Celebrating a Career Journey

Nicole Sammut

There are lots of options that exist today where more and more folks are moving away from the corporate and generic gathering types to celebrate their career journey in a more intentional way with peers, colleagues, family and team members. While the average person explores three or more careers in the course of their lifetime, for many, marking a career journey through retirement is an important and meaningful milestone.    

While this threshold is typically marked through celebration, cake, congratulatory cards and even festive beverages, there is another aspect of this transition that is oftentimes overlooked - the element of grief that accompanies the transition of leaving a career. Grief shows up as we say goodbye to the relationships, landscapes and spaces that have been familiar in the course of a career. Grief can also show up in the day-to-day social interactions and exchanges we have with colleagues in our working environments, but most importantly, grief is evident in the active contributions (either acknowledged or unacknowledged) towards a team or organization. 

What Can Organizations Do to Acknowledge an Employee’s Career in a Meaningful Way? 

Let’s explore three examples of retirement celebrations that create a container for the employee to acknowledge their career milestone with meaning and intention. 

Our first example is from a colleague who decided to throw her own ‘Thank You’ party. The event allowed her to weave intention and meaning within the premise of the entire event. The space sparkled with notes of friendship from the honoree’s favorite flower, the yellow daisy, while guests were greeted upon entry with a free drink ticket to a beverage of their choice. The drink was a gesture of thanks for their support throughout the honoree’s career. Colleagues were then invited to ‘Share a Memory’ and write down a fun moment or kind message to drop into a handcrafted memory box for the honoree to cherish after retirement. 

Story was woven into every aspect of the gathering including the heartfelt speech made by the honoree that held the room in a time capsule. The speech featured various stories of employees over the course of their career as everyone listened intently. It is that sense of community and belonging that creates purpose in one’s working life, which makes the very essence of why we gather, meaningful. 

photo: share a memory

When we acknowledge the power of story, we can leverage meaningful contributions in impactful ways. Our second example is from a colleague who was invited to attend a special team gathering with their department. As each team member arrived, employees were given a selection of images to choose from which would represent the type of story they would share about the honoree. As the honoree’s favorite sport was soccer, the following images prompted stories to fill the space from the team. 

• Foot Cleat: Recall a fun fact of the individual.
• Jersey: What you are going to miss about the individual.
• Red Card (‘Wild Card’): Recall any memory you would like to share for the group.
• Soccer Ball: Recall a memorable moment of the individual.
• Soccer Net: Recall something you learned from the individual. 

Once all of the guests had their visual prompts, everyone took turns standing up from their table or standing beside the honoree to share a story about how the individual impacted their career. This ritual allowed for deep appreciation, reflection and gratitude for the individual and their leadership of the team. And while some stories were shared in the large community gathering, others opted to share individually, in a one-on-one setting, bringing the image with them as their visual prompt throughout the evening. 

As simple as this gathering was, it addressed the very essence and purpose of why we gather to mark a retirement:  to honor and acknowledge a career journey and the impact and legacy an individual leaves within a team and larger organization.  

photos:  Sharing Memories with Visual Prompts

The element of story is also present in our third and final example. The third example is from a colleague who opted to have a more private gathering to acknowledge their retirement and career journey. Leveraging story was a significant component to address the individual’s years of service which were not formally recognized by the organization. As unacknowledged time in a workspace can bring about grief and sadness, the colleague was able to recognize their years of service in a private gathering. 

The honoree recounted four stories and events that spanned their 44-year career in the industry. These stories ranged from their role as a new employee as they built their confidence and maturity in the field, to becoming a veteran, mentor and coach to others in the discipline. For each story that was shared, a sparkler was lit to hold space for each contribution and decade of service for the employee. 

This ritual was simple but impactful. The employee finally felt seen for their contributions and years of service to the organization in a way that was meaningful and purposeful for them.   

photo: Honoring Unfulfilled Years of Service 

How Can You Mark the End of a Career in a Meaningful Way?

Looking for more inspiration on how you can mark your career ending with meaning and intention? Consider these rituals to help you mark your career transition, either alone or with a group.

photo: Saying Goodbye to Each Month with Colleagues

• Wish Tree: Have colleagues, peers and friends jot down wishes for you and place them on the ‘wish tree’ to breathe. You can take them home to read and cherish as you enter retirement. 
• Saying Goodbye to Each Month Until Retirement: Connect with a group of colleagues over dinner each month leading up to your retirement to say goodbye and to honor each month as it passes, acknowledging all of the ‘last times.’ Prepare for the new month by writing new intentions. 
• Two Stars and a Wish (Retiree and New Employee Pairing): Think about the following questions and share your answers with a new member of the team. A. What was the best thing you ever did in your career? B. What made you happiest at work? C. What do you wish for yourself/new employee as they move forward. The stars showcase your achievements and the wish illustrates the new employee’s goals, intentions and desires to continue with and to build on the established legacy of their veteran colleague. 
• Planting a Flower, Tree or Shrub: Write down your hopes and dreams for your retirement (or the qualities you brought to your career) and plant them with the seeds of a new flower, tree or shrub. When the plant flowers or comes to maturity, note where you are in your journey towards a new retirement project, hobby or goal.  
• 3 Symbols: A. Select an object that represents what you are happy to leave behind. B. Select an object that represents something you are taking with you. C. Select an object that represents your hopes and dreams for your future. 
• Host a Dinner: Create an opportunity to bring colleagues together to acknowledge your contributions. Focus on your work accomplishments and allow everyone to share memories and appreciation for you as a peer and team member.     

There are lots of options that exist today when it comes to reflecting on your career journey. Think about what you have accomplished, what you are currently embracing and where you are going to cross your career journey transition with intention, purpose and meaning.  

Nicole Sammut

Nicole lives in Ottawa on the unceded territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin People. She is a Life-Cycle Celebrant, supporting all couples, families, and individuals with their life cycle endings and beginnings. 

Nicole also cofacilitates Canada’s East Chapter with co-facilitator, Rachel Edwards. This is a peer-to-peer group between Life-Cycle Celebrants to help build and maintain a sense of community.   

Website: www.nicolesammut.com

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