When you have a tradesman in your house...

[Traveller]

...and you are home, do you offer them a cup of tea? Or something to eat?

My husband is a carpet fitter, and as usual he has come home from a full day working in someone's house. The owner was home all day, had to step over my husband to reach the kettle several times, yet never offered him so much as a cold glass of water. Sadly this is a common experience for him. He had a bottle of water and some lunch in his van, so it's not like he dehydrated, but I just think it's really rude to eat and drink in front of someone without offering to them.

If someone is working in my home I always offer them a drink, and if they are here all day I offer a sandwich too. Am I alone in doing this?

[Arimeh]

Nope I offer

[feeb]

I offer if they are there for a length of time OR if its a hot day.

Even my dog hair cut lady get offered drinks!

[briggsy's girl]

i always offer drinks - and leave a glass beside the water bottle for them to help themselves.

a lot of my "tradie" work is done by my brother and his team, so whether he wants it or not, i make them lunch! lol

[Traveller]

I'm so relieved to hear this, it must be he just works for some really mean customers recently. He has had some wonderful ones, like the lady who asked if he wanted some pizza for lunch, then proceeded to make her own dough and an entire pizza from scratch And many do offer a drink, but not recently. Maybe it's just the area he has been working in, people are less charitable

[~ Zarava Flutterby ~]

I always offer a cold drink or a coffee etc.

DP is a carpenter and you'd be surprised at how many people don't offer a drink, i'd say he is lucky to have 2 a week out of 5 or more jobs that DON'T offer.
On occasion he will come home and say oh the lady today made us sandwiches or cooked hotdogs etc.
He came home at x-mas with a 'gift' for me, the lady he was doing work for made her own soaps, told him to bring some home to me and another job he had been working there for a week and took a few days off when i had DD2 she went and bought a gift for him for DD2.

To the ladies & gents who offer.. good on you, i mean really whats a glass of water and 2min of your time in the big scheme of things

[Traveller]

My mum always told me that when someone is working at your house, the very first thing you do after saying hello is offer a drink before they start. That way you get a better job done

[Laranna]

My mum always told me that when someone is working at your house, the very first thing you do after saying hello is offer a drink before they start. That way you get a better job done

My mum used to say the same thing As a kid, I remember her always offering any tradies a drink and if it was a mate doing some work for them, they'd pay them with a carton of beer.

[MummaSue]

My mum always told me that when someone is working at your house, the very first thing you do after saying hello is offer a drink before they start. That way you get a better job done

This is what I do! I offer them a cuppa and or a glass of water.

[Ahurani]

I always offer. When we had the bathroom tiled I always made him lunch he was here for like 3 days nearly. Thought it was common courtesy?

[Gigi]

i feel compelled to offer a drink. Like i would to anyone who enters my home.
the guy who installed insulation for me last week, i was waiting at the bottom of his ladder, waiting for him to climb down, with the largest cup of iced water, poor guy was sweltering up there in the roof cavity (even late at night, on a not very hot day), i felt so sorry for him.

if a tradie was in my home around lunch, i would offer a sandwich. NOrmally i get told "it's ok, i have lunch in my van". Most tradies i have had here are here for a pretty short time, but it's summer, it's very hot, tradies are people too.

my x used to do alot of callouts to the homes of very rich people in the most exxy suburbs. He got the full range of people , from those who offered him a full cooked meal, to people who coudln't spare a lousy glass of water (when he was there for eight hours in their home).

Alibaby, i gave the removalists a drink AFTER they had moved me. (they were happy with a coke). i can understand why you are cautious now, Saturday rates. expensive coffee break.

[misty]

No. I don't offer food or drink.
If they are working outside in the heat I may ask if they want some water or if they asked for a drink I would give them a glass of water, but thats it. I am paying them for a service. Not to sit around and consume my drinks and food. I expect them to have thought about those things themselves just like every other worker in the world.

[diva det]

OMG i cant believe that some people dont even offer a drink
It doesnt matter if you are paying them or not- its just grace and courtsey!
FWIW
as soon as we have anyone come to the house they get offered a cupppa or a cold drink
they also get morning/arvo tea and lunch if they are here
do you know how many freebies we have had done extra over the years by doing this???
HEAPS
That is not the reason that we do it, but we tend to get a better job and extras done as they are treated like they would like to be.
It is also nothing for a tradie to be given a cold beer at the end of the day as well if they are hot

They way we treat people is the model for our kids!

