Farewell gift from work - best and worst

[Flashbackcringe]

Name changed as outing but what's the best/worst/cringe farewell gift you've received or contributed to for a work farewell?

Light hearted - hugs to those who haven't received, etc. Posting here for traffic.

Mine? Colleague worked at the place for 3 months and they asked for (and we duly delivered) gift voucher for the fancy bra shop next door 😆

This is exactly the type of thing I meant in my post – I was really looking forward to receiving one when I left and was pretty upset to not get one after six years there and thinking I had good relationships with colleagues. It really made me rethink how they saw me and I pulled away a bit from them afterwards (I haven't made an effort to go to any 'reunion' nights out I've since been invited to etc)

Aw I'll add one for my dad here, he worked at the same factory most of his life, did every bit of overtime they asked of him, would never ring in sick, put his job over his family wayyy more than he ever should of, he was so proud and grateful to work there everyday.

Came to his retirement and nothing....absolutely nothing, no card, present, thank you, he was heartbroken, I actually rang his manager to say wtf is wrong with them, he said sorry and they had just been busy. 🙄

I hear you and feel your pain. Both my best friend and I struggled for some years to get pregnant. When she eventually had her baby daughter, I was so overjoyed for her and honoured to be chosen as godmother. The next few years saw me continuing to not conceive but I poured heart, soul, lots of time and not a little money into my lovely goddaughter. I showered her with lots of lovely gifts. Eventually, and amazingly, my DH and I were able to adopt our beautiful baby boy. His arrival gift from my friend was a £2.50 t shirt from Woolworths (and no, she was definitely not short of money at all) and his first birthday gift was a dinky car. It is a painful memory, but sometimes it takes a very special event like an adoption for people to show their true colours and it was just as well you left that place! 🌸

There is a ceramic artist who now makes wands. They are literally sticks from her local park that she paints basic designs on eg dots etc and sells them as charms.

I used to like her ceramics and have bought a few of her small pieces. I have no interest in sticks.

They cost several hundred each and presumably she makes a living from them because she has stopped doing ceramics. I've got to admit I'm jealous that she has found a niche.

When I left my school (bullying issues) they got me a £20 Amazon voucher
I bought a fake orchid and placed it opposite my toilet so whenever I do a s**t I think of them!

I once worked for a lovely small team but sadly we were all managed by a total psychopath. She suggested whole team went out for lunch on my last day which was nice and I briefly thought slightly more of her. This company was very well off and leaving lunches were always covered by the company, which HR liked to brag about. Except mine, she paid the bill then emailed all of us back at the office asking for our share. She had even divided up the service charge according to who spent what so we were all 100% accountable for our bit. Then she left the office without saying goodbye to me on my last day. I'd worked for her for 5 years.

Not sure this fits into this thread as I got nothing apart from a "goodbye and all the best" (from those that could be arsed) and was the last one to leave the office, everyone walked out while I was still working because I ended up stuck on something that I felt I had to finish. Pofessional to the end 😆

I worked at a place for 20 years, always contributing to every collection for retirements , birthdays, etcetera. I was medically retired after an accident at work and was extremely disappointed that my colleagues didn't get me a single thing, not even a card. And nobody ever came to see me or contacted me in any way after my employment was terminated.

Best was a voucher for afternoon tea for two in a posh venue associated with a hobby of mine.

Worst has always been flowers - not that I dislike flowers, but I have cats who destroy any flowers in the house, so I have to put them in the spare room and don't get the benefit of them (the flowers not the cats!).

There are some mean, cold, unfeeling barstewards in this world! It’s so hurtful that someone isn’t appreciated, especially when other colleagues are spoiled on their last day.

When I retired from my final substantive NHS role, I was pleasantly surprised to get an engraved crystal tumbler and a nice handwritten thank you letter from the Patient Participation Group. It made me think that although I'd clashed with the hierarchy regularly over the decades, I'd mostly managed to do the right thing for the people who mattered.

When I retired after 20 years, they took me out for a lovely meal with loads of the staff. Also, got a voucher for a 2 night stay including breakfast in a fabulous countryside hotel. Also flowers, cards etc. I felt really appreciated xx

It takes foresight to sort a leaving gift and card - I guess maybe a lot of teams (NHS or not) just don't have the bandwidth

I'm sorry this happened to you - just dreadful 💐

Retired now, but over 30 years ago now I got a significant promotion and was moving departments to another location. I was given a substantial amount in a voucher for a well known department store.

I got an eight place setting of just about everything in the Denby Marrakesh (long out of production) design which I still use to this day, every day. Not one bit of it has broken. I have everything you could possibly get and I was absolutely thrilled to be able to buy all that, since I always wanted it but could never prioritise that much expense!

Lovely gang I worked with then, and all through my working life. I was lucky. BTW I made it quite clear that I wanted nothing for my retirement, and just took a holiday and never came back lol!

Man alive wtf is wrong with people? Well done for calling it out! But the hurt can never be undone.

When my singleton aunty retired, I made sure that all her (many) siblings and nieces and nephews all made a huge fuss of her and sorted a retirement gift, cake and balloons delivered to her workplace in case her colleagues hadn't sorted much (thankfully they also had).

That's so lovely. You've just reminded me. When I left work to go on maternity leave - was signed off at 30 weeks with twins. My team took me out for dinner and they'd got us two Bumbos. I was so touched and

That is gobsmackingly rude but not really surprising from that environment.

My brother was almost given a blow up sumo suit as a leaving gift. Luckily someone let on, thinking he would love the idea, and he was able to gently derail the plan...

When I retired from a longstanding job I was given some very generous gift vouchers relating to a couple of my hobbies. Such thoughtful gifts from a lovely team and I had a great time spending the vouchers. I was really touched.

Many years ago when I left a job after only 10 months (I was moving away from the area) I was given a beautiful piece of crystal which I still have, 40 years later and is still a pleasant reminder of another lovely team.

I have only been given a leaving gift twice, both times were when I worked abroad and I would prob count both as quite good. First was a 4000 dollar prada handbag. One of my colleagues was absolutely loaded and just organised events as a hobby, she gifted me the bag. However, she didn't realise as a vegan, I don't wear leather, so I ended up selling it a year or so later and giving the money to an animal charity. Another gift was a first class round trip back to the States. Emirates was one of our clients so I'm fairly certain it was free, but still nice and would have cost upwards of 50k had I paid for it, which of course, no.

Bottle of vodka for maternity leave- I don't drink even when not pregnant!

My last work always used to do those e-cards where you sign and add to the collection on line. I got vouchers, can’t remember the value but must have been alright as I got a Superdry coat, a pair of jeans and a T-shirt with it.

I worked in a hospital for a little while after leaving school. I used to talk to one of the managers about Thomas hardy as I’d done
my English literature A’level on him. I’d read 3 books but not Tess of the D’Urbervilles. He bought me a copy when I left and it was just the most thoughtful thing I’d ever received. He died a few years back and I went to his funeral with my dad (who met him through a friend coincidentally years later). I’ve still got the book over 30 years later and it’s still really special to me.

The plastic nameplate off my door