Sorry You’re Leaving, But Not That Sorry

By Nathan Lee, TLE Correspondent 

A new survey has revealed almost a third of British workers receive nothing from their bosses when they retire.

The study of 2,000 retirees found 31 per cent of people were not given a leaving gift, with a leaving card as good as it gets for a further seven per cent.

The average retirement gift was calculated to be just £2.17 for every year of work. Gift vouchers and flowers are the most common retirement gifts – while some workers had to settle for “an invite to the office Christmas party”.

Rebecca Willey, Corporate Communications Manager at Skipton Building Society, said: “After years of working, particularly if you have done a long term with the same company, most would expect a nice gift, or something special to wave them off into their retirement.

“But in reality, it seems that the gift you receive is nothing compared to the time and effort you have put into working over the years. And there are worryingly large number of people are lucky to receive a card at the most.”

A bunch of flowers, a personalised gift and something for the home were among the most popular retirement gifts. But some lucky workers received a night away, tickets to a Formula One event and an all-expenses paid party.

Rebecca Willey added: “Entering retirement is a huge milestone, and most would expect some sort of recognition for not only the work they have put in over the years, but also to celebrate reaching the landmark event in their lives.

“At Skipton, we believe everyone should be able to look forward to retirement. Leaving work behind after so many years can be an exciting and daunting experience. However, for many, it seems this experience hasn’t got off to the best start due to the send-off that they have received from their former employer.”

Top 10 most common retirement gifts

1. Gift vouchers
2. A bunch of flowers
3. A personalised gift
4. Something for the home
5. Money
6. Something for the garden
7. Cakes
8. A memento related to the company
9. A watch
10. A round of drinks for everyone

And 10 of the worst gifts received by retirees:

1. Nothing
2. A thank you letter with their name spelt wrong
3. Two bottles of wine, when they don’t drink
4. Just a thank you card
5. Miniature porcelain animal
6. A book
7. Cutlery
8. A plant
9. An Invite to the company annual Christmas party
10. A clock radio