Is Revealing Wedding Gift Amounts in Company Chats Normal? Here’s What You Need to Know!

A debate over workplace norms erupted after a company group chat revealed how much each employee contributed to a wedding gift.

A post titled "All the wedding-gift amounts were posted in the company group chat — is this normal?" appeared recently on the online community Insider. The post recounted what happened during the accounting of a team-collected wedding fund at work.

The poster, identified as A, said the team gathered a group gift for a coworker’s wedding. Each person gave their contribution to a colleague acting as treasurer, who then tallied and forwarded the money.

Problems emerged after that. A said that once everyone had sent their amounts and the treasurer had summarized them, someone suddenly posted a list in the group chat showing who paid how much. Both names and amounts were visible to everyone.

A described the atmosphere after the list appeared. "At first I thought I misread it," A said, "but people treated it like it was no big deal." A added that seeing amounts compared side by side felt awkward, made people self-conscious, and created discomfort.

"What’s more, there’s an indirect social pressure when the room senses who gave more or less," A said, asking whether it’s common for companies to share exact gift amounts or whether this crossed a line.

Online opinions were divided. Some users defended the disclosure as a matter of transparent accounting, arguing that posting amounts prevents misunderstandings and is more efficient when money is collected collectively. They noted that since the money wasn’t an individual payment, the recipient needs to know the breakdown to return any change, and suggested some people may simply be embarrassed by how little they gave.

Others called the practice disrespectful. They said publicly sharing contributions crosses a line and is rude, and dismissed the idea that concerns about privacy are an overreaction.

Observers also pointed to shifting norms around gift amounts. Kakao Pay reported in its 2025 Money Report that the average wedding gift sent via bank transfer or envelope topped 100,000 KRW (about $75) for the first time — roughly double the 50,000 KRW (about $37.50) average in 2019.

A 2025 survey by Incruit of 844 workers found that 61.8% of respondents considered 100,000 KRW (about $75) an appropriate gift amount.

Discussion threads reflected rising expectations: comments such as "Considering the meal cost, 50,000 KRW (about $37.50) is stingy" and "If you’re not close, it’s more polite to skip the wedding" signaled that standards for gift amounts have increased online.