AIBU - Your kettle must be broken

[TellMeItsNotTrue]

AIBU to not offer a drink to workmen who say this or similar 5 minutes after arriving?

it pisses me off! If you want a drink then ask for one, if you had given me a chance I would have offered you one but not 5 minutes after you turn up while you are still unloading the van and haven't even started doing anything!

I always offer a choice of tea, coffee, cold drinks. I make sure I have biscuits in, I've even made homemade soup for workmen in the past when they were working on the garage in horrible weather!

So it's not like I'm mean when it comes to that sort of thing, comments like that just get my back up and then I don't want to offer them anything! So AIBU to reply "yes it must be" and then not offer a drink?

I usually wheel out my drinks trolley

only joking OP yes sexist and presumptuous. I might even have let the first comment go but the bit about your DH's tea on the table etc is too much.

'Jeez, don't you lot have a brew when you're at work then? '

Lots of people don't drink hot drinks and I'm racking my brains trying to think of any other profession in which I'd expect my employer to make me hot drinks at regular intervals, much less cook me food. I'm there to do the job they hired me and are paying me for, not have them personally wait on me, too.

'Why would you feel the need to cook them meals?'

Apparently some even expect it, hence comments about smelling bacon and asking for bacon rolls. What if you're vegetarian, or Muslim or Jewish, are you still expected to provide this sort of thing? Anyone who would do a shittier job because their employer didn't wait on them is a git.

We've got builders in at the moment. First morning they arrived, they knocked to introduce themselves then one of them said "we like tea!"

Ha I had the builders in once and the plasterer came in saw MY TEA and said thanks assuming I'd made it for him!!

I recently had some men deliver a table and chairs. It didn’t occur to me that a 10-15 minute visit meant tea or coffee was required until they asked me for some. This was followed up by a series of questions about whether I was married, had a boyfriend, children, did I own the house or was I renting. They did thank me for the lovely hot drinks when they left but I was still not very pleased with them for being so cheeky.

The lovely chap who fought his way through the snow to me last Friday and was early for his 7.30am appointment got the offer of a hot drink as he walked through the door.

Bacon butties! Any workman who comes to me can whistle for those. I make a first hot drink for them and then show them the kettle, fridge and where things are and say to help themselves - don’t wait for me to offer. If I have been shopping recently there might be some (cheap) biscuits on offer too.

You're not really waiting on them though, they can hardly rock on in to your kitchen and put the kettle on for everyone.

Imagine the pearl clutching - and Mumsnet threads- if they did!

Just be nice and make them a drink.

'You're not really waiting on them though, they can hardly rock on in to your kitchen and put the kettle on for everyone. '

Expecting your employer to make you hot drinks at regular intervals - no regard for if the employer even drinks them, has such goods in stock, etc - is exactly expecting to be waited on. That's not very nice, either, IMO. If offered, fine, but expectation is rude and cheeky. Plenty of people do point at the kettle or leave out mugs, kettle, milk, etc.

Nah, I wouldn't be doing it. I'm disabled and I don't drink the stuff. If they want it, bring it with them like anyone else would do it they were going to work.

Bit of an overreaction, they were probably just joking.

I think the best approach is to reciprocate the rude friendly banter by saying "Are your arms broken? Is that why you're not unloading the van first, mate ?" followed by a chuckle.

Then bring out some drinks later in CUNT mugs.

I do usually offer workmen a hot drink - not as soon as they arrive though. Demanding it, even framed as a 'joke' is very cheeky, and like pps said, I bet they wouldn't do that to a man. As for demanding lunch or bacon butties, never had this happen, but anyone doing this could get lost! Incredibly rude.

I not only offer drinks to workmen in my house, when they were building my neighbour's extension and she was out at work, I used to offer them a drink, too!

My job involves visiting people at home, and sometimes I'm just gagging for a hot drink, especially if it's cold. I hate it if no-one's offered by about the 3rd visit of the day, especially when I'm in a rural area where there aren't any cafes where you can get one.

I keep threatening to use the motorhome for work, so I can make a drink whenever I fancy it, and have my own lav at my disposal as well. I tried taking a flask, but they don't really keep drinks hot for long, and tea always tastes stewed after a couple of hours.

They're hardly going to shrivel if they don't have a cuppa. If it's hot weather I'd offer a cold drink but tea is not a human right. I have other options, such as cordial, but I guess that isn't as tempting.

I offer hot drinks too may i a but that's black coffee or herbal tea - I'm not a cafe

PML told DH about this thread and he said the classic 80's line - coffee is for closers. On a serious note he said "of course it's not broken it'll come into use to crack you around the head if this job is not finished on time/at the quoted price/to the right finish or it'll be used when you have finished for decaf tea and I'll throw in biscuits" 😂👍🏻

We had gardeners here most of the day, they brought their own flask but i only thought at lunch to ask if they needed a brew.
I even said to knock if they wanted anything like to use the toilet. Bless them they never bothered me once (except for payment of course )

I don't begrudge workmen a drink, I begrudge male chauvinist pigs a drink

I think that he is the sort that would have expected the bacon butties if he got away with the first remark, he would have been out of luck there because I'm veggie!

I actually don't drink tea or coffee but I have it in for family, friends, workmen along with a 1 pint of normal milk.

Currently munching on the biscuits I bought for the builders only fair I get something out of putting up with him all day!

We had window fitters in for 4 days last November, my DH was home and he does a lot of builder-type jobs for family so he knows how much workmen value their tea so he had the kettle going every hour! Our poor window fitters were overdosed on tea by day 4 :o

Ah just be nice, joke back and make them a drink.

'Ah just be nice, joke back and make them a drink.'

I'm not nice to rude people I'm paying to my job. Not their waitress, either. If the work isn't urgent and I got a person like this, I'd probably sack them. Not interested in paying people to do a job when they expect me to wait on them, either, however disguised as a joke because I'd never expect the same of my employer. It's unprofessional. Can't think of any other jobs where you'd expect your employer to make you drinks, feed you meals and/or do a shittier job if you're not accommodated as such. I wouldn't behave like that at work so wouldn't put up with it from anyone I hired.

I hate the idea that women people are always expected to "be a good sport", "be able to take a joke", "just play along and don't be so uptight" in the face of any sort of cheeky effrontery that comes their way.

Today dh made tea for a female plumber.
Is that ok?

Send them the link to a thermos flask on amazon

I'm still shocked by the attitudes on this thread . I'm sure you must have very good reasons for being so reluctant to share your beverages . Really proud of yourselves as well .