"I'll have a cup of lawyers' please"
9th August 2005
Lawyers have taken over from builders as the biggest tea drinkers in Britain, according to a new poll carried out for the tea4health campaign.
The changing face of British workers' tea breaks
Lawyers have taken over from builders as the biggest tea drinkers in Britain, according to a new poll carried out for the tea4health campaign.
And the increasing pressure on doctors and teachers is reflected by their position as bottom of the tea-drinking league.
"The traditional tea lady serving the workers is now an image from history. Today tea breaks are increasingly a brief and solitary affair - and the workers doing the most tea drinking are white collar workers." said Bill Gorman of the tea4health campaign.
"Yet we know that drinking 4 cups of tea a day has a number of health maintainence effects as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle. Tea is a natural source of flavanoids that generate antioxidant activity, it's hydrating and the low levels of caffeine in tea can perk you up without the adverse effects of higher caffeine-containing drinks."
Who drinks the tea?
The survey investigated workplace tea-drinking habits and found more than half of lawyers drank the recommended four cups or more a day.
Surprisingly builders, who are famed for drinking tea 'on the job', were lower down the tea-drinking pecking order, with only 40% drinking four or more cups.
The staffroom or playground duty cuppa is becoming less frequent, with only 14% of teachers surveyed drinking four or more cups a day. Less than a fifth of doctors and nurses drank four of more cups a day. Both professions seem to be finding less time for tea in their increasingly hectic schedules.
Who makes the tea?
The results of the survey indicate that the traditional tea break is losing popularity. Few people took turns in the 'tea run'; accountants were the most likely to share the tea making duties with 43% of those questioned saying they took turns. Bottom of the ladder were Marketing & PR professionals and civil servants, most of whom preferred to make their own.
The survey was carried out as part of the tea4health campaign which launched earlier this year and is encouraging people to drink at least four cups of tea per day, to ensure that the maximum health benefits are gained.
tea4health is now hoping to encourage workers to take a tea break by resurrecting the tea lady in a new guise - as part of a £1.5 million promotional campaign a team of tea boys have been visiting offices across the country to make tea for thirsty workers.
-ends-
Notes to editors
Tea drinking in the workplace - history
" Tea breaks are a tradition that has been around for about 200 years.
" When workers commenced work at around five or six thirty in the morning, employers allowed a break in the morning when tea and food were served to the workforce. Some employers repeated the operation late in the afternoon.
" Between 1741 and 1820 various clerics, industrialists and landowners tried to put a stop to the tea break, suggesting it made people slothful. However, people stood up for their rights and the tea break remains with us to this day.
Tea research - facts & figures
" Research carried out for tea4health in April/May 2005 by NOP on 1,000 adults.
" Table below shows the percentage of those from each profession who drink four or more cups of tea a day.
" % breakdown of those who take it in turns to make the tea:
Accountants (43%)
Nurses/Doctors (26%)
Factory workers (23%)
Legal profession (21%)
Teachers (19%)
Civil servants (16%)
Marketing/PR professionals (15%)
Builders (13%)
" % breakdown of how workers get their tea:
With hot water from kettle/urn (66%)
From a vending machine (15%)
Other (10%)
From a canteen (6%)
From a tea lady (2%)
For further information contact: Lucy Egerton Tel: 020 7808 9737 or email lucy.egerton@nexuspr.com or visit www.tea4health.com for more information about tea and health.
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