Retirement is one of the biggest milestones of someone’s life. Not many people in their lives get to a retirement day. Those who get to the day are special, and they are the ones who gave everything they have in their lives to make a company successful.
It is the responsibility of other employees to make a person feel loved and appreciated at the same time on the last day. The big question is, “how to make someone’s retirement day special?” Well, one of the best ways to say goodbye to someone is a retirement party.
Retirement day can be a mix of feelings. The person will be satisified, but at the same time, there will be some heart touching feelings too. How the retirement day must look like depends on the type of person leaving an organization. When you are planning a party for a retiring individual, always keep in mind the likes and dislikes of the person.
Don’t you know how to say a formal goodbye to someone who has given his/her entire life to a company? Well, the following are the ways to make the retirement day of someone special.
Give heartwarming gifts
Giving gifts to a retiring person can be perfect for making his/her day special. Always make sure to gift something that can prove to be useful in the upcoming days. There are so many heartwarming gifts for retiring person that can make someone feel special.
In order to make your retirement gift exceptional, put in efforts to customize it according to the needs of the retiring person. Present your gift in one of the most sophisticated ways and give the man a proper farewell who has given everything for an organization.
Always keep in mind what the retiree wished for throughout his/her career. Now is the time to give what can make the last day of retirement memorable.
The gift could be a book having all the photos of the retiree or a soothing alarm clock that must not make him/her wake up immediately.
Involve friends and family members of retiree
We are living in a world where home is home, and work is work. If you want to surprise a retiring person with something really unexpected, involve his/her friends and family members and say a proper goodbye in their presence to let them how important this person is.
Imagine a father receiving all the appreciation in the world, and his children are sitting there too? How proud both children and the father will be? Children and grandchildren will definitely feel touchy to hear about the achievement of their man.
If you know some of the best friends of a retiring person, invite them and ask them to do something special for the retiree. It can be a song or telling about the time they had together. Involving friends and family members will make the retirement day even more exceptional.
A creative cake
Cutting of the cake is one of the most anticipated moments of an event. Gone are days when it was fine to cut a cake simply. Now, you need to go with the theme of your event as far as the selection of a cake is concerned.
If you know what the retiree is pretty fond of, make a cake accordingly. The cake could be the shape of the favorite destination of the retiree. If the person who is retiring loves traveling or playing a certain game, try to show your love with the appropriate theme.
The retiree will surely feel acknowledged after having a quick look at the cake. It would be great if you plan the cake cutting ceremony when other friends and family members out of the office are available for the retiree too to cheer him/her up.
Try to make retirees as happy as possible and make them realize how much his/her services mean to you. Make the person who is about to retire feel that all the depression and anxiety are gone now.
You’re never too old for games
Obviously, throughout the life of a retiree, he/she night used to do all work and not play. This is the time to give your employee a payback. Plan the retiring day as no work and all fun.
How about planning some entertaining happy retirement games? It’d be fun for the the retiring person as well as for other participants.
There are so many party games you can plan for them in order to make them feel extra-special. If the retiree is a music lover, a karaoke competition will be a perfect pick.
You can also write something out that should be acted by the retiree. If there is someone who can mimic a retiree, it would be so entertaining. These games will make the entire day so refreshing and pleasing not only for the the man who is about to receive retirement, but for others too.
Highlight retiree’s career with one breathtaking presentation
The best way to make someone feel happy is to let them know what they have achieved throughout their career. A retirement day would be incomplete without a presentation having all the achievements the retiree had over the years.
Never make a boring presentation. Always try to add memorable photos of the retiree along with some beautiful text. By looking at all the photos, a retiring individual will go back to all the years spent with courage and dignity.
You can also use your presentation to tell some funny and interesting stories about the retiree. In order to make your presentation even more memorable, invite some of the close friends and family members of the retiree to show their love openly.
A goodbye presentation would be incomplete without a fun and humor factor. So, never skip this part at any cost.
Give a momentous speech
Out of the best ways to end someone’s career on a high, giving a speech is probably at the top of the list. In a speech, you can rewind the entire career of someone. You can make a retiree remember all the ups and downs of the career; that would be so pleasing for any retiring individual.
It can be very tricky to summarize someone’s career in a speech, which is why there has to be planning behind the speech.
As a coworker, you can tell the world about the memories you cherished together. If you are the owner of the company, let the audience know how the retiree has changed your company in a significant way. Never forget to tell the funny sides of the person who is about the get retired.
You can also tell everyone what’s the thing the entire company is going to miss about the retiree. Make retiring person feel that he/she is going to be mentally and emotionally stable for the rest of the life. In the end, there has to be a proper thank you for all the services.
Pick out an iconic playlist
There are so many retirement party songs available that can fit the mood of any party. Keeping in mind the type of your party, play the songs, and make sure the songs are relatable somehow.
When you are making a playlist for a retirement party, always try to include songs about relief, nostalgia, happiness, and freedom. The fun element has to be there in your playlist, which is why it is mandatory to include some funny songs too.
Here is a list of songs that can definitely do the job for a retirement party;
- “The Best is Yet to Come” by Frank Sinatra
- “I’m Free” by Rolling Stones
- “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong
- “9 to 5” by Dolly Parton
- “U Can’t Touch This” by MC Hammer
- “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” By Bobby McFarrin
- “It’s a Beautiful Day” by Michael Bublé
- “Take it Easy” by The Eagles
End with fireworks & flowers
It is important to end a retirement day on a high. This will be the very last time the retiree is going to leave the office. You won’t see him/her again coming at 9 and leaving at 5, which is why this last walk has to be monumental.
When the person is leaving the place for the very last time, have fireworks and make him/her leave with flowers. Obviously, the love of other employees will walk away with the retiree, but giving flowers with a genuine goodbye will be so soothing.
It would be great if the cards and balloons can be arranged written “THANKYOU” with the name of the retiree. Imagine the retiree coming out of the office with so many nostalgic feels and tears of happiness?
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Conclusion:
Retirement day can be very special for the retiree as well as for the friends and family members. A person who has given complete life to a company deserves a huge round of applause and appreciation of the retirement day.
There has to be a unique party for the retiree to say formal thank you and goodbye for all the services over the years. Implement the ideas we have discussed above, and you will be able to surprise your retiree on the retirement day.