[misty]

[QUOTE=*det*;2645083] Misty nobody as implied that it is rude not to offer
but as I stated- by offering it is showing grace and courtsey to fellow man- something that we should be modelling to our children
i look at any tradie that come into my house as my son's job in the future - i treat them how i would like my kids to be treated when they are working!
horses for courses but I firmly believe what you give out, you get in return [QUOTE]

OMG i cant believe that some people dont even offer a drink
It doesnt matter if you are paying them or not- its just grace and courtsey!
FWIW
as soon as we have anyone come to the house they get offered a cupppa or a cold drink
they also get morning/arvo tea and lunch if they are here
do you know how many freebies we have had done extra over the years by doing this???
HEAPS
That is not the reason that we do it, but we tend to get a better job and extras done as they are treated like they would like to be.
It is also nothing for a tradie to be given a cold beer at the end of the day as well if they are hot

They way we treat people is the model for our kids!

Sorry, but I took your first post (along with a few others posts) to explicitly imply that me not offering food or drink to display a lack of "Grace and courtesy". In other words: being rude.

I just do not agree that offering food and drink are the only ways once can show "grace and courtesy". I am generally a very polite and friendly individual and have never had a problem showing grace and courtesy to anyone IRL (even some people people who probably don't deserve it). It is a HUGE part of my personality and my job in customer service (which I am very good at if I do say myself).

I have also never had a problem getting excellent service out of tradies. I beleive if they are genuinely decent people, as most people are, and if you treatly them politely and with respect, as I do, then you will reap what you sow. I don't need to offer food or beverages to do this.

FWIW - the tradies I have used and know, would much rather a good referral or repeat business, then a gesture of food and drink.

[Traveller]

No. I don't offer food or drink.
If they are working outside in the heat I may ask if they want some water or if they asked for a drink I would give them a glass of water, but thats it. I am paying them for a service. Not to sit around and consume my drinks and food. I expect them to have thought about those things themselves just like every other worker in the world.

When I worked in an office, there was a canteen where we could get free tea and coffee, or water. A tradesman working in your home has no access to a canteen. Ok, so they can (and my husband does) take water, lunch, etc with them. That's fine. But what if they want a hot cup of coffee? The options are that you can offer, and they can drink it whilst they work and get on with the job. Or they can get in the ute, drive to a cafe, have a cup of coffee, drive back, then get back into working. It would be much quicker to just offer to put the kettle on. I mean, how much does a teabag and some milk or a teaspoon of coffee cost anyway?

This is assuming of course that they are not on the clock, like a previous poster found to her detriment. My husband is paid for the job, regardless of how long it takes, so offering a cup of coffee just means he is done faster with less need to leave the house.

That is of course not mentioning the general politeness of offering refreshments to someone in my home. Personally I would be mortified if anyone, guest or worker, in my home had to ask for a cup of tea.

[Phteven]

I don't platter up antipasto but I always offer a drink and if I'm having food I ask if they want some.
I would feel rude if I had someone in my home and I didn't offer them refreshments. It's not important why they're there - manners are free (and water is very cheap) and everyone deserves to be treated with courtesy.
I've never had a tradie in my house who was on the clock - that's why you get a quote before hand.

I totally agree with the poster who said that you get a better job done. People will generally respond positively to courtesy.

[misty]

Traveller - you have a good workplace that provides those things for you, as I am sure many others do too - mine doesn't (my paid employment I am talking about). At home, I don't drink tea or coffee regularly at all. The only reason we ever have it in the house is if we have a 'guest' visiting. So 'yes', it actually can be an inconvienence.

Det - you can still be polite and friendly with out offering food and drink.

Bottom line is: if others want to offer these things, then great. But to imply I am somehow wrong or rude because I don't??? It is like tips, alot of people offer their service personel at restraunts and hotels tips for service. I don't it is part of the job, and expected to be done under the cost I am paying them. And in Australia, I don't feel it is a neccessity with our minimum wage conditions (might be different if I was in the USA). There shouldn't be an 'expectation' of entitlement about these things - it may be nice if it happens, but it is not a prerequisite of hiring a tradie.

[misty]

Double post.