To think that if I don't drink tea/ coffee...

[Movinonout1223]

I shouldn't have to make every fucker else a cup at work?!

[PurpleNurple69]

I never get involved in tea rounds and I used to be quite unpopular because of it but like you OP I never drank tea/coffee at work! Now I do but still only make my own but i don’t expect anyone else to make mine. I’m way too fussy for a start!

[BillyDaveysDaughter]

I got caught by the MD making a round of drinks for my team of 8 once. He bellowed at me, "I DON'T PAY YOU FUCKING A YEAR TO MAKE FUCKING DRINKS FOR THE PLEBS".

Charming. I lasted 2 years.

[thecatsthecats]

I actually quit tea at work because the other staff were such a PITA about it.

One bloke went so far as to 'test' if I actually like my tea the way I said I did (think the equivalent of half a spoon vs a spoon of sugar). WTF? Just make it the way I ask, which was not tricky anyway!

Mercifully they don't expect tea from me now I've 'quit' (love love love WFH and just making my cuppa).

[OliviaStabler]

Then why are you doing it?

[limitedperiodonly]

Tricky. The two places where I work have discrete but definite etiquette surrounding the making of tea and coffee. I only ever drink water at work which they all regard as a bit odd and health-freaky. Most people think I'm teetotal - that's definitely not the case.

In one place, everyone takes turns making tea or coffee for everyone in our small department. Even the most senior person does it. It's all provided free by the company.

They all ask me just to be polite even though they know I'll say no. I used to feel so awkward about getting a glass of water for myself and not offering water, tea or coffee to everyone that I asked my friend who used to work there. She said I was being daft. I do sometimes bring in biscuits though.

At the other place I move desks a lot but usually sit in a group of the same four/five people depending on who is off that day. They are coffee aficiondos and make just for their desk - it's a bonding thing between them but they're welcoming, because whenever I share their desk they always include me in the offer.

I realised I'd been accepted into the gang last week when someone from another part of the office teased me about eating my lunchtime quiche on a plate with a knife and fork. I didn't realise there was any other way to eat quiche - it was too big to pick up in my hands and munch. We get on well and I knew he was just joking but the man sitting next to me thought I was under attack and said frostily: 'We have standards on this desk. Get back to feeding time at the zoo on yours.'

There's a lot of office politics there that I'm still trying to get

[Boulshired]

It depends for me if you are an office of equal colleagues. I have worked in client based offices where senior members of the team remain at their desks as much as possible and junior/ assistant member are employed to do the skivvy style work (including lunch run & drink breaks) to enable the clients as much access to the senior members as possible. We had one lady refuse the first day of work and never made it past probation and the making of drinks was then added to the job specification.

[Urubu]

I drink a lot of coffee but always black, no sugar, which takes literally a second: take a cup, press a button on the machine, done.

I never do rounds as everybody asks for tea with milk, sugar etc which takes way longer and I am also afraid I will mess it up by putting too much milk / not remembering the number of sugars correctly etc.
I don't expect my collegues to do my voffee either though.

I am foreign so initially I didn't realize the others were taking turns to make it for everybody, and once I did I just continued doing mine and just mine. Works well (and noone seems unhappy about it!)

[RubMyRhubarb]

I don't drink tea or coffee either (but I don't work in an office, not sure how relevant that is)

I only drink water. Maybe the odd ginger beer sometimes but that's it. Not for health reasons or any of that, I just don't like hot drinks (except one but that's not tea or coffee)

However, I don't mind making a cup for someone else. Not sure I'd want to make a shitload of it though.

[limitedperiodonly]

Urubu I am English and don't get the 'turns' thing either, except with rounds in pubs. I think I was badly brung up.

[HateSummer]

Ugh I used to work somewhere where they’d made up a bloody chart with everyone’s preferences for drinks! I never drank tea ever until I started work there and I felt I HAD to drink with everyone and make a cuppa for everyone. There were 15 odd people to make drinks for aswell. It was like school break time 😒 with the same level of bitchiness aswell 😒

[Glumglowworm]

Yanbu I'm the same, I don't drink tea or coffee so I'm not going to do a drinks run for everyone else!

