The Final Insult - They Misspelled Her Name on the All Important Retirement Gift
Last-minute party blunders and a retirement party gone wrong
Welcome to Manic Idea Monday 💡! Each week, I’m unpacking some workplace ideas that might leave us dropping our jaws, maybe scratching our heads, but definitely making us think.
Get ready for a fast-paced start to your week with some truly unexpected twists and turns that will leave you asking, “They did what now?”
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A friend of mine recently retired from her job of 18 years. Her son and his wife just had her first grandbaby. Rather than put her in daycare, the proud grandma offered to take care of the new bundle of joy during the day.
The work environment in her office had been deteriorating for years, anyway. No one had to twist her arm too hard to decide on submitting her retirement papers. She was happy to trade in her daily commute for diaper-changing duty and baby snuggles.
The company, of course, wanted to recognize her years of service as they should. They allocated the job to one of the newer admins who had been known for her many mistakes on the daily.
What could possibly go wrong?
Party planning venue
The first job was to find the perfect spot. It’s not atypical for a retirement party to be held off-site at a pretty nice location. This started unraveling fast when the admin notified my friend she chose a friendly pub in town that served beer and German food.
Just for the record, my friend drinks wine, not beer, and I don’t think she’s all that fond of German food, either. Nothing says style and class like a beer joint.
First order of business mismanaged — check.
Scheduling dilemmas
Next up: The date of the party. The countdown was on, and the end was fast approaching, but she still had no word on the actual date of the party. She again confirmed her final day and when she was having minor outpatient surgery for them to work around.
Finally, everything was set and put on the calendar. It ended up being the day after her procedure and the week she retired. It’s a good thing she didn’t like beer because she probably wouldn’t have been able to have any due to the pain meds from her procedure less than 24 hours before.
Having some prescription drugs on hand probably turned out to be a blessing because I’m betting she needed a double dose of those just to get her through the evening.
Second order of business mismanaged — double-check.
Last-minute party details
It’s about a week out, but no word has been emailed to anyone regarding the time and location. My friend innocently brings it up to her boss since people have been asking her when her own party will be. He quickly responded that he plans to email everyone later in the week.
The party was the following Tuesday, and the day she asked him was late in the day on Wednesday. It’s not like people need to make plans or schedule their lives. They are all busy professionals who I’m sure had no outside life to attend to after work hours. Last minute invite to a once-in-a-lifetime retirement party — no problem.
Third order of business mismanaged — triple check.
The big reveal
The momentous day arrived, and luckily, my friend felt fine even after minor surgery the day before. The turnout was great. They even managed to invite her kids and the new grandbaby to the event without her knowing. So far, so good.
It’s time for the exciting reveal of the anticipated retirement gift.
My friend’s boss called her to the front of the pub to present it to her. It was a beautiful commemorative plaque of her workplace, with her name engraved on it. She read the engraving aloud to everyone while expressing gratitude to them all for coming.
She said she was a bit nervous, and it wasn’t until later that her son pulled her aside.
The final twist with a misspelled surprise
He pointed out they misspelled her first name. Say it with me—they did what now? Beverly became Bevery. A simple name, yet they still botched it.
The final send-off completely mismanaged — quadruple check.
Nothing says “We value you and your years of service” like a party at a pub the day after a minor surgery with last-minute invites and a misspelling of your first name on your retirement plaque.
In the end, it was a retirement party for the books just not in the way anyone would hope. A truly unforgettable farewell… for all the wrong reasons.
© 2025 Bette A. Ludwig: All rights reserved
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I remember this one, Bette. It's one of my favourites! It reminds me of a book that a palliative care nurse wrote about the things people say on their deathbeds. Not one of them said, "I wish I worked harder or longer." No one mentions work or careers. We are all just numbers, as it turns out.
Life in corporate has its moments - hope that incident prone admin gets some mentoring