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Shouldn’t secret Santa gifts have a minimum cost?
Moses Ssesanga
We have a Christmas gift exchange system where every employee is someone’s secret Santa. However, some employees choose very low value items yet receive high value ones. Can’t companies set a minimum cost price for gifts? Olivia
Dear Olivia,
The Christmas season is a great time to share and exchange gifts and spread the Christmas cheer. It’s a good thing to organise and celebrate secret Santa for employees because it challenges people to come up with gifts that would please the people they have chosen to gift.
The process if managed well can be a source of fun and camaraderie/ bonding among employees.
This practice has also been adopted by many social gatherings like Rotary Clubs and the events become important events on their social calendars where the friends of the year gift each other. Unfortunately some people have been known to take advantage of others by buying cheap and inappropriate gifts and yet they receive better and valuable gifts. This can become a source of disgruntlement as some staff would feel cheated.
The best way to go about secret Santa is to make it entirely voluntary. People shouldn’t be forced to participate if they don’t want to. The ones who decline then wouldn’t be included on the list of people to gift.
Secondly, a minimal cost price for a reasonable gift should be set and announced by your HR manager such that people’s expectations are managed. The minimum cost only acts as a guide. Should one choose to buy an expensive or extravagant gift and then end up receiving a lower value gift, they would then have no basis to complain.
Thirdly, the process should be open and transparent where the gifts are opened for everyone to see what their secret Santa has procured for them. Enjoy the Christmas Cheer!
Moses Ssesanga
Head Human Resource
NMG - Uganda
[email protected]
