How Should We Address the Unfair Tea Service Creating Division Among Employees?

Dear Experts,

I am a senior accounts executive. We have a pantry boy who serves tea to some of my colleagues at their tables while others have to go to a tea vending machine and get themselves a cup of tea/coffee. This boy is an informer for the factory head, and as a result, he is fearless and easily ignores tea requests by other employees. Some selected employees of almost equal rank are served by this boy as if he were recruited to serve them exclusively. Other employees have not complained so far to HR, the factory head, or management. This tea partiality also creates a divide among equally ranked employees. This happens on a day-to-day basis.

The office boy generally focuses on serving those who can clear his bills or give him a tip. I have pointed out his partial behavior to him many times before, but he still continues. Sometimes, I feel inclined to report this partiality to management, HR, or the factory head, but at the same time, I hesitate to act on my feelings because others are tolerating it. There is a general perception from seniors that office boys should not serve everyone at their tables to save time for other tasks. Management may consider this issue trivial, and I fear being viewed negatively for complaining. However, this is more than just a matter of a cup of tea.

If you analyze the situation, you will see that either all same-ranked employees should receive their tea at their tables or everyone should go to the vending machine. How should this situation be tackled?

Thanks!

Dear member,

If a pantry boy musters the courage to discriminate while serving tea, then one can understand the bitter feeling in the minds of those who are not served. However, the pantry boy is just a symptom of the malaise that lies at the top management. What is happening in your company bodes ill for the organization's culture.

Discrimination in the workplace

Discrimination has no place in the workplace. The principle of equality must be implemented in toto. It is the duty of the top leadership to ensure a uniform application of the rules. But here is a case of a pantry server discriminating against a few with the blessings of the Factory Head.

The case that you have mentioned is not new altogether. Generally, persons like PA to MD, EA to MD, MD's driver, etc., show their haughtiness. They do not have qualms about rubbing the wrong way with senior management personnel also. Considering their closeness with the top boss, even the seniors keep them in good humor. However, a case of special powers being bestowed on a pantry boy is unusual. Rather than relying on formal communication, the top leadership occasionally plants their informants. These informants are dreaded because of two reasons. One is the misinformation that they could pass, and the other is the unlimited trust they enjoy from the top leadership.

Impact on company growth

The small case highlights why companies grow or do not grow. Generally, the growth of the company is attributed to the top leadership; however, the company's culture is responsible for the growth of the company. It is the duty of the top management to foster a culture of motivation, and motivation begins with justness in the workplace. The top leadership has to be cautious to avoid unfairness in the workplace. That is why a culture of openness and upward communication is encouraged. To do this, town hall meetings or skill level meetings are conducted. Later, action is taken on the points brought out by the attendees.

Solution to discrimination

So what is the solution? There is no solution as the discriminatory tendencies are coming from the top. I don't think that making a complaint to HR will serve any purpose as even if they are informed of what is happening, their powers are limited, and they do not dare to bell the cat. There is no remedy to this problem within a framework of ethics. However, scrupulous people are not ready to take the route of unethical practices to stop this nonsense. So put up with the discrimination as long as you can!

Thanks,

Dinesh Divekar

Hello, Like Dinesh Divekar mentioned, don't waste your time trying to resolve what's not in your hands. If you think the powers that be don't know what's happening, forget it. They very well know it and most likely want it to continue. This is a general spying tactic in many large organizations—where the bosses are not very empathetic and have low self-esteem. The general pool of employees selected for such roles are mainly office boys or those who have a chance to go about the whole office without any issues and eavesdrop on the talks around.

Looking at the situation from another angle: like the Sanskrit saying goes, 'Yatha raja, thatha praja.' Don't expect too much from this company for your career—just gain the experience you wanted to and move on. The more you stay here, the more the chances of you also turning into one such guy. That's when your career is likely to get hit, as you may get stuck here in such an environment. Most companies hesitate to hire those who come from a toxic environment (ironically, including such companies where you are working now)—so any possibility of moving out gets reduced day by day.

