The most bizarre excuses for avoiding the tea round revealed…
The tea round is arguably one of the most important parts of the working day, and perfecting it for your new colleagues is one of the biggest hurdles for the first day at work.
To help guide workers through the confusing world of the daily drinks round, Ebuyer.com has compiled the definitive guide to the nation’s tea habits.
The survey of 2,000 UK workers revealed that almost half (49%) of respondents start off their day with a cup of tea, with coffee being a morning staple for 46% of those surveyed.
Bristol was the city with the most workers in need of a coffee fix, with 55% of those polled choosing coffee as their morning drink of choice, closely followed by Dublin (54%) and Birmingham (51%). Tea was the top choice for workers in Norwich (60%), Cardiff (58%) and Belfast (53%).
Workers in Liverpool are most guilty of avoiding making drinks for their team, with 7% of workers in the area admitting to not pulling their weight. Leeds workers came second in the poll (6%), followed by Bristol (3%).
It seems those looking to get out of the morning tea round have been very inventive with their reasons for why they need to skip a turn, with excuses ranging from being allergic to steam to being clueless on the steps it takes to make a hot drink. The ten most bizarre excuses for avoiding the tea round at work were:
I’m allergic to milk
I’m allergic to steam
I don’t know how to make tea
The electricity costs too much
I’ve just painted my fingernails
I have heat sensitive hands
I can’t find the kettle
I don’t know how the kettle works
I’m allergic to teaspoons
I’m allergic to water
Leeds workers were the biggest consumers of hot drinks during working hours, with almost a quarter (24%) drinking multiple hot drinks during the day, along with over one in five workers in Nottingham (21%) and London (20%).
David Jones, Product Manager for office supplies at Ebuyer.com, said:
“As a provider of office supplies to businesses around the UK, we were really interested to find out more about the nation’s drinking habits at work. It is surprising just how reliant the nation is on a brew in the morning, especially as one in six feel like they can’t start their day without one.
“It can be daunting to make a large tea round, especially if you are new to a company and hoping to make a good impression, but if the thought of it fills you with dread, we would recommend thinking of a better excuse than a phantom allergy!”
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