How to Organize a Retirement Party
When someone has spent a third or more of their life making a living, it's only appropriate to acknowledge their time, energy and contributions to the workplace by sending them off in style with a retirement celebration. Here are some tips for making it a memorable moment for your special guest of honor.
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Instructions
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Identify the retiree's last official day of employment. You'll want to plan the retirement party as close to this departure date as possible. If you plan it too early, their last day will feel anticlimactic because everyone will already have partied and said their goodbyes. If you wait until after they have actually left, however, it might feel awkward for them to return, especially if their replacement has since come on board.
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Determine whether the retiree wants to be made a big fuss over, or if she would just prefer a quiet luncheon with a few staff. Having worked with this individual for a long time, you and your coworkers have probably gleaned a few clues about her personality. Someone who is an introvert, for instance, isn't going to be comfortable with a lot of fanfare, a surprise party, or a ribald "celebrity roast." On the other hand, someone who is gregarious and loves being the center of everyone's attention is going to be disappointed if all he gets is a signed card and a store-bought cupcake.
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Solicit party advice from whomever you believe knows the retiree best. This could be his assistant, his best friend, a business partner, or a spouse. Pick this person's brain as well on what the guest of honor plans to do when he's no longer coming to the office. This will provide you with ideas on what kind of gift would be the most welcome.
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Resist the urge to go with majority rule if you know for a fact that it's not going to be something the retiree will enjoy. This party is all about her, not all about the rest of the office.
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Determine how many people will be attending the retirement party and devise a budget. Unless the company itself will be picking up the tab for this event, it is likely that the employees will have to contribute to it out of their own pockets. It is, therefore, important to keep the cost reasonable so that anyone who wants to participate will be able to afford to.
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Determine the venue for the party. If it's going to be held in the office conference room, you'll need to incorporate festive decorations such as balloons and banners. Will the party be a potluck affair or will it be catered? (Don't forget to factor in the cost of plates, cups and napkins.) If it's going to be held at a club or in a restaurant, you'll need to start making calls early to make sure the facility will be available, acquire copies of their menus, and find out what the event will cost (including reservation deposits).
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Delegate assignments to your coworkers. Otherwise, you could run yourself ragged trying to do everything yourself (including the performance of your actual job).
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Choose an appropriate gift. This could be related to what the retiree plans to do next (i.e., travel, fishing, painting), a favorite hobby, season tickets to the theater or sports events, or a gift certificate to a favorite store.
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Arrange for guest speakers, and/or outline a program that includes anyone who wants to make a speech or has favorite anecdotes to share.
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Circulate a memory book amongst staff several weeks prior to the retirement party, and have everyone write their best wishes, their favorite memories, or their advice for the future.
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Tips & Warnings
A videotape of the retirement party makes for a nice add-on to the group present. If no one has a camcorder, an easy alternative is to buy a bunch of disposable cameras, place them around the tables and invite guests to take snapshots throughout the party. Collect all of these afterward, have the film developed and compile the photos into an album.
Many people do not like the idea of surprise parties because they are caught off guard. You also run the risk of your guest of honor being a no-show. A smarter course is to either let the retiree's spouse know what's going on or secretly tip off the retiree herself so that she can practice her reaction of astonishment.
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- Photo Credit Photo by Christina Hamlett
