebrate.