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Original poster

Tea/Coffee at work

129 replies

Belowhuns · 09/01/2023 17:40

Hey! I'm interested to know what your tea and coffee situation is at work? Is there an expectation you take in your own or does work provide it? If they don't provide, does that generally work for you? If they do, how do you manage things like milk as obviously this would need to replenished more often? Any feedback welcome 🙂

OP posts:
MaverickGooseGoose · 09/01/2023 20:30

Proper
Coffee tea hot
Chocolate
Sparkling and chilled water

Client side is where you can get san pelligrini, flavoured water, cakes and cooked

We get breakfast if in before 9, and random lunches too

Private sector

Avrenim · 09/01/2023 20:30

Public sector. Carry your own as you never know where you're going to be sitting or working. You might have access to a water heater or kettle if you're lucky.

Flasks and vacuum cups are now very popular with staff where I work, also prepacked Nescafe etc sachets as easy to carry around. One thing I don't miss from before Covid is the nonsensical time consuming communal tea round.

There is also a very expensive canteen, a couple of slightly less expensive coffee shop areas and machines and an even more expensive coffee cart that comes once a week, plus a few more relatively pricey coffee and soft drinks machines. The workplace has the worst refreshment facilities for visitors I've ever seen in this sector.

swapcicles · 09/01/2023 20:32

In retail
Rather old microwave, kettle and panini press provided though I suspect precious staff have brought them in.
Staff bring their own coffee/tea bags and milk is bought randomly by those who drink it.
Also random biscuits/nibbles/failed bakes occasionally by staff.
Mugs are a mix of our own and promo ones from reps etc.

Rockbird · 09/01/2023 20:33

School. All tea, coffee, milk etc provided with biscuits on Fridays. Rota to load dishwashers, clean up etc. We have coffee machines and occasionally someone splashes out and buys pods but not a lot of people use them.

Sandunesandseashells · 09/01/2023 20:36

Small private company.

If you’d like coffee, there is instant coffee.
If you’d like tea, there is tea, green tea, organic green tea, lemon green tea, organic lemon green tea, various fruit teas, decaf tea.
Can you guess it’s a tea drinker who does the shopping? 😂
We also have biscuits, small cakes, crisps, individually wrapped butter, marmalade, jam and marmite portions.
We have a fridge-freezer, kettle, microwave and toaster. Best purchase ever is the dishwasher.

Thighdentitycrisis · 09/01/2023 20:39

public sector- in a building with several teams. We’re meant to chip into the kitty for everything but it’s really hard to work out as we all wfh varying levels

IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · 09/01/2023 20:40

Public sector. Everything provided at the moment to try and get us to use the office! Basic tea/coffee/dairy milk/sugar and sweetners. Over the last twenty years I have worked there, some, all and none of these have been provided at various times.

One of the consults we work with has a choice if several coffees, naice tea bags, fruit teas, hot choc, sparkling water and cordials. I love going to meetings there.

Previous private sector employers - basic tea and coffee etc

A long time ago, private - we weren't allowed to make our own drinks. You place your order for morning, lunch and afternoon drinks and a tea lady bought them to you. You could order sandwhiches 24 hours in advance too. The tea lady made them every morning, we paid cost price for them. The office smelt of boiling eggs all morning. The next job has a tea lady with a cake trolley too!

ginislife · 09/01/2023 20:41

My own small business. 3 of us work in the office (plus 2 remote) We have a what's app group where we say if we need milk. Whoever thinks to buy the tea bags does so. I very often pay for lunch. My lovely colleague regularly calls at the Greggs discount shop and brings cheap goodies.

IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · 09/01/2023 20:41

Public sector. Everything provided at the moment to try and get us to use the office! Basic tea/coffee/dairy milk/sugar and sweetners. Over the last twenty years I have worked there, some, all and none of these have been provided at various times.

One of the consults we work with has a choice if several coffees, naice tea bags, fruit teas, hot choc, sparkling water and cordials. I love going to meetings there.

Previous private sector employers - basic tea and coffee etc

A long time ago, private - we weren't allowed to make our own drinks. You place your order for morning, lunch and afternoon drinks and a tea lady bought them to you. You could order sandwhiches 24 hours in advance too. The tea lady made them every morning, we paid cost price for them. The office smelt of boiling eggs all morning. The next job has a tea lady with a cake trolley too!

ginislife · 09/01/2023 20:41

My own small business. 3 of us work in the office (plus 2 remote) We have a what's app group where we say if we need milk. Whoever thinks to buy the tea bags does so. I very often pay for lunch. My lovely colleague regularly calls at the Greggs discount shop and brings cheap goodies.

ginislife · 09/01/2023 20:42

My own small business. 3 of us work in the office (plus 2 remote) We have a what's app group where we say if we need milk. Whoever thinks to buy the tea bags does so. I very often pay for lunch. My lovely colleague regularly calls at the Greggs discount shop and brings cheap goodies.

