Advice on how to get the problematic festive gifting activities right 

It’s that time of the year again! As the festive season approaches, many workplaces are gearing up for their traditional Secret Santa gift exchange. But while Secret Santa at work is an established tradition, it’s not always the best fit for every team.

A 2023 UK Money Bloggers survey found that 33% of employees participate in workplace secret Santa’s. However, it also found that 30% of those would prefer not to and of those who take part, a whopping 36% anticipated giving away their Secret Santa present.

Furthermore, 72% of the Money Bloggers survey respondents said that they would like to see changes to their workplace Secret Santa and Research conducted by Movember Ireland in 2022 suggested that 44% of the country’s workers here, don’t enjoy their yearly work Secret Santa. Many hold the view that Secret Santa has become lazy, has the ability to offend, ends up being rushed and also leads to a lot of waste. The reality is that many presents end up in the bin and this is waste from a sustainability point of view and from a financial point of view.

Many people have all types of pressures in the lead up to Christmas and many have financial pressures, particularly at a time of a cost-of-living crisis, not to mention time pressures ahead of the Christmas rush. So, is there a different, more meaningful, sustainable, unique way of doing this, the Secret Santa alternative if you will? There has been some very innovative and rewarding ways of trying something a bit different in workplaces across the world.

Charity Gift Pooling

A rewarding alternative, consider pooling funds to make a donation to a chosen charity. Each team member can suggest a charity, and a simple vote can help decide where the donation goes.

This idea could also involve workers volunteering as a team at a local charity or fundraising with an event like a bake sale or raffle, providing another opportunity for team bonding. This can really be a win-win.

Not only does this reduce gift-giving pressures, but it also brings everyone together for a cause that’s meaningful or even aligned with your company or people’s mission. In many cases the charity holds a special personal meaning to a worker or their co-workers.

White Elephant Gift Exchange

White Elephant is a popular alternative to Secret Santa where gifts are chosen, swapped, and even “stolen” in a light-hearted way. Each participant brings a wrapped gift and draws numbers to decide the selection order. Players can choose to unwrap a new gift or “steal” one that’s already been opened by a colleague. The competitive element of White Elephant adds a fun twist to the gift exchange.

As the white elephant is an alternative to Secret Santa as opposed to something that cuts out cost to your team, it is important to set a budget that everyone is comfortable with but it can be an enjoyable twist that mixes things up from the tried and tested Secret Santa routine.

Christmas Craft Swap

Encourage creativity with a Christmas Craft Swap. Each person makes a simple, festive craft—perhaps handmade decorations, painted ornaments, or holiday cards. These personal touches add a special sentiment that can make the holiday exchange feel more memorable than just exchanging store-bought items.

If this is something that you are trying for the first time, provide some ideas to help people on their way.

Second-Hand Santa

Second-Hand Santa involves asking workers to source gifts from charity shops and pre-loved or upcycling sites – or even regifting items they already own – instead of buying brand new.

This idea can really cut down on Christmas waste and the environmental impact of Christmas while easing pressure on your worker’s wallets in the process.

Mystery Gift Bags

For this fun twist, everyone brings a small gift, which goes into a grab-bag or large, festive sack. Participants then choose one mystery item from the bag without knowing what they’ll receive. This works well if you have a diverse team with varied interests and keeps the exchange casual and light-hearted. It also takes away the pressure of having to get a gift specific to one person and the fear of getting it wrong.

Recipe Exchange & Bake-Off

Each team member brings a favourite recipe—maybe festive treats or holiday comfort foods—to swap with the group. For extra holiday cheer, everyone can bake or cook a small batch to share. This not only brings a delicious selection of treats to the workplace but also shares a bit of personal history with each recipe.

This method can also have the added fun of becoming a competition and everyone can vote for a winner. Also, remember the small complication of allergies.

Team Stocking Fillers

Instead of exchanging individual gifts, set up a communal stocking or gift box in a shared space. Throughout December, team members can drop in small items—sweets, positive notes, or little trinkets. On the final working day before the holiday break, everyone can dive into the stocking and pick out a few goodies. It’s a simple way to spread joy without the need for a dedicated gift exchange. This approach is great for larger teams and can be more affordable since people aren’t expected to give to everyone individually.

Holiday Story or Joke Exchange

This is a zero-cost alternative, consider a holiday-themed story or joke swap. Each team member can come prepared with a favourite festive story, a funny holiday memory, or a seasonal joke. This exchange works well in virtual meetings too, especially if team members are working Hybrid/Remotely.

Why Choose Alternatives to Secret Santa at Work?

While Secret Santa is a festive tradition, it’s not always practical for every team. Unique gift-giving alternatives help to foster team engagement and inclusivity without the pressures that can sometimes accompany traditional Secret Santa. The above alternatives offer ideas to try and ensure everyone can celebrate the holiday season in a way that feels inclusive and memorable.

How can workplaces legally protect themselves?

Secret Santa or Secret Santa alternatives are of course fraught with danger. You can draw comparisons to workplace Christmas parties as at the outset, the idea is a warm, well intentioned and meant to be fun.

However, it is possible that someone can get it wrong by being too personal or inappropriate and this of course can cause upset, impact on work relationships and even end up in grievances, harassment complaints or discrimination complaints.

So, it important that no matter what your workplace fun idea is for gifting this year, communicate the standards beforehand to your people. Remind them of your dignity & respect, anti-harassment policies, grievance and disciplinary policies in the lead up to the festive season. Ensure that all afore mentioned policies are tailored to fit these one-off events such as gifting and the Christmas party event.

Employees should be reminded of the nine grounds of discrimination, which are: age, gender, disability, civil status, family status, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation and membership of the travelling community.

It is also important that no one feels forced or pressured into participating and these events and activities should remain optional and individual decisions with regards participation should be respected.

If the line is crossed, your grievance & disciplinary policy should be invoked and procedures followed.

However, having set out alternatives and warned against the HR & Employment law pitfalls of the festive period build-up in workplaces, these activities in most part are a heart-warming way to end the year and with a bit of organisation, good communication and tailored policies to fit, workplaces can stand on sound footing in ensuring that Secret Santa (or Alternative Secret Santa) can provide the people culture, connection, engagement and satisfaction that any workplace strives for.

Happy Christmas & a very happy, healthy and peaceful New Year to all!