Awesome Boss Being Fired.

I love Jill F's idea of collecting letter of recommendations! AWESOME! When I got 'laid off' several years ago, one of my coworkers appeared at more door and asked "what can I do. what do you need." and I tearfully said "A BOX!" and he went and got boxes and helped me put my personal stuff into them and helped me carry them out to my car. Then he stayed in touch, mostly by email, and helped me out in the biggest way possible, his wife (who was in the same profession I was) got me a job at her workplace! I will never forget them for really stepping up to the plate and helping me out.

Maybe you could ask your co-workers to write letters of recommendation for him to use to find a new job. They could include their contact information on the letter so that future employers can contact him. Set a deadline and instruct them all to make 3 signed copies with their personal information attached on a separate piece of paper.

This will make it easier for him to get his boot straps tightened and ready to go for the next adventure in his life.

If he decides to retire (?) it is still a nice thing to have as a memento.

It sounds more like your boss is being laid off than fired. Firings usually occur immediately and without time to pack-up/say goodbye. Many companies are finding reasons to lay people off, especially tenured employees, because the cost of having them on payroll is too great in this economy. It's so sad. My former company announced last year that 200 of us, 40% of the salesforce were being laid off - I was one of them.

Having gone through that recently, there are a lot of emotions that accompany the loss of a job. I suppressed mine until recently, and it was almost a year ago. I was so focused on finding a new job.

The hardest part is that all of your work "friends" slowly but surely begin to fall away as time goes by.

So, my recommendation is to do something sentimental initially. A group photo is nice, offering to take him to lunch would probably be my first choice (personally). But, most importantly, if he's important and wants to keep in contact, don't let the time be an excuse for not keeping in touch and helping him land back on his feet.

If he has been a great boss, it's probably because he wanted to see each of you develop personally and professionally and invested the time in you. Invest the time back in him in letting him know how much you appreciate it today, 3 months from now, a year from now, etc.

I love your idea. Also, make an effort to stay in touch. Ask him for contact information, so you can pass along job leads for him. Being out of work can feel very isolating, so do actually stay in touch. If you have any ideas of companies that may be hiring, make a list and share it. In addition, offer to serve as a reference for him. Employers screening managers will often talk to previous employees, so it can be quite helpful to have someone who really loves your work as a manager on your list.

Is it possible to make a group photo? Maybe a nice frame with a picture of everyone in it (nothing big - just small memento). I like the idea of a little book - maybe mark milestones with the company, some funny stories, and some pictures.

Something similar happened to one of my former bosses. She was very well loved. A few of the staff are having a special night to celebrate her (like a going away party). They are inviting people who worked with her over the 30 years she was with the organization along with the families she worked with. It is a large undertaking but she is a very social person and I think she'll love it. I love your idea of a scrapbook. That will be a wonderful keepsake for years to come. Letters of recommendation would be beneficial if the person isn't retiring.

I've done a video before where maybe you all meet at a restaurant or something after work and all say on video for the person. Then play it back at a happy hour tribute for him. They turn out really fun and heartfelt and maybe more something a guy might like. Good luck, what a hard time.

When my boss retired, we sent around scrapbook pages for everyone to sign and put those in a book for her. There was money collected as well so we were able to buy her a nice gift. Try personalcreations.com for some reasonably priced, very nice gifts.

.