More than one-third of millennials felt the financial strain, judged and pressured to contribute to Secret Santa and other requests to donate for office events, according to a new survey conducted by British job sourcing organization Jobsite.

Gift giving in the workplace among colleagues or between boss and a subordinate creates a host of concerns and awkward situations.

I still remember the first December after I started a new job when a colleague came to my office two days before Christmas to give me an unexpected gift. The exchange created an awkward uncomfortable realization that I had nothing to give the coworker. It didn’t even occur to me that colleagues would exchange gifts.

There is only so much that businesses can control – and individual gift gifting isn’t necessarily one of them.

Every business and organization has its own culture and tradition. If exchanging gifts is one of them, colleagues should make sure everyone knows what the rules are and set expectations for cost.

Importantly, some employees do not celebrate this time of year and/or may not be able to afford the cost for additional gifts.

In the Jobsite survey, more than 25% of those surveyed said they had to dip into savings or go into overdraft to purchase the gifts.

In most cases, the voluntary gift exchange among colleagues at work is more of a stressful hassle than a welcome holiday event. Instead of a gift exchange among colleagues, perhaps suggest a group lunch.

In addition to the voluntary exchanging of gifts individually, some organizations or companies host the Secret Santa or White Elephant gift exchange.

The Secret Santa, in particular, creates unnecessary stress and expense (as evidenced by the Jobsite poll), especially where people are already busy trying to plan for their own family and friends outside of work. If your department or group of friends insist on doing the Secret Santa, consider a generic theme (for instance, candy or coffee) and then set a $5 per gift limit.

Last month, Good Housekeeping suggested 38 Secret Santa gifts for the workplace, recommending gifts that are “funny or thoughtful.”

The list includes some interesting items such as foodie dice and Darth Vader ice molds.

Also suggested was the “Cat Lady-Old Maid” card game. Good Housekeeping wrote: “No, you’re not calling your friend or coworker an ‘Old Maid’ or a ‘Cat Lady.’ Instead, you’re simply giving her a fun card game to play with fellow cat lovers.”

That may be true until the employee complains she is being harassed due to her age by her coworker.

Finding gifts that are reasonably priced, interesting and appropriate takes significant time during a period when workers are already heavily taxed to get work done and fulfill their personal holiday planning needs.

Managers also often give gifts to their subordinates and subordinates to their bosses.

Managers should frame the gift as an end of the year thank you, not a holiday gift. It should be discretionary (for instance, not tied to sales goals) so as to not trigger implications from the Fair Labor Standards Act.

In addition, it should be extremely generic and should not involve alcohol, cologne or jewelry. A gift card to a chain or local restaurant will be appreciated if it is moderately priced and given without restrictions. A cash bonus is always appreciated. Of course, do not give any gift that has sexual undertones, like lingerie.

Any gift from a boss can be accompanied by a note of appreciation for the efforts of each staff member during the year.

As with all workplace interactions, there is no need to hug or kiss your coworker, boss or subordinate employee upon giving or receiving a gift.