Congratulations on retirement – tips for parting. How to hit the right note: a colleague retires and you are responsible for the farewell? You don’t have to worry about that.
Retirement is a major turning point in a person’s life. It is primarily up to superiors and colleagues to honor this event. One possible difficulty is that people deal very differently with the change that is coming.
While one literally counts the days until retirement and looks forward to free time, the other is looking forward to the end of his professional life with sadness or is concerned that he will no longer be needed. In order for you to strike the right note when saying goodbye, it is important that you deal with the question beforehand: What is your colleague’s opinion about your upcoming retirement? Accordingly, you can design your congratulations on retirement.
Acknowledgment, thanks and a dash of humor: a recipe for the farewell
depending on how sensitive the topic is to the person. For someone who is openly happy and looking forward to future activities with the grandchildren, a long-planned redesign of the garden or wish the targeted cruise.
If, on the other hand, the colleague in question is afraid, it is advisable to focus on where they still needed: in the family, in a club or in voluntary work. In any case, it is important that you know something about the person. This is probably why you were chosen for this task. Otherwise, listen around in time. Otherwise, you will hardly be able to write congratulations on retirement that will really be received.
However, the following three components should not be missing when you retire:
1. recognition
Congratulations on retirement always include a portion of appreciation for what your departing colleague has done. This can affect both professional and interpersonal aspects. Write down what made it special for the company to say goodbye
2. Thanks
Thank you for spending time together is also an important part of congratulating you on retirement. Here, too, you should take a look at the personal area: what did the retiree do? Was he a good listener? Did she bake cakes for everyone on special occasions? Was it always natural for him or her to step in for sick colleagues? The important thing is the message: We saw what you did for us.
3. Humor
Even if there is a little nostalgia involved: a little pinch of humor will spice up your congratulations on retirement. This should be dosed and appropriate to the situation. Is the colleague an enthusiastic angler? Then express that the fish in the region can warm up from now on. Does he work as a treasurer in a club? Then the members should consider carefully in the future whether they miss the punctual payment of the membership fees. Does she play an instrument in her free time? Then in the future she may talk to the neighbors more often. Or did she particularly like to drink the office coffee? Then everyone else can breathe a sigh of relief because they too now have a chance of a second cup. It is important that you go to work with tact: The goal is to make you smile.
The right card for congratulations on retirement
As for all occasions, pre-made cards can be bought here. However, you should consider whether you prefer to use a neutral card. Cards with flowers – whether as a bouquet or wild, actually always fit. But other motifs can also fit well if you choose them consciously. Here are a few examples:
Personal retirement gifts
In addition to congratulations on retirement, you can consider whether you would like to create a personal gift with your colleagues. Even with little effort, it is possible to create a small gift that gives the retiree a lot of fun.
If you have a photo of the entire workforce or department, you can print it out and frame it in a larger format. Have all your colleagues sign it beforehand – this will give the recipient a nice and decorative memory.
A very good idea are also self-designed books with tips for the coming time. Possible topics are book or travel tips. Ask each of your colleagues to recommend a book or vacation destination to future retirees. This tip should be justified or be enriched with its own story. Have the recommendations and a photo of each colleague sent to you digitally and create a small booklet from them. In addition to reading or travel ideas, these can also be exotic cooking recipes from vacation or leisure activities in your region – just choose the topic that best suits the person you are retiring from.
