Or should you offer a workman a drink?

[Azquilith]

DP fixes appliances for a national firm, and visits up to 8 houses a day. In London he not only often gets let in by the housekeeper at the tradesman entrance, but is seldom offered a drink. In the recent hot weather it makes me fume that he's working in hot utility rooms, shunting appliances about for hours and doesn't even get offered a glass of water. Do you offer someone in your home a drink?

Oh and mother was not a bit phased when a plasterer had the raging shits in the downstairs loo either, though she was a nurse for 30 years. The poor lamb was laid out on the sofa with a stomach settler before being driven home by my dad.

Bloody hell ... who knew there were so many inhospitable mardy arses around.
When people come into your house you get the kettle on - whoever they are. Seems deeply odd not to.

OP - tradesman's entrance? Really? Fuck that.

Whatever5, Is it unusual?! Certainly not to me it isn't, and no I don't work in a restaurant or the food industry at all.

I've been working for around 30 years, all over London. I've worked on market stalls, shops, small offices, large offices, top designers and small start-ups, so the full range; from shithole to much more upmarket.

I have only ever had one workplace that didn't provide drinks materials and facilities. I can think of two other places where there wasn't anything in the way of biscuits but one always had a stocked fruit bowl (MD was focused on a healthy lifestyle) and the other had a tuck shop.

I definitely though tit was standard, and am now going a bit off topic but want to know is it unusual?

I agree with MamaPain. We run a very small business from home, and have one employee outside of the family. It is not any kind of eating establishment, but our employee is a very lovely man. I will often make him lunch if he happens to be here, give him dinner if his wife is working away, a birthday cake (when it's his b/day, obv). He gets a bonus at Christmas and a box of beer and a bottle of his favourite tipple. It is just right to treat an employee appropriately, as you would wish to be treated yourself.

Any tradesperson who comes to our house is offered drinks throughout the day, and snacks where necessary. I find that if you treat people well, they will bend over backwards to help you. eg, in the future, if you have an emergency situation, they are more likely to rush back to help you. We're on first-name terms with most of our visiting tradespeople. It is a wise thing to, to nurture a trusted tradesperson, who you are happy to have in your home.

We had a painter/decorator here for several weeks a year or so ago. He was a really lovely young man. He was a friend of a friend desperately needing work. Lived nearly three hours away, so stayed with a mate of his during the week, sleeping on his sofa. I fed and watered him well, and he did a wonderful job. He was (is) an absolute perfectionist and charged a daily rate but worked from early in the morning until late into the evening. One day he didn't turn up, and I didn't hear from him for a while, which I was quite surprised at, and couldn't get hold of him.

Turns out, he'd sadly had a nervous breakdown - I was SO pleased I'd treated him nicely, and not simply as a "workman" or "member of staff" or simply as a "business transaction". We got on really well, and he has since visited with his young wife and two little girls to apologise for letting me down, and we've shared a few cups of tea and a chat since.

Whatever5 - it is not unusual in my world.

Regarding the "They're getting paid to do a job, not sit on their arses all day" type comments, my DP will often not even charge for a job if it's a simple fix and he's there for less than half an hour (especially if it is an elderly customer). He does on average three or four jobs a week that he doesn't charge for, he's happy with a cup of tea, a biscuit and a chat. In one week he can come home with, for example (offered as payment): a tiny bottle of beer, a very overripe, inedible mango and two jars of out-of-date marmalade.

We will probably never be able to afford a house with it's own "staff" or "tradesman's" entrance, but I know what sort of people we would prefer to be

It depends on how long they'll be here. If they'll be in and out within half an hour I often only offer a drink if I'm already putting the kettle on. But if a tradesman is working on a longer job I offer tea/coffee/water regularly, say every hour.

If they are there while I am making a drink, I will make them one, or if they are there to do a job that would take a couple of hours or longer, I also show them where they can make their own.

But, I had a sky repair man here yesterday, he was here about 40 minutes and it didn't even cross my mind. His next job was about 20-40 minutes drive away (across a couple of London Boroughs) so it is feasible that he might have had 8 jobs that day.

