What Would Brew Do? And What Is The Ideal Tea

If a tradesperson is not offered a cup of tea, generally, they lose a bit of respect for their customer. Is that true? Would you still do a professional job without being handed a brew?

Trade Direct Insurance has polled 500 tradies to discover their tea-related habits, preferences and expectations from customers.

Hardly anyone thinks to bring a flask of builders’ tea or coffee – or mint, chamomile, decaf whatever, red bush or hot Ribena.

The research did find that for some, whether they are offered a hot drink or not can influence their opinion their customers, with one in five (20%) tradespeople saying their opinion of customers improves if they’re offered a brew.

Lady tradies don’t expect tea

Some tradies are more likely than others to expect a cuppa. For example, men (27%) are much more likely than women (9%) to say their opinion of customers improves when they are offered a drink.

Older tradespeople are also much more likely than younger generations to have their opinion influenced by the offer of a tea. More than two in five (41%) tradespeople aged 55-64 improve their opinion of a client when offered a drink. By comparison, only 11% of 18-24-year-olds say the same thing.

On the flip side, younger tradies tend to be more forgiving when they receive a bad brew. Nearly a third (31%) of tradespeople aged 18-24 say they will pretend to drink a bad cuppa, whilst 17% admit to forcing themselves to drink it. Older tradespeople, on the other hand, are much less likely to tolerate a disappointing drink, with only 9% of tradespeople aged over 65 saying they would pretend to drink it.

Getting by on tea

When it comes to different trades, some place much more value on a good tea than others, with nearly a quarter (23%) of carpenters and scaffolders saying drinking hot drinks gets them through their day.

If a householder is planning an extension, it’s a good idea for them to get the tea bags in and kettle on, as nearly half (47%) of bricklayers and builders (44%) will improve their disposition when they’re offered a tea.

The tradies are most likely to improve their opinion of a householder if offered a tea:

1. Bricklayers (47%)
2. Builders (44%)
3. Electrician (33%)
4. Window fitter (33%)
5. Plumber (26%)

Around the country, attitudes to drinking tea on the job are just as varied. Living up to the Yorkshire stereotype, nearly a quarter (22%) of tradies in Leeds admit that tea gets them through the day.

Meanwhile, Scousers are the most likely to value customers who make them a brew, with over a third (37%) improving their opinion when offered a hot drink. 

Which city’s tradies are most likely to improve their opinion of if offered a tea?

1. Liverpool (37%)
2. Birmingham (34%)
3. Southampton (33%)
4. Newcastle (29%)
5. Belfast (25%)

Patricia Gardiner, the sales and marketing director at Trade Direct Insurance, said: “For many tradies, a cup of tea on the job is more than just refreshment. It’s the opportunity to take a break from physically demanding work, problem solve and plan next steps. Or warm up on a cold day.

“The simple offer of a brew is also a sign that customers value and respect their work, and their time. Tradies are facing a difficult landscape at the moment, battling an epidemic of tool theft, overwork, rising costs, and declining mental health. Against this backdrop, being offered a hot drink is a simple human gesture that can go a long way.”

Picture with thanks to Yorkshire Tea: The regions where tradespeople are most likely to expect a brew have been identified. And below, using the Yorkshire Ta App, you can upload a picture of the colour of your tea and get a name for it so you no longer have to ask for ‘builders’ or ‘milky’.

www.tradedirectinsurance.co.uk

Yorkshire tea App

The debate over how strong, how milky and what colour the perfect brew should be, has split the nation for years. With the help of TedSpace, Yorkshire Tea has created a new AI App called Brewtone, which analyses the colour of your brew and provides you with your own personalised tea profile. You supply a ‘mug shot’ photo which you can upload straight from your phone. Plus, the app allows you to share your personalised tea profile using a unique BrewR code, meaning friends and family can use your profile as a guide so that they never make you a bad brew again.

Many tea drinkers have already uploaded their mug shots to the app and currently the most popular brew colour is ‘Boiled Egg’ with 40% of tea fans brewing theirs to this strong-yet-milky tone.

www.brewtone.ai

Trade Direct Insurance Services is a specialist provider of insurance solutions for tradespeople and the construction sector. Established in 1985, its serves over 40,000 clients across the UK, offering tailored cover ranging from Public Liability and Employers' Liability to Tools, Van and Fleet insurance, Professional Indemnity, Contract Works and more from their headquarters in Godalming, Surrey.