Community Chat

[srgtdj]

Watching Jill's celebration last night made me wonder about the kind of retirement send off most people experience.  After 15 years with my company when I retired it was basically a non event.  A few people I was close to did lunch/dinner with me but there was no company acknowledgement at all.  My experience was about as different from Jill's as you could get.  Looking back on it I realize that it did leave me feeling unappreciated.  But I chalked it up to the way the business world works now..they move on, your spot is filled, and with the excpetion of a few friends you are easily forgotten.   I never wanted a big party..but a thank you would have been so nice.  Oh well.  I don't think about it at all but the Jill show brought that feeling to the surface I guess.

Is my experience unique?  Did those who have retired get a send off of some kind?

[Katcat1]

I think it depends on the company.  Some do acknowledge it and some don't.  I thought the last ten minutes of the show a cake should have been brought out and the drinks.  She did not have to sell all the way to the end.

[Johnnyeager]

It's a little difficult to compare Jill's farewell to that of the average person retiring.

As a television personality, this was basically for shoppers, viewers, fans and followers.

I'm sure other things were done off camera to which we were not invited.

Plus, she's going to continue to see most of the people who were in the studio with her last night.  

[alicedee]

The last 15 years of my working career was secretary at a small charter school.  My last day of work the director and staff had a potluck lunch for me, cake, flowers, some gift cards.  Lots of well wishes.  It was very nice and I appreciated it.

[QP Doll]

What a wonderful celebration show!  I found it odd that Jane Brown & Pat did not have a farewell message to Jill like all the other hosts.

[Sooner]

We used to do big deals where I worked.  I was SOOOOO happy they didn't insist on it when I retired.  I went out with some nice people and we celebrated my 40 years, but those big parties were more often painful than anything else.  

I felt good to have ducked that!  What does it matter anyway?  I always felt my paycheck was my appreciation note!  LOL!!!

[drizzellla]

My husband worked for his company for 46 years. When he retired, they did absolutely nothing. The "bigwigs" did not even come to his office to say good bye.

The only reason he stayed as long as he did with the company was because of the original owner. The owner built the company on his own. In the beginning the owner would not have enough money for payroll. So he went without a paycheck. He knew every employee and also knew all about the employee too. At one of the dinners I heard that 85% of the employees were with the company 25 years or more. And the owner made sure every employee got a share of the profits. The owner's wife died of breast cancer and he had 3 young children to raise by himself. So he made sure that the employee health plan was the best plan on the market. And the company paid 100%.

He had groomed his daughter to take over the company. But she got breast cancer and died at 39. She died before he did. Then sadly, he died. So the other daughter's husband took over. He graduated from Harvard and thinks he knows it all. And has no interest in knowing any employee. He only cares about how he can enrich himself.

Therefore, my husband did not even get a handshake goodbye.

[Johnnyeager]

I'm just glad that my job doesn't require me to leave a farewell message for someone who leaves.  I don't like everyone and in some cases don't care.

It sounds like people keep track of this at QVC.

[zanna]

I retired from a big bank last month after 20.5 years.  Also a non-event except that my immediate manager let me know that my timing (30 days notice) was inconvenient for him  In fact, my 20th anniversary with the company in January 2019 was not acknowledged in any way by anyone, after all the years of hearing how much they care about employees.  I worked remotely, so I wasn't expecting a gathering, but a card, even an emailed digital card, would have been appreciated.

It was the right decision for me.  So happy now that all the work-related stress and corporate B-S is gone from my life!  

[Lipstickdiva]

Someone in my office just retired.  I work in a small office.  The 2 secretaries and I put up a few decorations, got her some flowers and a cake and we each got her a card.  

The bosses did nothing. They didn't even offer to contribute to what we did.  Had we not done anything, it would have been just another day of work and she would have walked out the door.