When Secret Santa Goes Wrong….

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Last updated: August 10th, 2023

With the silly season upon us, a lot of employers like to embrace the Christmas season within the workplace to boost morale. For a bit of fun, a lot of organisations will hold a secret Santa. Although this is all in the spirit of good fun, there have been occasions where secret Santa has gone wrong and someone has ended up feeling embarrassed or left out.

Although it is not suggested that these types of practices should be stopped in the workplace it is no harm to remind employees that they are still in the workplace and that gifts should, therefore, be appropriate for the workplace. Some reminders when sending out the initial email inviting people to partake can include setting ground rules such as small limits for the gifts for example €10.

Gifts should not run the risk of undermining someone’s dignity and respect at work and therefore should not include obscene language, be sexually explicit or include anything that could be inferred to be racist or make a mockery of any individual’s religious or political beliefs. It can also be good for one person to have a complete list of who got who just in case there are any complaints following Santa’s arrival!

While an organisation may have the best intentions of promoting the Christmas spirit it could result in a complaint from an upset or aggrieved employee. Prevention is better than cure and reminding employees to be respectful can help everyone be happy with their Santa surprise!

If you have any questions in relation to promoting dignity and respect in the workplace you can talk to a consultant on
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