'Secret Santa' gifts fall by wayside in workplace

By Alan Jones, PA

Many workers will not be buying colleagues a "secret Santa" festive gift this month, highlighting the continuing effects of the economic downturn, according to a new report today.

A study by employment law firm Peninsula also showed that company employees will not be sending Christmas cards to fellow workers because of the cost.

The survey of 1,000 adults showed how the state of the economy was impacting on Christmas traditions in the workplace, with four out of five deciding against buying a present for a colleague.

Peter Done, managing director of Peninsula, said: "What happened to Christmas cheer in the workplace? It seems the financial Scrooge is robbing us of usual workplace traditions.

"The economic situation means workers are thinking twice about spending money on non- essentials so ultimately there are cutbacks.

"We have already seen employers stop funding Christmas parties but now the financial crisis is hitting workers hard."