Reply to Please stop buying plaques as gifts for retirees/farewells

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Nobody knows what to do anymore.

People miss significant gifts like watches.

Most retirement presents aren't useful - except for gift cards.

My team did give an Apple Watch to a guy that was retiring after 35-40 years.  They had collected a lot of cash.

Sometimes the party is the best present.  A lot of people get no recognition.[/quote]

I just retire from the govt. and got a plaque. [b] I appreciate the sentiment[/b] but what the heck?  Am I supposed to hang it in my home?  Nope.  It is hiding in my
Closet along with the other plaques I received.  Just give me a card with some thoughtful notes and a nice coffee gathering in the morning.[/quote]

That's the thing, there is no thought/ sentiment behind it because everyone receives a plaque. At this point, it screams box checking.[/quote]

So, as somebody who has had to organize dozens of farewell parties/gifts for employees over the years - sorry, but the exercise is not for you, it's for the office. People want to "do something" and feel that something will be done for them when they leave. That's why you get a plaque.

I realize you'd probably like a gift card, but your colleagues and my boss think that's too impersonal (too easy) so we don't do that.

You're not getting a thoughtful personal gift [i]even if [/i]we have a lot of money collected because (a) I am organizing this on top of my real job and I'm busy, and (b) I have to think about the expectations being set / already set in past years, in the sense that one employee can't be seen to get a significantly nicer or more thoughtful gift than another employee. If we collect more than the plaque costs, you get nicer food at the party. If we collect less, I make up the difference out of my own pocket. [/quote]

You and your boss suck.  You think you are fooling anyone with this attitude? I’m too busy to spend five minutes to think about a more meaningful gift than a plaque that goes straight into a dumpster after I worked for your company for decades? Also pretty weird that you make up the difference out of your pocket. Your boss told you to do that?
[/quote]

I'm government, and I assume OP is too since they mentioned challenge coins. All gifts are out of pocket since no government funds may be spent on stuff like that. We pass the hat for voluntary donations and supervisors usually give a little more to make up for people who didn't give. [/quote]

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