Secret Santa: The festive office debate

‘Tis the season of joy and giving, with many offices across the country taking part in some form of Secret Santa. But are we a nation of happy little elves or a bunch of grumpy Scrooge’s?

An online survey conducted by Love Energy Savings revealed that 68 per cent of British workers are happy to participate in the popular gifting trend, Secret Santa. Data from Google Trends also revealed that searches for ‘Secret Santa’ have increased exponentially since 2012 – demonstrating the increase in popularity of the annual festive gifting method.

Graph displaying search trends in Google for the term ‘secret Santa’ in the UK

When asked: How much are people willing to spend on a Secret Santa present – something which is often a cause for debate in workplaces. The most popular response was £10, followed by £20.

David Ingram, managing director of Bring Digital, a company that hosts an annual Secret Santa, said: “The key to a fun and inclusive Secret Santa is allowing employees to opt-out anonymously, rather than in a group discussion or company email thread. Setting a budget also helps to prevent an imbalance in spending, which can lead to some employees feeling disheartened or excluded.”

Despite the growing popularity of the trend, 32 per cent of those surveyed said they would spend a grand total of £0 on a Secret Santa gift – bah humbug!

Phil Foster, managing director of Love Energy Savings, said: “Secret Santa has become a modern Christmas tradition in many workplaces. Despite this, resistance from a small proportion of employees is inevitable, and often results in it becoming a trigger for the dreaded ‘office politics’. If it starts to cause more problems than it’s worth, there are many other festive activities for employees to engage in that doesn’t cause any friction.”