Making coffee in work- non drinker

[Winchester89]

Right, started a new job couple of months ago. I love it, everyone's really nice. I'm the admin assistant for a small team of 4 other people.
Anyway- I don't drink tea or coffee. Therefore have never offered to make anyone any as I really hate doing it and don't think I should if I'm not also drinking it! Couple of the team made some subtle comments that I've just ignored or laughed off.
So today- my manager is on her way out to a meeting with other team member - mug in hand goes- oh we were just saying we should get you making coffees!
I replied automatically 'not happening' and laughed. And she looked taken aback by it and then carried on to the meeting.
Am I being unreasonable in not wanting to become the tea lady for the team considering I don't even make the stuff for myself!?

I think you should think about how you respond to reasonable requests from your manager if you want to be successful in yoir job. I'm a senior manager and just drink water but still offer my boss a brew every now and then, perfectly polite and reasonable really.

We do lots of things for others that we might not do ourselves. That's what work is.
If making tea and coffee is part of the remit for preparing for a meeting, then you make it - regardless of not tea or coffee. I don't drink tea, but would make someone else tea.

But then there's the social context - if you're making tea or coffee not for 'work' per se, just as refreshments in a team, then it's a different matter. Some offices will share the duties - some have a self-volunteer who happens to like doing it. But in your case, I'd just drop right out of either group. You could volunteer to do it once in a while and make a point of it in fun 'my treat today, don't think it's happening too often' type thing. At least that way you've not ostracised yourself, and you've shown willing without establishing yourself as the tea lady!

I'm pregnant so not drinking coffee or tea at work so I have stopped making rounds (there are 5 pods and 13 people so I actually object to making 13 cups anyway -ridiculous). Nobody has commented! The discussion of it would annoy me. I would have been tempted to say "Why?" instead of "Not happening".

I'm a PA. I don't like tea or coffee or any hot drinks. I don't go in the brew circles that we have in the office, and would never be expected to. If my CEO is having a meeting with a visitor, then I'd offer to make one straight away, but not for refreshment breaks in the office.

This is an article that was in the FT in July about what you shouldn't do in the workplace as a woman as you'll end up being shoved in that role.

Obviously to be taken with a slight pinch of salt but it's so true.

Don't make that coffee!

Meh I never felt it was necessary to do a direct exchange. I mean surely in that case tea is far more difficult than coffe wink

This is true, Jacques. The colour of tea needs to reach the perfect hue!

I also think most people will have a section in their contracts that will say that you are expected to undertake any reasonable request regardless of it being in your job description. Most of us senior folk were making the brews in when we were junior nothing wrong with it.

I think you should think about how you respond to reasonable requests from your manager if you want to be successful in yoir job. I'm a senior manager and just drink water but still offer my boss a brew every now and then, perfectly polite and reasonable really.

Agreed, her response could have been more professional. However, you choosing to make your boss a cuppa is quite different from your boss telling you he/she expects you to do so.

Maybe but you'd be hard pushed to find an employment tribunal that found that someone requesting an admin assistant to make one round of drinks as unreasonable.

I don’t think yabu. I’m also not a tea or coffee drinker and have also been in the receiving end of similar. My job description is not tea lady, so if I’m not making one for myself why would I make one for anyone else.

I would never expect someone to make me a drink because they are the admin assistant, because their job is to assist with admin not be my personal help, but then I would always make my own and not make for others as I drink more than most and enjoy getting up.

Drinks for guests is slightly different though

This is an article that was in the FT in July about what you shouldn't do in the workplace as a woman as you'll end up being shoved in that role.

Very true notWORKzilla! I work in a male dominated environment and I never poured tea for guests if I wasn't running the meeting.

I do it every now and then, but my team do offer me water when they make tea

Not every task is written down in a job description.

If you are supporting a team of 4 with admin, it is not a stretch of the imagination that they expect you to occasionally offer to make teas and coffees as they are busy. I would talk to your manager and find out if that is the expectation. It seems to me that they have tried gently to raise the subject with you but you clearly haven't taken the hint!

O winchester. Its worse than I thought, never mind, you'll find out.

I would expect junior staff to do anything reasonable asked of them. It is their job after all.

If you are an assistant to the team, It is probably an expected part of your roll and like other people have said some things are not detailed in a job description but these are covered by the, any other duties as necessary statement which is pretty standard.

If clients come in for a meeting are they offered refreshments, I would class it as the same thing if your role is subordinate to the team that is usually who would make tea or coffee for everyone, I certainly did as a trainee in my role it was expected.

Yanbu. Unless they're going to start making you an orange squash or other drink in which case I'd join in. I think you'd end up making them all day if they point it out so much. Tea and coffee isn't admin.

If you were a male admin assistant I'm sure they wouldn't expect you to make tea and coffee!

It pisses me off that women are always expected to do these things in the workplace.

You're an admin assistant, so probably the most junior level of staff in the office - unless explicitly told otherwise making coffee if asked by boss is probably expected to be part of your job.

If I thought much about this at all as your boss, I would consider it VU you basically said no to a reasonable expectation.

@Lavender Male admin assistants and office juniors have been expected to make tea and coffee where I have worked, unless it's an office where everyone sorts their own out.

No way would this be limited to when 'they're busy'.

They want to make OP the tea lady. The comment was 'oh we were just saying we should get you making coffees'. And this is also why they're so fixated on you not drinking hot drinks. You've thrown a spanner in their works. If you were a tea drinker, they wouldn't have felt guilty about you making all the drinks.

If OP starts, it will be a slippery slope. Don't do it, OP.

The male trainees in my job where expected to do it to, didn't make a difference, I wouldn't think that was relevant at all tbh

Completely disagree with that ft article I'm afraid especially the last point. Surely it is tongue in cheek? Never use a copier or video conferencing, really? I'd never get stuff done. Being involved in social media and comms has massively helped my career.

My advice is to be helpful but clear what your priorities are and focus on those, not just refuse to do anything that remotely seems like 'woman's work' because you won't be seen as a team player.