After a lifetime's loyal service to the company, the good corporate manager was traditionally presented with a carriage clock at a ceremony. The ritual of the retirement gift used to be as much a feature of corporate life as fully-funded pension schemes.

But with today's portfolio careers and promiscuous managers, do they still exist? Do people receive long-service awards after working for a company for 25 years? And do long-standing employees really, really want a carriage clock?