Millennials Call For Ban of ‘Secret Santa’ Due to Anxiety
Go ahead and let out a deep sigh while shaking your head before you even read this one. A new study has found that many millennials now want to ban “Secret Santa” in the workplace over the holiday season because it "gives them anxiety." Really.
The study carried out by the British job-hunting site Jobsite has concluded that millennials find the whole Secret Santa process to be anxiety-inducing. According to the study, this anxiety stems from the fear of appearing "stingy,” which makes the tradition “stressful” for some. Again... really.
According to Dr. Ashley Weinberg, a psychology lecturer at the University of Salford in Manchester, the gift exchange has become an increasing source of anxiety for young people, who fear humiliation if a present is not well-received. His reports state that, as a result of the anxiety, one in five workers believe that neither birthday nor Secret Santa gifts should be given in the workplace and 35 percent of millennials would even like to see them banned.
Millennials in the study also felt they "did more." The study concluded that 78% of millennials felt they contributed “more than they should” to a present for an office party compared to 58% of the rest of their workforce.
So what's the solution to reduce the anxiety of these stressed-out workers? Dr. Weinberg suggests offices should prioritize well-being over presents during this year's festivities. Psychologists and workplace morale experts also suggest that bosses and party-planners take mental health into consideration when organizing work events and to strive for holiday-themed activities that will appeal to workers across the board, regardless of salary or rank. They go on to suggest that perhaps a “non-denominational totally-not-a-holiday-party” might work well. (Sure it will).
Next time there's a free birthday cake brought in my office, I'm checking ID. No cake for you.