Whether she's the problem solver, the positive thinker or the hardest worker, she deserves a thoughtful gift before she retires.
But how do you thank someone for their years, or decades, of dedicated service with one gift? How do you find the one gift that manages to say it all? To show how much the company values her, think of a gift that speaks to her individuality. She deserves something unique, thoughtful, and personal. To help you get started, we compiled a list of ideas to help you find the right gift for the woman who the company will never be the same without.
Why Choosing the Perfect Retirement Gift Matters
So why is choosing the right retirement gift so important?
Retirement changes someone's life entirely and represents a shift in their stage of life. Most people take this significant milestone seriously. Retirement comes with a lot of mixed emotions for many people. When you commemorate this special milestone with a thoughtful, caring gift, you get to show you care while giving them something to enjoy in their retirement. A thoughtful retirement gift allows you to thank her for all her time, dedication, and hard work, as well as show the rest of the company that you value your employees. They are the people who make your company's success possible. You care about them beyond their output and profit margin. By choosing something beyond a generic present, you show everyone that you appreciate your employees. We listed potential ideas intended to inspire you to find a gift that fits your retiree, whether you're looking for something practical or a more sentimental retirement gift.
16 Ideas to Inspire the Perfect Retirement Gift
Everyone celebrates this benchmark uniquely. So when beginning this crucial task, where do you start? Is she looking forward to traveling? Relaxing? Pursuing her hobbies? Does she want something personal to help her remember her co-workers? Use this list as a starting point to develop a unique gift that the retiring woman will never forget.
For the Traveler
Many people looking forward to retirement think about their new opportunity to travel. But traveling requires more than a plane ticket. You can give several gifts to show you wish her the best in her travels.
1. Luggage
If you get her a luggage set or personalized luggage tags, you give her something she can carry with her wherever she decides to travel. This gift offers both meaning and utility, showing her that you heard all about her plans to visit the Bahamas or go upstate to visit her grandchildren. Because you can find countless options available in stores and online, you can easily personalize this gift to fit her style. In addition to different style options, consider the type of luggage that would work best for her particular travel plans — rolling, four-wheel, duffel bag, wheeled backpack, travel backpack or carry on.
2. Beach Gear
Considered one of the most relaxing travel destinations, beaches represent a get-away from a fast-paced life — the perfect place to go post-retirement. Your beach-themed gift could be something as simple as a matching towel set for her and her spouse or a beach umbrella she can relax under as she reads on the sand. You can get something functional, such as a lined beach cooler tote, or something creative, like a custom wall hanger made from driftwood. This way, she can bring the beach home with her. Again, the possibilities are limitless.
3. Travel Guides
Is she an urban traveler? Does she love spending time in the great outdoors? Whether it's the National Parks or the cities of America, you can find a travel guide at any bookstore to fit any traveling niche. These books are helpful and inspiring and also make beautiful coffee table pieces if she can't start traveling just yet.
4. Travel Bags
Don't want to buy something quite as large as an entire luggage set? You can get her a custom backpack, tote or cosmetic bag. Now she can use them on overnight excursions, not just international or week-long trips. Like luggage, there are virtually limitless options when it comes to selecting the right bag. Getting the bag customized with her name shows forethought and gives the gift a personal touch.
5. Passport Accessories
Is she a world traveler? Is she always talking about how she'd love to visit the Colosseum or the Sydney Opera House? Give her a beautiful, custom cover or holder for her passport. This gift will set hers apart from others so she can easily tell which is hers, and the cover will help protect the book from damage as she travels.
For the Sentimental Soul
Some women consider retirement a bittersweet moment.
Yes, she gains more freedom, independence and time, but she's also closing a chapter on her life that may have begun as early as 16. Take this moment to celebrate alongside her by giving a gift that commemorates this moment. Show her that you understand how momentous this occasion is for her.
6. Awarding Her Service
One of the best retirement gifts for women is the recognition that she forever changed the company with her contributions. With a custom plaque, you can say precisely what her contributions were.
Was she the longest standing employee? Was she an excellent leader? Did she contribute every day as a mentor to inspire every new employee who walked in the door? There are countless things you could write on a retirement plaque to acknowledge her accomplishments.
Still unsure of what you should put on the retirement plaque? A wide selection of pre-made designs make it easy to say what's on your mind, and with DIY customizations, you can make any plaque your own with your company logo, custom text, font, sizing, engraving, and etching.
7. A Thoughtful Keepsake
Does she wear jewelry or cover her desk with pictures of her family? Getting her jewelry gives you plenty of options to make a personalized choice to fit her sense of style and preferences. Would she appreciate something silver and simple, or would she want a fair-trade necklace to remind her that someone made her gift consciously and sustainably? For frames, you can find practically any style and size and can select an option that fits your particular price point.
8. Personal Literature
Maybe there's a book that inspires you or a strong character in a novel that reminds you of her. Get her a quality copy of your favorite book and write inside why that book means something special to you. Whenever she walks by it on the shelf or takes it out to read, she'll remember how much everyone valued her at work.
