The office gift exchange, made simple
An office gift exchange comes with its own set of headaches: coworkers who don't all know each other well, a budget that needs to stay reasonable enough that nobody feels put on the spot, and increasingly, part of the team working from home or another office entirely, unable to draw a slip of paper out of a decorated shoebox at the holiday party.
Qui pige qui? is built for exactly that kind of setup: you create the exchange, add each coworker's name and email, and the draw runs automatically — everyone gets their secret link by email, whether they sit next to you or work from home. Results stay private — even from you if you're the one organizing — and the whole experience is available in French for teams that need it.
For companies operating under Quebec's Bill 96 language requirements, that matters too: no need to justify running a team activity through an English-only tool when the entire experience — setup, emails, forms — can run in French from start to finish.
Ready in 2 minutes · free for up to 12 participants · no account
How to organize the office exchange, step by step
Create the exchange and set a reasonable budget — most offices land somewhere between $15 and $25, a range that stays comfortable whether it's an intern or the director drawing a name.
Collect names and work emails once — a quick message in your team channel (Teams, Slack, or a group email) gets you the list — then enter everyone in a couple of minutes.
Add exclusions where needed, for instance if two coworkers who are also a couple shouldn't draw each other.
Run the draw: each coworker gets an email with their secret link and a wish list to fill in, including anyone working remotely or out of another office.
Free for up to 12 participants. After that, $5.99 CAD once, for an unlimited number of participants.
A reasonable budget, without looking cheap or over the top
The budget is often the trickiest part of an office exchange to get right — set it too low and some people find it stingy; set it too high and others feel pressured to spend more than they'd like just to avoid looking bad. Setting a suggested amount right when you create the exchange settles the question for good: everyone sees it upfront, in their invitation email, and nobody has to guess or negotiate it in a side conversation.
Most Canadian offices land somewhere between $15 and $25 depending on team size and company culture; some add a line clarifying the budget's a ceiling, not a target to hit. The point is saying it once, clearly, instead of letting everyone guess at what counts as "appropriate."
Remote coworkers are no longer left out
Now that hybrid and remote work is part of daily life for a lot of teams, the traditional gift exchange — the one where you draw a slip of paper standing around the coffee machine — quietly excludes part of the office by default. Online, that stops mattering: a coworker in Halifax, another working from home, and a third one in a satellite office all get the exact same secret link by email as everyone physically in the building.
It also holds up on exchange day itself: gifts can be mailed or handed over in person at the next chance, since each participant's wish list usually notes whether they'd rather have something shippable or something handed to them directly.
Frequently asked questions
- How does the exchange work for a team on Teams or Slack?
- Ask for names and emails in your team channel, enter them once, and launch the draw — every coworker then receives their own secret link by email. Nobody needs an account and nothing needs to be installed.
- What's a reasonable budget for an office exchange?
- Most Canadian teams land between $15 and $25 CAD. You can set a suggested amount right when you create the exchange, and it shows up in every participant's invitation email.
- Can remote coworkers take part like everyone else?
- Yes, completely: they get the same secret link by email as anyone in the office, wherever they're working from, and can just as easily receive their gift by mail.
- Is the tool actually available fully in French?
- Yes, from creating the exchange to every email sent to participants and every form along the way — useful for Quebec companies keeping their team tools compliant with Bill 96.
- What happens if a coworker leaves the company before the exchange?
- You can remove their name and re-run the draw with one click; every other coworker automatically gets a new secret link, with no need to explain why.