One of the most important aspects of creating a culture (or maintaining a culture) in your organization is having a legacy to leave behind, or respecting those who used to call your place of work home.
One of the examples from sports that can help understand the importance of respecting those who built or made it what it is is Old Timer’s Day. Some sports teams have an old timer’s day where they bring back legends from the past who have made an impact on the organization. These aren’t always the stars or top performers, but often those who played a bit role but nonetheless were part of the organization in some role.
Colleges also reward and honor alumni. I’m proud to be a Distinguished Alumni at WCSU and a member of the Alumni Association and chapter co-president for my UMass club in Albany.
Organizations and businesses that really get it respect heritage in the workplace. They keep retired employees on as consultants, refer back to former employees for advice, insight, or projects, and bring back employees when it comes time to fill new needs.
What does your organization due to respect your legacy employees? Let me know at