Before you choose: what retirement means for them
A normal leaving gift follows someone to a new job. A retirement gift goes with someone into a life where work no longer has a place. That changes everything: a smart notebook for meetings or a new laptop bag suddenly makes no sense at all.
So start with a simple question: what are they going to do with all that time? A trip they've put off for years, the garden, grandchildren, volunteering, an instrument, a sport. Their closest colleagues often know. If nobody does, a casual chat over coffee is usually enough, without giving the surprise away.
Think about how long they've been with you, too. Someone who's spent a large part of their working life at the company will love a gift that looks back on that journey, as well as one that looks ahead.
Gift ideas for their hobbies
The most popular gift is often the one that helps with the plan they've been talking about for ages.
- For a gardener: good-quality tools, a fruit tree to plant, or a subscription to a gardening magazine.
- For a traveller: a good suitcase, an illustrated guide to their dream destination, or a scratch map of the world.
- For someone who wants to learn: language, cookery, painting or music lessons that they choose themselves.
- For someone sporty: kit for the activity they want to take up again, such as walking, cycling, golf or swimming.
- For a reader: an e-reader, or a pile of books chosen by different colleagues, each with a short note inside the cover.
Experiences to enjoy
Retirement frees up time, and something to do is often worth more than one more thing to keep.
- A weekend away somewhere they love, or a night somewhere unusual.
- Dinner at a lovely restaurant, to share with whoever they like.
- Something they'd never treat themselves to: a hot-air balloon ride, a driving experience, a wine tasting.
- Tickets for a show, a concert or a match.
- A workshop to start something new: pottery, photography, woodwork, baking.
Gifts that look back on their career
These gifts look back rather than ahead. They're especially good for someone who's been part of the team for a long time.
- A photo album of the team over the years, with a caption from each colleague.
- A leaving book where everyone shares a memory of working together.
- Something engraved with a phrase the team chooses to sum them up.
- An illustrated print of the places, projects and faces from their career.
- Recommendations from the whole team about their work, gathered in one place, to read again and share.
Organising a group gift without awkward moments
A retirement gift is nearly always a team effort. A few simple steps help you avoid forgetting anyone or making anyone uncomfortable:
With a Leaving Pack, you can add the link to the money pot you've set up on any site you like: colleagues suggest gift ideas, vote and chip in from the same page as the recommendations.
- choose one person to coordinate, and a small group to pick the gift;
- tell people widely: former colleagues now in other teams, or even retired themselves, often love to be included;
- keep contributions optional and private, with no list of who gave what;
- set a closing date a few days before the party, so there's time to buy the gift;
- plan everything in a chat group they're not part of.
Warm messages to go with the gift
A gift is rarely handed over without a few words. Copy the message that sounds like you and replace the parts in square brackets.
Dear [Name], this is from all of us, with huge thanks for the years we've worked alongside you. Enjoy every day of this new chapter.
[Name], you've given this team so much. Now it's your turn to take some time for yourself. Happy retirement, and thank you for everything.
For [Name], who taught us the job with patience and good humour. This is a small thank you for a very long road travelled together.
Dear [Name], we hope this helps with all the plans you've been telling us about for so long. We're going to miss you a lot.
[Name], a new chapter begins, and we're glad we got to share part of the last one with you. We hope what comes next is as rich as your career.
Thank you, [Name], for listening, for your advice and for your loyalty. The whole team wishes you a retirement full of new discoveries.
Messages with a touch of humour
For a colleague who enjoys a joke, a light message often works best. Always end on something sincere.
[Name], no more alarm clock! This should keep you busy until at least lunchtime. Happy retirement, and thanks for everything.
From now on, your only meetings will be with your garden. We hope it talks less than we do. Thanks for some brilliant years, [Name].
[Name], you're leaving with our gift, and with every secret of the coffee machine. We'll never be able to fix it again. We'll miss you.
Monday mornings are no longer your problem. They're still ours. Enjoy them for us, [Name], and come back to tell us all about it.
Your diary is finally empty, so here's something to fill it with good things. Thank you for your kindness and your humour, [Name].
[Name], you've survived every new software system this company has ever brought in. Retirement will be easy. Well done, and thank you.
Common mistakes
A few slip-ups come up again and again with retirement gifts:
- jokes about age, aches or slippers, which the team finds funnier than the person retiring;
- a gift linked to work, just as they're about to leave it behind;
- a very personal gift chosen by one person without asking close colleagues;
- forgetting former colleagues or people who work remotely, who'd have loved to take part;
- something bulky for someone who's planning to move house or travel.
The gift that tells them what they brought
An object gets put away, and an experience is over in a day. What colleagues think of their work, though, has often never been said out loud. Retirement is the moment to write it down.
With a Leaving Pack from Take Your Skills, each colleague writes a recommendation about their work in secret, with help from an assistant that asks the right questions. On the leaving day, you close the pack: they get every recommendation by email and keep them on their profile, to read again or share if they take on consulting, a board role or volunteering. It's free for everyone.
For the party itself, our guide to organising a leaving party takes you through it step by step, and our retirement speech ideas help you prepare what to say. For the card, our leaving card message generator suggests three messages in the tone you want.