I do however, offer our postlady a glass of cold water on hot days so I am not all bad.

Almost all of the places that I have worked at have provided tea and coffee supplies for employees, and most offices I visit offer me a drink (tea, coffee, water). Food is another matter, but is it really outside of the norm now to have coffee on the go, milk in the fridge and a box of teabags in the cupboard for empoyees/visitors?

I've worked for a lot of companies over the last 25 years. No one has ever provided coffee, tea or milk. The most you ever get is a kettle.

Almost all of the places that I have worked at have provided tea and coffee supplies for employees, and most offices I visit offer me a drink (tea, coffee, water). Food is another matter, but is it really outside of the norm now to have coffee on the go, milk in the fridge and a box of teabags in the cupboard for empoyees/visitors?

I've worked for a lot of companies over the last 25 years. No one has ever provided coffee, tea or milk. The most you ever get is a kettle.

Whatever5, Is it unusual?! Certainly not to me it isn't, and no I don't work in a restaurant or the food industry at all.

It would be very unusual to me. I have worked for 30 years too for many companies, mostly in universities and hospitals but also for private companies. I can only think of one company out of about 100 that provided tea and coffee.

The only places of employment where I've had to pay for beverages and snacks have been schools and the civil service. Other places provided them free. At British Aerospace we used to have bone china cups and saucers and silver spoons (and biccies) brought round on a trolley and served on a tray

Large computer companies had kitchens and free vending machines.

If it's only one person, yes. More, no.

But you'd show them where the kettle was, presumably, WanderingTrolley, so they could make their own?

No, I wouldn't, Evans.

We had workmen throughout the whole of July and first part of August. They brought their own kettle and refreshments.

Well then, that's entirely different. I thought we were talking more here about if they have no access to refreshments. So that's a non-point, really.

I always offered workmen a drink in the UK; and I've always offered them a drink here in Australia too. However, the Aussies rarely accept - it's not such a "thing" here, they usually have their own water bottles or coffee from the local Macca's or coffee shop.

Yes and biscuits/cake plus use of toilet too of course.

IMO if you are hiring someone for a job it is partly your responsibility to keep them hydrated.

We generally only employ people over the age of ten though. Most adults seem to be able to keep themselves 'hydrated,' like big boys :)

Hurrumph. Bought biscuits for my workman, due to arrive this morning and now a day late. Biscuits mostly eaten (by me).

If they ever turn up, I'd over them liquid gold if I had to but only if they carry on working while they drink

I think it pays to be good to people.

Years ago we bought a tiny, run down cottage, another couple bought an identical one next door. I offered drinks and refreshments, they didn't. On one particularly hot day, they had people in laying a new drive. I'll emphasise that they brought their own refreshments, but it was hideously hot -2008. They ran out midway through the afternoon, and as the NDN wasn't offering, I took them out bottles of cold drinks.

A year later we were ready to have our drive done. Same firm, same people working. They remembered I'd looked out for them, and commented how much they were looking forward to doing the drive. One of them said, they'd not forgotten us, and they were going to do the best drive they'd ever done.

I agree with you Stratter5. Unfortunately, some people on here will be unable to absorb your comments. Many other posters (myself included) have regaled tales similar to yours, but others have a stubborn and blinkered view of "workmen".

My BiL has a similar attitude. He always refers to someone doing work in his house as "the little man". Nothing to do with the person's size or stature, of course, just because BiL thinks the person is beneath him. Same goes for people who have "the little woman" in to clean. Makes my blood boil!

What I you're not their employer? I don't have anything directly to do with whoever the council can get away with paying the least to do jobs on my flat and it's the same for most renters. I also don't consider my home to be in the same league as somebody's office, and I certainly don't consider my kitchen to be some sort of free-for-all work canteen.

I'm not arsey or unwelcoming tho. I just don't make tea for people who aren't my guests.

I always offer people a drink, window cleaner, health visitor that sort of thing.

I don't get why you wouldn't.

Our window cleaners always get a drink. As a result, they will often clean the inside of a window at no extra cost.

As has been said many times, it pays to look after people!