aja8888
Moderator Emeritus
Unless management puts a 10' bronze statue of you in front of the corporate office, you are just "old cheese" at retirement.
The send off party is to make the remaining employees think the company cares about them. They don’t care about the employee who is leaving.
I've kept up with a few "business friends" since retiring ~10 years ago. As time goes by, we drift further apart. Now our contact is measured in years, not months. And almost all of that is via email, not phone.
As a side note, I learned 100 times more about life, people and politics (office politics that is) after working for 2 mega corps over ~40 years, than I ever did in my private life.
I got escorted out be security, so no parties when I left.
Important life lesson -- Work will never love you back.
Unless management puts a 10' bronze statue of you in front of the corporate office, you are just "old cheese" at retirement.
I've mentioned before that when I told my boss I was leaving at the end of the week (but still employ*ed until end of the month and okay to call me) HIS boss and HER boss showed up at my w*rk station the next day to ask "what was wrong." I said "Nothing. I've been asked to take an assignment I don't want to do. I don't need to do it. I'm not going to do it. I'm not mad. I'm just gone."
That could be useful, if you have a bunch of grandchildren. I had forgotten, but one of the lifetime retirement benefits from my last Mega Corp is a 10% discount, for the family, on all company products/fuel purchases... That's becoming more valuable/noticeable lately.Knew some who retired at Walt Disney World. Depending on years of service some got free passes and their family to Disney for life.
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Boss asked if I wanted any kind of party. I told him that in a couple months, when the dust had settled, I'd invite the w*rk group out (on my dime) plus a few other folks I wanted to see. That's what I did. Wonderful. I keep in touch with exactly 2 folks from w*rk now 16 years later.
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Reading these continues to make me feel fortunate/lucky/blessed for enjoying my job. ...
I was in the opposite position. I just wanted to fade away. Neither my boss, nor my employees would let me. My last week, I had to fly from Tokyo to Boston for a farewell with my global executive committee colleagues. When I got back, my employees threw me a huge party, the day before my flight back home to California. I wanted neither. A year later, my boss (global CEO) called me on my birthday, just to say hello. I mostly enjoyed my work and loved my people. I worked directly under several CEOs, and the last one was the best, because he really cared for his people the way I cared for mine.
I tried to duck my "ceremony" but there is some kind of actual law that requires retiring military people to submit to some kind of ceremony.
There is no law requiring military people to have a retirement ceremony, at least not a law I have ever heard of. It is a common custom but I know lots of folks who chose not to have a retirement ceremony. Myself included. I preferred to slip away quietly.
I worked at a golf resort years ago and part of the perks was free rounds of golf / use of golf cart on the two courses and unlimited time at the driving range. When some retired they kept that company perk after retirement.That could be useful, if you have a bunch of grandchildren. I had forgotten, but one of the lifetime retirement benefits from my last Mega Corp is a 10% discount, for the family, on all company products/fuel purchases... That's becoming more valuable/noticeable lately.
There is no law requiring military people to have a retirement ceremony, at least not a law I have ever heard of. It is a common custom but I know lots of folks who chose not to have a retirement ceremony. Myself included. I preferred to slip away quietly.