Secret Santa at work should be about making closer bonds with your colleagues but more often than not its used to get a ‘point’ across.
I’ve had good presents, thoughtful gifts and a one or two bad ones in my seven or eight years participating in the festive sharing scheme – probably the most formal way it has ever been described, take that corporate America.
One year I remember being gifted a book titled something like ‘200 ways to start a conversation’ – obviously my colleagues thought this socialite wasn’t as chatty as my friends, family, or teachers at school thought.
I was also given a small plane sized shot of rum – by plane sized I’m talking about the little 50ml bottles you receive not the a bottle of rum the size of an aircraft – and a glass shaped as a jar which was alright… I guess I should say thank you Ashley, on the off-chance you read this article.
Yes, we’ve all had some questionable presents.
Over on Reddit one user shared of the slightly wicked ‘present’ they received from their secret Santa.
They wrote: “It just so happened that I drew my boss, and my boss drew me. There was a $20 limit, so I decided to get her favourite brand and scent of fragrance oil she used in her office diffuser. The oil cost $15, so I put it in a cute box full of tiny origami stars I’d made and strung into a garland for the back of her monitor (she loved decorating her office.
“I received a card, and inside was a note that said, It’s been a pleasure working with you this year, now go clean out the store room.’
“I smiled and pretended there was a big joke inside, but my boss – laughing and smiling – took my card and read it aloud to everyone.”
They continued: “A few people laughed, then the HR lady (her best friend) asked if there was a gift. My boss said she’d ‘take care of me’ later.
“The ‘taking care of me’ was letting her drive me through the Starbucks drive thru and having a coffee on her company credit card while she spent the 10-minute drive not apologising and raving about her very funny joke.”
They went on to explain that they ordered a ‘Pike Place’ and ‘held back tears’ as they drank it, and soon after HR got in touch with them to ask if they had received a gift from their boss.
“I told the truth and said she bought me a coffee on the company card. She said she was sorry and would look into it. Crickets,” they said.
“Meanwhile, my boss’s monitor looked adorable, her office smelled fragrant, and I hope she told her story of how she fucked me over the holidays and got at least a small side-eye.”
So it sounds like nothing really came of the boss’ cruel joke, but commenting one user thought it might lead to something in the future.
I think it’s telling that HR followed up and don’t assume it didn’t lead to anything – these things go in the personnel file and can definitely influence promotions (and terminations),” they wrote.
