Office brew making drama... AIBU?

[Katlow]

So I'm an office manager in an office of 5 people.
3 of us (aged - 24 - 39) often make each other and the other 2 members of staff brews because we want one ourselves.
We have 2 younger members of staff (19-21) who literally NEVER get up to make a brew but always accept them when someone offers them one.
Sometimes, the directors will walk in and ask someone to make them a brew, generally addressing everyone. The 2 younger members of staff were apprentices last year (but are now full paid members of staff) and hardly ever make any brews so it is always kind of expected that they'll do it. There's always an awkward minute where no one stands up to the point that sometimes I have to say Is someone doing (director) a brew or what?! but the majority of the time, one of the 2 get up and do them.
There's a member of my team who wants me to mention the fact that they never make brews. I've told him that really, I can't give someone a telling off for something that they've not been asked to do or not been directly asked to do and it's annoying but a bit of a non-issue. If they were asked and refused, that's a different matter. We do them off our own backs because we want one ourselves and it's only polite to offer everyone else. He's growing more and more resentful towards the 2 younger members and I've just told him to let it go and laugh it off. Now he's complaining that one of them sings to the radio too much, we all always hum under our breath but in my eyes I see it as the lads happy doing his job having a bit of a sing song, it's not effecting any of our work so let him be cheerful, we are all guilty of doing it sometimes. I've said he's probably letting this get to him because he's resentful towards the brew making situation.
I started working in this office as an apprentice and was constantly nit-picked at for daft things such as not talking enough, not saying peoples names when I was talking to them and other things which I just thought were pathetic. I used to hate it and go home crying (I was 18) and was constantly looking for something else. My office manager at the time then left and I took over her role and I don't want to make anyone feel the same way that she made me feel.
It's got to the point now where no one will make a brew while these 2 younger member of staff are in the office because they don't want to make those 2 one.
In my eyes, this all seems a bit silly. Should I be saying something to the 2 younger members of staff? It just seems a bit... pathetic really...

We all just make our own. It’s simpler that way!

I am a director, and make the first 'round' of the day.

Will happily accept all offers - but, would NEVER request a drink to be make 'for me'. That is beyond crass.

Only exception being if I am hosting visitors (with my assistant) my assistant will typically make a drink for the three of us for the meeting.

I don’t get Tea rotas!!! So what if one is scheduled for 10am, and you don’t actually fancy one. Do you have one anyway? What if So abd so will be off on holiday tomorrow when it’s her turn, should she squeeze one in today so she has had her go? So bizarre. You fancy a tea, make one. Individually! Don’t make the younger ones feel awkward about this. Just tell everyone from now on to make their own. And instead of saying does anyone want one, from now on after making yours, just say I’ve just boiled the kettle if anyone wants the water. Job done

Just make your own drink. Take it in turns to make the directors'.

@motheroftinydragons - sounds like you worked for Meryl Streep!

My job before last (so about 10 years ago) we had drinks at 8,10,12 and 2.

My day to bring milk in was Thursday - seared on my memory :)

Everyone makes their own drinks, including the directors (can't believe they ask drinks to be made for them btw, how awkward).

Tea rounds are such an annoying waste of time.

I hate this "brew" crap.

SAY TEA! It's a cup of tea!

How hard is that?

HennyPennyHorror brew is accepted regional dialect. Everyone isn’t the same you know.

I hate this "brew" crap

Depends where you're from. Don't sweat the small stuff

Get an urn and anyone can just make their own quickly and easily no time wasted and no arguments about who is doing it. As for director tell him it would be advantageous to make his own and maybe chat to staff returning to his cave

SAY TEA! It's a cup of tea!

It's also a brew in certain areas. Don't like regional dialect terms? Nobody cares. Go and have a brew and calm down.

The word brew is grating because it appears about ten times in the OP, so it sounds really forced.

It's quite unusual to repeat the exact same word that often, without using any alternatives whatsoever (brew, tea, cuppa, hot drink etc), just because it sounds so weird.

This whole group tea thing is completely ridiculous anyway. That way lies mandatory birthday presents and desk decorations for every single member of staff, secret santa and all that stuff too.

Oh I know it's regional. I'm from the North West...where a lot of people say it.

But it's just one of those ugly words. So I hate it and as Buzz says, OP repeated it about 30 times!

Small things can lead to resentment, as a manager you have to manage it one way or the other. Either no one makes for others or the two guys join in. You've told him to make his own, I'd tell the other person too and then everyone takes a day to make directors. Thought tbh, its shit the directors never offer to make brews.

I don't have an issue with the younger ones not making hot beverages, brews, drinks - whatever you want to call them

But your colleague does. And given the apparent set-up of your office he's got a point. Just lightheartedly tell the youngsters it's their turn. How fucking hard can it be?? Why would you not want to solve such a simple problem and make him feel better about his working environment.

Christ, you could have done it in the time it took to type your OP!

Your director actually comes in and asks who's going to make them a cuppa? What an arse.

They are there to work, not make drinks for everyone else.

Actually people do all kinds of things at work, not directly related to work. Leaving collections, team days out, etc. People work best in a nice work environment.

Wait until you expereince office dish washer wars. Who should load/unload it/put everything away. Had a very CF Office Assistant at one job who decided that this was my job as my office was nearer to the kitchen than hers. Sorted out with a quick word to the Office Manager who rewrote CF’s job description. Didn’t help as some colleagues were complete pigs and left the kitchen in such a pit the office acquired cockroaches. The joys of looking up to find a large black cockroach sitting on the windowsill next to you. The office was up the road from a 4* London hotel which was infested too.

I was actually wondering who washes the cups

People don’t like change, especially in offices.

Make your own brews. How does such stupid shit like this even gain momentum and become a "thing" at all

Only time someone else should offer and make a brew for someone else is when it's a visitor which nobody should need to draw the short straw or "have to do" you just do it automatically because it's common courtesy and manners.

Otherwise everyone makes their own.

Oh wait – you're the office manager? The simplest way to sort it would be to include some list of duties for things like brew making, sorting post, restocking printers and copying. Simple list for every day stuff including housekeeping, brewing up, post sorting etc.

Normally given to the office junior, apprentices or youngest member of the team I remember the smell of toner cartridges and coffee from what must have amounted to months copying shit when I was an office junior.

When there are visitors though it's whoever happens to be the first they greet as they come inside you just “Hi can you get a tea or coffee?”

I don't understand this. I work in an office and none of us make everyone a cuppa when we get one. Can't you all just make your own?

Director included!! By the time you have done the "who will do it" dance, he could have made his own!!