At worst, you will have to go to the vending machine for your daily quota of coffee or tea—is it that tough? It may also be good health-wise... daily walking exercise.

All the best.

Regards, TS

Dear Colleagues,

Great views were shared by our colleagues on this sensitive issue. Even though it may seem small, it holds deeper meaning and impact.

As rightly mentioned, such occurrences are often a result of unprofessional organizational leadership, causing many to lose their mental peace. I encountered a similar situation at the beginning of my career when tea and refreshments were exclusively served to an elite group passing by my cabin every day. I had two options: to confront the situation directly and risk my career or peace of mind, or to remain calm. I chose the latter and, surprisingly, I stopped taking any tea or coffee from the workplace. Instead, I either brought my own refreshments or visited an outside stall. On two occasions, I purposely brought refreshments and offered them to the so-called catering boy who only served the elite group. This action made him feel ashamed, and he apologized. However, I continued to avoid taking refreshments from him. I remained peaceful, possibly sending a message to those groups as well.

Years passed, and one year later, the situation changed drastically. The boss who supported the exclusivity left the organization, and the boy pleaded with me to help him keep his job. When a new boss arrived, he ensured that everyone, including himself, went to the cafeteria to take refreshments unless hosting a business guest in his cabin. This practice continued, and even after 30 years, during my recent visit, I observed the same inclusive approach thriving in a highly modernized cafeteria, with no individual serving specific groups. The seed planted long ago had grown into a flourishing culture. I am pleased to see the positive transformation that has endured.

Just wanted to share this experience.

Thanks and God bless,

Dr. P. Sivakumar
Dr. SIVA GLOBAL HR
Tamil Nadu

Dear Experts,

Thanks for your views! I would like to share what happened next. I was working late after office hours and I asked the boy to serve tea. Tea was already on the gas when I told him. I was carrying biscuits in my bag and thought that it would manage my hunger, allowing me to maintain full focus on the task. I continued my work and forgot about the tea. After one and a half hours, when my stomach reminded me of my hunger, I called the boy and asked for the tea. He replied rudely. I was so angry that a person who could easily have slipped out of the office like others and postponed the task on one pretext or another actually chose to stay late to complete the task and was now begging for a cup of tea.

Next, I completed the task and picked up my bag after around two hours of work. As I started to leave, suddenly this boy came from another factory area after distributing tea to other factory workers and urged me to have tea. I left the office without giving him a reply.

The next day in the morning, I reported the incident to our HR, who called the boy and reprimanded him severely. This boy, who is a secret informer to the factory head, tried to outshout the HR. Since the complaint had reached the HR's office, he had to appear as an action-taker, so he did. After the boy came out of the HR's cabin, he went directly to the factory head's cabin and might have narrated the incident, playing the victim card. I witnessed this and realized the situation was not good for our company. Later, exactly as I had anticipated, our MD arrived. The factory head and the boy were in her cabin, seemingly securing her confidence, as it appeared to me from my seat just opposite the MD's cabin with a see-through glass. To this day, the boy continues to enjoy the same attitude and carelessness.

I planned to bring my own coffee that day and have since started doing so. Later on the 23rd of October, I came to know about Mr. P Shivakumar's post, and his actions and mine happened to be similar. I also tried to offer refreshments to this boy, but he never felt guilty. I don't understand why others are silent on this partiality. Perhaps their tolerance level is higher than mine. Why can't I easily overlook it? Why does it keep bothering me? I think I should accept the situation as it is.

Thanks and regards!

Dealing with a Toxic Workplace

A storm in a teacup indeed. You will never win in such a toxic workplace. If the time is not right to start looking for a better employer, then my advice is simple. Avoid these people as much as you can, only interacting where necessary for work purposes, and maintaining a strict business approach. Continue to do your own catering by bringing tea/coffee and food from home, and close your eyes to the stupidity going on around you. Above all, give this nasty little piece of work nothing, and make sure you do or say nothing to give him any grounds to report back to his patron. If he should deign to speak to you, smile and politely tell him you are busy with a deadline and can't stop to talk. He will get the message—eventually.