I work in a call centre now where drinks rounds aren't as much of a thing, cause our time off the phones is closely timed, so it's not really an issue.

[Glumglowworm]

I did used to make tea for my ex though. But that's one person, I knew how she had it. Making a dozen variations is ridiculous

[DiegoMadonna]

If it's not part of your job description then why are you doing it? I don't get it.

[DiegoMadonna]

i've worked in 7 or 8 different offices and I've never encountered a tea/coffee rounds culture. Thank God.

[cakecakecheese]

Bring in a nutribullet and when it's someone else's turn ask them to make you a kale smoothie

But really you shouldn't have to be part of this. Is there someone you can mention it to who will be understanding rather than having to make a big stand. Although you may have to do that!

[MyVisionsComeFromSoup]

at DD's Saturday job there used to be a chart of how everyone had their drinks (and the staff timetable - it's an "activity" type business, so the staff are public facing all the time - included who was on drinks duty when), but now they have mugs with their preferences on (so "DD, tea, milk, no sugar") which makes it a lot easier to remember .

DD1 got marked down on work experience for not remembering people's names as well as their tea/coffee preferences - when she was there for one week, and rotating through different departments. She thought she'd done bloody well just getting tea to the tea people and coffee to the coffee people.

[waterhole]

I drink tea at home but I hate the whole tea/coffee round culture in offices. At work I don't drink any hot drinks and sit out of the whole thing. I drink cold water out of a bottle that I bring from home. I can't be doing with taking different orders/preferences and carrying several mugs out for different people. Also, I hate drinking out of the mugs at work as they get washed by hand by whoever has used them, including the type of people who don't rinse and don't properly scrub around the edge.

[Urubu]

Haha limitedperiodonly
I'm from France and there you don't do this taking turn thing, you all go together to the coffee machine and spend 15min there chatting and drinking coffee (rarely tea) together. I have to admit I miss it sometimes...

[ChevalierTialys]

People in my old office used to do it in rounds, it was a proper clique thing. I never took part, just went and made my own when I was ready. I like the process of making tea, find it soothing, and hate the way other people make it. They all thought I was selfish/rude but frankly I didn't give a shit.

My new workplace is much more suited to me. People make their own tea and coffee at will. The trend is actually to have those water bottles with the middle bit for lemon/cucumber/lime or what have you. People making each others drinks is practically unheard of.

[Kaykee]

I'm a nurse, we just make our own as time is short so quick tea or whatever breakfast and back on the floor. Occasionally we have a teapot if those staff who like one are on but even if I worked in an office I wouldn't make everyone's tea or like mine made for me. Just make your own op then enjoy your break or take longer

[RaeCJ82]

No you most definitely shouldn't. If you're doing it, stop immediately. Piss takers.
I stopped contributing to the tea and coffee thing at work and just took my own in. I got absolutely sick of making 8 brews at a time and some people made the worst brews ever. I also didn't drink as many as some people. Their insides must be tea coloured.

[UserX]

have see too many mingers leaving the toilets without washing their hands to ever want a cup of tear made by someone else in an office 🤢

[BeyondThePage]

I work in a shop, whoever is least busy - at opening, at 11, at lunch, and at 3.30 just gets everyone a drink. No big fuss, no faffing - though everyone has something different, but everyone pitches in too - even those of us who don't want a drink.

We share the load, but we like each other and it is seen as a friendly thing to do, not a chore.

[LadyWire]

I drink tea but I'm very faddy about it and don't want anyone else making it, so I don't get into rounds. If anyone ever comments I always say that I don't make other people a brew but I never ask for one either.

[Thissideof40]

I don’t get the whole ‘take in turns to make tea thing’. If I had to make tea for 20 odd people I’d have to write up an order. Sod that!! If I’m making a drink I’ll offer but thankfully there’s only 2 other people in my team, one being the FD, and they’ll do the same. One of my team doesn’t have a hot drink very often but I’ll still offer without expecting her to offer back.