9. A Way to Connect
In the early years of retirement, women can start to feel disconnected and lonely since they no longer head to work every day. If they cannot get out of the house much due to medical conditions or if they live far away from their families, a tablet or small computer lets them log into social media and check in on friends and family. If they don't have a cellphone that texts, messaging apps allow them to send messages to loved ones for free. Most tablets are easy to use, so there's not much of a learning curve even for someone who doesn't spend much time with technology.
For the Woman Looking to Unwind
For some women in fast-paced careers, this might be the first time they can fully unwind. Even if they took the time to pamper themselves throughout the years, it's hard to block out the thoughts of impending reports and assignments you left on your desk for Monday. Especially in this new age of technology and accessibility, it can be difficult to leave your work at the office. Here are some gifts to help her catch up on some much-deserved R&R.
10. At-Home Spa Remedies
Spa remedies is another category with many options. Consider a comfortable pair of slippers or that spa robe she's been eyeing. Maybe she'd like a fancy soap set or a box of luxury chocolates. To calm other senses, you could get her a weighted blanked, an essential oil diffuser or noise-canceling headphones. For more interactive relaxation, consider a candle-making kit or a nice journal and pen collection. Instead of a one-time get-away, at-home spa items make her home feel relaxing every time she walks in the door.
11. Relaxing Drinks
For some women, the perfect end to a stressful day is a glass of wine or a pot of tea. You could either get a nice bottle of wine or find a subscription to a wine of the month club. If she's a tea drinker, there are several subscription services as well. If you would rather get her a tangible gift, consider a kettle, water heater, coffee mug or, for a unique touch, have everyone bring in their favorite type of tea to make a basket with all of those items.
12. Massage
For someone you really want to treat, consider getting her a massager for at-home use. Different at-home massagers you can purchase include back, neck, deep tissue, feet and hand in addition to massage chairs and pillows. You even have options between electric and non-electric.If you don't know exactly what at-home massager would be the best retirement gift her, consider getting a gift card for a local massage therapist or acupuncturist.
But first, make sure those are things she would like! Not everyone finds a back full of needles relaxing.
For the Woman With a Passion
Does she have a specific hobby she always talks about? Maybe she comes to work wearing her latest scarf creation or likes to show off her latest scrapbook. Perhaps she always offers the best gardening tips or brings homemade cookies to Monday morning meetings. Whether she loves baking, needlepoint or bird-watching, there's something you can give to show you support whatever hobby brings her joy.
13. Crafting
When it comes to crafting, most specific types require a lot of individual materials. Some common crafting supplies that work for a lot of different projects include hot-glue guns, curved tipped tweezers, cutting pliers, a Dremel rotary tool and a self-healing cutting mat. Consider having different people in the office contribute one of their favorite crafting tools and put together a gift basket with some colorful fabrics and papers.
If she loves showing off her favorite paintings or quilts, but you're not sure what specific supplies she needs, you can always give her a gift card to a local craft store. A lot of crafters have particular supplies they know and love. That way, she can get precisely what she needs.
14. Scrapbooking
Retiring allows you to sit back and remember fond memories. What better way to preserve them than a scrapbook? Any scrapbooker needs tons of supplies. You could get her new albums to fill, themed card stock, photo paper for printing pictures at home, a basic paper cutter or trimmer or fancy pens to jot down memories in the margins. This category similarly lends itself to a gift basket to hold all the crafting items.
15. Baking
Many grandparents love spending time with the grandkids by baking in the kitchen. Even if she's not a grandmother, she still might love to bake. She may have the supplies she needs, but maybe her standing mixer could use an upgrade, or perhaps she would love a new ceramic pie dish so she no longer has to use disposable tins. This is another instance where a gift card to a local restaurant depot or kitchen supply store could come in handy.
16. Gardening
Retirement can mean more time to invest in a home garden. From trowels and gloves to hats and hori-horis, there's no shortage of supplies you can get for her to make her gardening safer and more enjoyable. If she lives somewhere without much of a yard, consider a kit designed to grow plants, fruits and vegetables inside. You could get her the kit and all the soil, tools and seeds she would need that aren't included in the kit itself.
Get Custom Plaques From DIY Awards
By getting a unique gift suited to her personality, you fulfill the most important part of getting a retirement gift — showing that you care.
Whether she worked there for a few years or decades, she contributed to your company in her own way. The office will inevitably change without her there. You want to recognize this joyful and reflective time with a gift that makes her feel appreciated and supported as she moves into the next phase of her life.
If you're looking for a thoughtful gift that will help her always remember her time with your company, an engraved retirement gift or custom plaque is an excellent option. With the quality, beauty and sophistication of a DIY Awards plaque, you can commemorate this special time in her life with a tangible, elegant memento.
We offer plaques specifically tailored to retirement, and while you browse, try our customization tool to see what her exact plaque would look like before you buy.
Get her a one-of-a-kind gift that shows forethought, appreciation and reminds her that she matters and will be missed.
