Is the retirement party dead?

"When Greg Giczi retired in February, his company threw him a party. Giczi had spent 12 years as president and general manager of WNIT-TV, a public television station based in South Bend, Indiana. Public broadcasting isn't known for lavish budgets, so the party took place at the studio-a "big, open space with dramatic lighting," Giczi describes. There were appetizers, wine, and beer, as well as heartfelt speeches."

""That was significant and especially meaningful to me," he says. But these days, such a send-off capping a career lifetime feels increasingly . . . uncommon. A couple decades ago, a successful career went like this: Join company. Work there. For decades. Announce retirement from the same company. Company throws you a big party."

Greg Giczi received a warmly attended retirement party despite a huge snowstorm, with colleagues, family, appetizers, drinks, speeches, and a Best Buy gift card. The attendance and kind words felt humbling and especially meaningful to him. Traditional career arcs once involved decades at one employer, culminating in celebratory send-offs and even a gold watch. Contemporary workplace dynamics now feature frequent job-hopping, mass layoffs, contested return-to-office efforts, and a more fraught employee-employer contract. Fewer workers are retiring in the traditional way, and workplace recognition practices are changing amid remote and hybrid arrangements.

Read at Fast Company