You have been assigned to select retirement gifts for twenty people in your company who are reaching retirement age at the same time. What should you do? The first thing you need to do is don’t give all twenty the same thing. It won’t matter whether it’s a golf ball or a gold watch; it says nothing at all if everyone gets it.
A retirement gift may sign “You’re through” or it may signal “You’re eager to move to a wonderful new stage in your life.” That’s part of the reason the customary gold watch is such a bad gift. Do you envision your retired employee to spend the rest of his or her life sitting in a rocking chair checking the time every two minutes, while waiting to die? One man did precisely that—and it didn’t take him long to die.
That’s why a unique retirement gift is so influential. Does your employee (male or female) love to go fishing? Many do, but haven’t had the time to fish as much as they would love to. If so, a personalized rod and reel from a good manufacturer might be an ideal retirement gift.
Is your employee fond of reading? If so, depending on your budget limitations, an eBookWise reader or an Amazon Kindle can be a classic gift. There are hundreds of thousands of free ebooks available online, so these gifts don’t commit the employee to spending more money, although the convenience of carrying a whole library in a handbag or briefcase will certainly call for investing on preferred favorites or new books by good authors.
If your employee likes to do crafting, a little mild snooping (like telephoning the employee’s grown child) might tell you where to go to get a gift certificate that will serve months of gratifying productive play. Has someone slipped you a hint that your employee always wished he or she could have had a career in theater? Little theaters nationwide call for members: both viewers and workers. In an honor-winning play in Arlington, Texas, last year, one elderly woman who had never acted before discovered she was an outstanding actress.
Top class retirement gifts, such as mirrors or paperweights, sing elegance to anyone. Check online some of the things that are on sale. One person mentioned having had a mirror etched with an picture of his mother to give to his father as a gift. His father weep when he saw the mirror; he told his son that was his favorite picture of his mother. But it has to be high quality. Something done by your friendly neighborhood engraver is not likely to be sufficient, unless that engraver has access to really good crystal and glass.
If your employee likes golf, don’t obtain a cute little golf ball glued to a stand. What is she or he supposed to do . . . sit and look at it? No, depending on your estimation, get a six-months to one-year pass to the best golf course in town, or get a case of your employee’s favorite golf balls.
But whatever you do, make retirement gifts as individual as the retirees are. Make the gift a real gift by making it personal.