Sandunesandseashells · 09/01/2023 20:43

Small private company.

If you’d like coffee, there is instant coffee.
If you’d like tea, there is tea, green tea, organic green tea, lemon green tea, organic lemon green tea, various fruit teas, decaf tea.
Can you guess it’s a tea drinker who does the shopping? 😂
Several flavours of squash.
We also have biscuits, small cakes, crisps, individually wrapped butter, marmalade, jam and marmite portions.
We have a fridge-freezer, kettle, microwave and toaster. Best purchase ever is the dishwasher.

maddiemookins16mum · 09/01/2023 20:45

We have an incredible supply of hot/cold drinks, snacks, fruit, biscuits, chocolate. All free. It must cost thousands a year.

Phos · 09/01/2023 20:54

High street bank (I work in a head office location, not a branch)

Tea, coffee, hot chocolate, sugar and milk (including soy) are all provided in the kitchens. You can just go make yourself one whenever. We've got them fancy taps that do hot, cold and (surely via some kind of sorcery) sparkling water. We do also have a Starbucks downstairs but I rarely bother, happy with builder's tea!

I think canteen might be supervised but tbh since pandemic and so many people working from home, I don't bother because there isn't a lot of choice and understandably, as it's not worth it anymore. When we all mostly worked from office the canteen was amazing!

We used to get fruit sometimes but again with so much WFH that doesn't happen because there's a risk it would get wasted.

BarrelOfOtters · 09/01/2023 21:01

Public sector. Had all sorts from nothing to kitties. We now buy it from petty cash as we think it’s a basic to provide it for staff. Eventually someone will ask a question and we’ll get tutted at.

bluechameleon · 09/01/2023 21:04

Public sector. Tea including lots of varieties, coffee pod machine, milk, sometimes nice hot all provided. We also get free lunch every day. It's supposed to be for our wellbeing but tbh I'd rather have more money in the budget to do our jobs and have basic drinks provided, even though I wouldn't then drink them because I'm fussy.

PandaG · 09/01/2023 21:13

I work for a church - tea, decent coffee machine and milk all provided. Occasional fruit and pastries for meetings - colleague and I bake for team birthdays and started buying office fruit.

Wolfout · 09/01/2023 21:13

School. Nothing provided, we take in our own supplies.
Have a kettle, coffee machine and toaster but staff have all brought those in themselves.

Fluffyslippersohyes · 09/01/2023 21:16

Private sector. We have a basic coffee machine which is free, and not too bad. Each team tends to bring in their own tea, coffee, milk and snacks. My team had a kitty pre covid but we’re not all in every day now so it’s more ad hoc. We are provided with a kettle and microwave (ie if they broke they’d be replaced) and we bought a cafetière.

CryInToYourCornflakesNicola · 09/01/2023 21:21

Private sector across many sites. HQ provide it all including fancy coffee machines. All other sites, nothing, barely even a fridge for your own milk.

Newnamefor23 · 09/01/2023 21:21

In school 1.

Initially all diy. Lots of jars, bottles, mugs. Long queues.
So we employed one of the kitchen staff to come in an hour earlier.
All done on time, flap jacks every day.
We also got a vending machine and bought supplies via the kitchen.

School 2. DIY within our own department. We took it in turns.
Then we had a new build and somehow funding bought a fridge, dishwasher, decent mugs and coffee maker. We took it in turns to buy supplies.

Occasionally we were bought cheap cakes when we’d done well with ofsted etc. Shades of young Mr Grace in Are you being served!

Margo34 · 09/01/2023 21:30

Tea bags, fruit and herbal teas, instant coffee, sugar, milk, sweetener all provided. Primary school.
I think the office staff replenish the supplies but don't really know.

MrsKrankyPants · 09/01/2023 21:31

Large private. Nothing provided

20viona · 09/01/2023 21:35

Nhs we all chip in dependent on how many days you work, eg £2 a month for someone who works 2 days a week. Consultants bulk buy us a load of tea and coffee at Christmas but it doesn't last long.

louderthan · 09/01/2023 21:35

I work in a university. Nothing is provided. Some people put into a kitty for milk but they get semi-skimmed which I don't like so I buy my own.