A US worker has sparked controversy after claiming he was fired because of a humorous Secret Santa wish list.
The shocking incident has sparked a fierce debate about workplace dynamics and the limits of holiday humor.
According to the anonymous employee, for the past four years their workplace has participated in a non-work-sponsored Secret Santa gift exchange, hosted through the popular Elfster app.
Secret Santa is a holiday tradition in which participants exchange gifts anonymously, with each person drawing a name to determine who to give a gift to.
However, this year’s festive tradition took a dramatic turn when the employee’s manager, who was not their Secret Santa, gained access to their wish list and took offense to its contents.
The employee asked for a mug that said “I hate my boss” and a self-help book on leadership. The frame also included a cheeky addition of lube, which the employee insists was intended to lighten the mood of the gift exchange.
“My manager called my wish list ‘offensive and hostile’ without providing an explanation,” the employee claimed on Glassdoor. “I meant it as a joke, but she didn’t see it that way.”
In a move many are calling extreme, the employee says he was fired via a phone call, with the company’s HR director present on the speaker.
The employee asked for a mug that said “I hate my boss” and a self-help book on leadership
The post quickly went viral, with many wondering if the manager was overreacting or if the employee was crossing a line.
Some commentators sided with the employee, describing the incident as management overreach.
‘It speaks volumes about the boss in this case. I’ve led teams, but never really considered myself anyone’s boss.
“I’d like to think that if I had a good boss, instead of getting angry and depriving someone of their livelihood over a perceived insult, no questions asked… that they would see it as an opportunity for improvement .
“Talk to the employee, ask if he means it and if so, what he is doing wrong that could make an employee feel that way,” one person said.
Another echoed: “If I was the boss, I wouldn’t fire an employee for this. I have a sense of humor.’
“You should talk to a lawyer,” one man advised.
However, others found the wish list inappropriate given the workplace context.
A US worker has sparked controversy after claiming he was fired because of a humorous Secret Santa wish list
One explained what the former employee had done wrong.
‘How old are you? There are some things your workplace doesn’t need to know about you and that wish list was certainly one of them.
“Whether it was work-sponsored or not, once it involved the workplace, it had to be appropriate for the workplace.
Or to try another way, if you didn’t put that stuff on a work-sponsored Secret Santa goodie, it shouldn’t have been on a wish list you gave to coworkers.
“But ‘it was just a joke!’ …your boss clearly didn’t think it was funny. Try to be really funny next time. Passive-aggressive bullshit isn’t funny at all.’
Others accused the employee of being immature.
“You did that to yourself,” someone said. Another said: ‘Sometimes things are funnier in our heads than in reality.’
“You weren’t fired because of your wish list, but because you created a toxic, uncomfortable and hostile environment,” one man wrote.