Should you report on retirements?

I got a question in my e-mail the other day from a fellow IABC member who works in employee communications at a big national untility. She had recently received a request from HR to list employee retirements in the company magazine. The magazine doesn't publish birthdays or service anniversaries either.

"We're focused on retaining our current employees," she wrote. "Why celebrate those who are leaving the company?"

I told her she should list the retirements in the employee publication.

Not listing birthdays, I can see. But I’m not sure why companies don’t publish retirements and service anniversaries. These are important milestones in an employee’s  career, It’s a good thing to let others know about them, even if all it does is prompt a few people to send congratulatory e-mails or pick up the phone and make a brief, positive connection.

Service anniversaries and retirements are important information if you want to create some sense of community and pride in your organization. How much room do they take up anyway? If you do a basic listing  at the back of the publication, even with small photos, we’re not talking  about a lot of  space. If some people don’t want to read it, they can turn the page. But for the people named, and their colleagues, this  kind of attention can mean a  lot.

I once worked for a company that did not publish the names of retiring or departing employees during a large downsizing. Those who remained were disappointed that departures weren’t listed somewhere -- just  so they could know who had left. It would have  helped provide some closure during a stressful and uncertain time.

Comments

[Analise]

There seems to be a great deal of insensitivity around retirement - mostly because most of us haven't really experienced it, and give it the briefest footnote when it comes to recognition.

In our organization, I was floored that we only have a big celebration at the 25-year employee service mark, and nothing after that. It appears as though it's up to the employee's dept. to assume responsibility for their "retirees".

We place so much emphasis on the recruiting piece, that when it comes to the end of someone's professional life (in the employee sense at least), that we sadly seem to be pushing people out the door or forgetting them as they drop off email lists and phone directories.

A progressive company would look at the whole employee life cycle - from beginning to end - and find a way to give a warm welcome and a heartfelt goodbye.

[Ron Shewchuk]

Thanks for your thoughtful post, Analise. It's no wonder employee loyalty has fallen so dramatically. How a company treats its retirees sends a strong signal to its employees that shows whether or not the company is a caring community. Little things like this can make a big difference.