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5 presents NOT to give your colleagues this Christmas

As Christmas approaches, so does the office Christmas party and the annual tradition of gift giving and 'secret Santa'.

It's common to see employees scratching their heads over what to gift their colleagues, and in an office with lots of people or different teams who don't know each other well, it's easy to give the wrong type of present.

In fact, a recent survey by Rakuten highlighted 14% of women, including those in Singapore, find it toughest to buy a Christmas present for their boss.

Buying gifts for colleagues also seem to get women the most stressed out, spending an average of 100 minutes to find the right present - longer than the time they take to buy a gift for their spouses, parents, and in-laws. Men also stress out, but not quite as much, spending 73 minutes buying presents for colleagues.

READ MORE: Staff skip work for Christmas shopping

To make things easier for staff looking to buy the perfect Christmas present for their office gift exchange, here's a list of 5 presents to avoid gifting colleagues.

1. Office stationery and/or flowers or soft toys

The most hated Christmas gift among employees is office stationery or generic gifts such as flowers or soft toys, with 14% of respondents stating they hated receiving these presents.

2. Something risqué or naughty

Scandalous or suggestive gifts was also highlighted as no-no in the survey. More than one of 10 (12%) of those surveyed stated they would return them.

3. Spa/massage vouchers

Vouchers for spas or massages were found to be the one of the most hated Christmas presents, with 10% of respondents stating they dislike these gifts.

4. Beauty and grooming vouchers

Coming in at 3rd place in gifts to avoid this year were beauty and grooming products, despised by 9% of respondents.

5. Games

Games were also unloved by 5% of those surveyed, making it a top loathed gift among employees.

ALSO READ: The worst office Christmas gifts

 Image: Shutterstock

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