to expect free drinks facilities at work

[calculatorsatdawn]

I work in an office with about a thousand people, there is canteen and a drinks machine that you can buy hot an cold drinks from.

I am terrible at managing my money and therefore have no cash to buy tea as I limp towards payday tomorrow. I made a flask of tea this morning and evidently I need to run the flask through the dishwasher as my tea tastes of soup, but at least I have a drink.

IABU to expect that we should have facilities to have a drink of water? If you forget your wallet or your flask of disgusting oxtail tea you can't have a drink all day. I leave the house at 7am and generally get home around 7pm.

I've worked a fair few places where drinks are charged for - usually subsidised though. When we had to pay, there was always access to free tapwater.

My OH drives an ambulance all day except his half hour break where he should wherever possible go to his station for lunch (not always practical or possible) so where does he stand in his access to drinking water? Does that theoretical half hour break in the station count or should they technically be giving them bottles of drinking water?

He takes a flask of hot drink and usually does without water unless he is at the station as tbh bottles of water heat up too much in the space he has to keep his belongings so that wouldn't really be a solution.

OP I think the 5p charge will be for the cup or the cooling of the water which does seem a bit mean.

At our work we have the kettle health and safety problem. All that happens is that any nonreg electrical items are hidden if anyone official comes to be brought out again when they leave!

Do they let paramedics go back to base now soon?
They bought in standby when my OH was a paramedic and they had to go and park in various places.
If they ate in the ambulance members of the public used to phone up and report them. members of the public used to phone up and report them for 'sitting around doing nothing' even if they were not eating

he's not a paramedic - its patient transport, so bringing people into hospital who are unable to use public transport for example (i.e. need to lay flat or elderly with dementia etc.) or hospital transfers etc. The work should be planned that they are able to get to a station for a lunch break but best laid plans and all that.....

It was pointed out to me further up this thread that if I can't afford 5p for a cup of water at the end of the month I have issues that I really need to address. I rarely listen to unsolicited advice but on this occasion my heart sort of sank a bit. I've always been quite bad with money but I seem to have been in denial about quite how bad things have got. When I got home last night I sat down with DP and he helped me go through my spending and put in some plans to help me avoid running out of cash each month.

I can't find the post that said it now but I just wanted to say thank you.

Wasn't what I anticipated when I posted this thread but I feel much more in control this morning now I know what I have coming in, what my actual cost of living is and what I have available to spend. Pay day today and time to put the plan into action.

That is really good news OP - I bet you feel like a weight has been lifted from your shoulders.

Could you maybe keep a pot somewhere at your desk and put all the odd 5ps in it as they are in your wallet, so you always have a stash?

Many companies only supply hot and cold water. My new office will have a cold supply, and a hot supply for making hot drinks. No microwaves or anything else are allowed. That's fair enough as the kitchen area is open plan with the office, so cooking food smells isn't a great idea. There is a canteen on site though.

Another solution is to find another job with better facilities and who may be a little better at valuing staff

They do have a tap yes? So you can get water? That's fine then.
My work has a kettle but doesn't provide anything else. We bring in teabags, mugs, spoons and whitener/milk. There is a coffee machine that they prefer us paying to use . I've been moaned at for boiling water and making my own drink but usually the don't care...

YANBU, they should not charge 5p for water, they're legally obliged to provide i., though not necessarily cold.

On a hot day you might want 10+ cups, as those little cups hold hardly anything, so 50p a day, so maybe £2.50 a week on what should be free.

Speak to HR/union rep, or staff council. Until then, get a large bottle and fill it from home to take to work.