According to research by Cafédirect, the Fairtrade pioneer, female workers make more than three times as many cups of tea for male colleagues as men make for them.

The study of over 3000 workers revealed that two thirds of men (62 percent) regularly invent bogus reasons to avoid making workmates a brew, while over a quarter (28 percent) admit to sneaking off to make themselves a cuppa on the quiet.

And although men make marginally bigger tea rounds than women – by just one cup – they tend to moan for half a minute longer each time it’s their turn.

But women aren’t entirely blameless. Almost half (46 percent) admit to using the office brew as a chance to bunk off work, while a quarter (24 percent) reveal their apparent act of generosity is merely a cover for sharing office gossip with colleagues.
 
Almost six million British workers claim they couldn’t get through the day without a cuppa. But given its part in workplace bickering, the humble brew has become the cause for some unlikely battles between colleagues.

Overall, two thirds of tea-loving workmates dispute whose turn it is to stick on the kettle once a day, with a quarter (24 percent) saying it’s led them to secretly harbour bad thoughts towards those who haven’t pulled their weight.
 
More than a third (37 percent) of arguments are caused by staff only making themselves a cuppa, whilst a further quarter (22 percent) of tea round rows result from suspicions that workmates have deliberately whipped them up a bad-tasting drink.

In response, Cafédirect is calling for companies to make the office tea round fairer in time for Fairtrade Fortnight (22nd February to 7th March) by making the ‘Big Swap’ to Cafédirect tea.