Coffee etiquette in the office

I've bought rounds for takeaway coffees before with a certain group at a job before, but it was always reciprocated/people took turns etc. No way would i be offering and paying for them all if nobody ever bothered getting me one back. Get a grip and stop doing it!

We do rounds but usually only 2 or 3 folk wanting and wouldn't offer if never reciprocated. Some people do their own and don't get offered.... Nobody buys takeaway coffee for everyone!

You’re a mug and they’re taking the piss. If you go to a coffee shop for people they should easily ping you the money.

I've found that in companies where there are enormous tea rounds it's often the case that a lot of people don't have much work to do, and it fills the time.

If I'm going for a coffee I'd mention and invite others but I'm not going to buy theirs.

Tea or instant coffee plus hot water machine, keep it simple

I just say I don't want one when someone's making a round, then 5 minutes after they have theirs, I decide I want one but then no-one else does so it's just me

I'm not getting involved in brewing up for 15+ people

In the kitchen: everyone makes their own tea. If you're drinking coffee at a socially accepted coffee break time you do the full pot and and people serve themselves.

Takeaway: you go pick your own. No need to ask anyone else.

Just stop doing this. They're taking the piss because you let them.

I've got a brilliant thermos mini-flask- looks like a water bottle but it keeps my coffee really hot. So I make myself a proper coffee at home in the morning and pop it into the flask. Obviously no good for cappuccino- but by lunchtime, it's still hot. In fact, I've drunk it at 3pm and it's still hot.

Just stop. Never been in this situation before. Everyone has always just made their own.

Get your coffee before you go into work and take it in with you

I used to say, listen I’ll do my own thing with drinks so just crack on. I couldn’t bear it when the resident tea pot would drop hints every half hour and I would only really have a couple every day. I didn’t care what anyone thought, it worked for me and I wasn’t stopping them getting what they wanted.

I worked in one place where there was a laminate sheet on the wall of how everyone took their drinks! And collecting up dirty mugs to wash was part of the round 😖

Buy a one cup cafetière

Only having to be responsible for what I personally eat and drink and when is one of the best things about going to the office. I would loathe being expected to join in rounds! A few of us go to the kitchen together for a break and a chat but we all do our own.

Make your own. When they offer, say no thanks. I hate making drinks for other people, just want to make my own, exactly how I want it and get back to work.

We have a hot water urn in the kitchen. With 3/6 people I would offer a round. There's a list on the kitchen wall of what everyone usually drinks tea milk sugar etc.

“The drinks are here they cost £30. She we split the cost evenly or do you want to give me the exact cost for what you’ve got?”

This sounds like it’s only you offering / making drinks for everyone?

why do it then? Just get up and go make your own drink.

If everyone does “rounds” then they are probably all thinking the same thing - in which case next few times someone offers say “no, I’m ok just now, I’ll get a coffee in a bit”, then wander off 15 mins later to get your own.

if you want Starbucks, nip out at lunch and just get your own. If anyone comments “oh, wish I’d known, I’d have got you to pick up for me”, just say “it was spur of the moment - plus last time you offered you got stuck with paying for everyone”.

We used to do rounds but then when Covid happened and we went back to office after one of the things in place like one way systems etc was that people made their own drinks so we’ve just carried on doing that. It is easier as when it was rounds it used to get to a point where you felt obliged to go and make if hadn’t for a while and it was your “turn”, even though you might be busy and didn’t actually want a drink. Now can just make one when want to and have time or want a little break

I really like the suggestions to use a thermos and pour the ‘water’ (aka takeaway coffee) into it.

I always get a coffee before work to avoid any awkward coffee dilemmas and I have been doing this for years. I sit in a team made up of a few people where we are all in different teams virtually but in one physical location. At morning tea time they all go for a coffee run together. Sometimes I go with them and get a second coffee (but we all pay for ourselves).

They also like to announce when they are going to the supermarket to buy treats. I personally prefer to buy my own treats but they like to keep a few communal items. To not be such a Scrooge, every now and then I buy treats to share.

Yes no way i would offer this

One thing with proper coffee machines is usually the same person gets stuck with cleaning/maintaining so they sound good in theory

@Nat6999 Wow what a cheeky bastard! You should of made him a scolding cup & accidentally on purpose spilt it on the cheeky fucker 😆

I hated it when I was the lowest grade at work & we were expected to make tea & coffee for the whole office & the inspectors on our floor. We took a stand & refused to do it, the inspectors were the worst, they thought they were too special to make their own drinks. I can remember one girl spitting in the District Inspector's tea because he was so awful ringing through every hour for someone to make his drink & loosing his shit if it wasn't on his desk two minutes later, we were expected to drop everything just to make him his drink even if we were elsewhere in the building.

Isn’t it cheaper to buy your own decent coffee machine than buy Starbucks all the time?

Your company need to invest in a zip tap bloody marvellous things.

If they never reciprocate, stop getting coffees for them. Or suggest setting up a kitty or something similar.