Laid-off employee put on garden leave during office Secret Santa refuses to play along and send a gift: ‘I was technically still employed and being paid, but I was clearly told not to come into work’ – FAIL Blog

When the time came to exchange gifts, the employee bowed out politely, notifying the organizer that it felt wrong to keep participating. It was not a protest, just a boundary. The manager could have reassigned the name, kept the circle intact. Instead, silence again. A week later, the employee still received a gift in the mail, a bittersweet reminder that the company could manage symbolic kindness even when it couldn’t manage people.