Research-- the history of the tea lady

(Fee Mozley, 2011)

The role of the tea lady is said to have begun in 1666 by the wife of the East India Company’s housekeeper who made tea for the Director's committee meetings.

A tea lady provides beverages and light snacks during a designated break time - a tea break. The tea lady usually works in an office environment.

Depending upon the facilities available at the workplace, the tea lady might work in a food service area. Or she may come around the office with a trolley or tea cart. The tea cart has everything needed for a tea break - an urn full of either hot water or already prepared tea and a selection of cakes, buns, cookies, or other light treats.

Tea Ladies have been replaced by cafeterias, vending machines, and other means of grabbing a quick and many times unhealthful treat.

In a story put out by BBC News in 2003 - Tea Ladies are Unsung Heroes! A tea lady was nominated to the Queen’s Birthday Honours List. The tea lady who was nominated had served at an economic development agency for 18 years and was nominated for an MBE by the chairman. The Tea Lady received comments such as, “heart and soul of the corporation,” “adored by staff,” “talent and sympathetic ear,” “provider of company news,” “she treats everyone as family.”

In 2006 it was reported that another long time tea lady had been sacked. Without her, the firm was forced to hire a tea consultant at $400/day to teach the employees to properly brew their tea. The employees had to navigate stairwells, use vending machines, etc. The loss of the tea lady resulted in multiple injuries, burns, and some broken bones! 150 staffers were asked how the firm could reduce injuries and they all said, “Bring back the tea lady!”

The Evening Chronicle in 2009 reported an 82-year old tea lady had served for 42 years! She brewed up hot beverages for managers for decades.

ABC News reported on British Businesses calling for Tea Lady last November - Tea Breaks and ‘Duvet Days’ Make the Office a Better Place! The report was about British business leaders wanting to humanize the workplace by bringing back the tea lady and ditching vending machines. The Tea Lady is the highlight of the work day. In fact, some socializing and a friendly office atmosphere should be encouraged as well. They also suggested giving employees three per year of what they called ‘duvet days’ when they just needed a day to stay in bed.

DUTIES OF A TEA LADY

A tea lady is your chairperson of hospitality. She provides tea and light refreshments to managers, employees, and customers during the designated tea break. A tea lady must be friendly, have great communication skills and be able to manage and serve her tea, replenish stock, etc. Above all, she is the business’s heart and soul. She may share company news, lend an ear, or whatever support or encouragement is needed to boost morale.

My review--

After the tutorial with Peter, I made some revisions to my project. For example, in the beginning, when designing the style of the brand, I created a set of visual elements from the way of life in the period of Victorian era; however, through the research of the tea lady, I thought the tea lady could properly transmit the concept—taking a tea brake. Therefore, I started to research a distinctive color palette, graphics, layout, and photography style in the 1950s, which was a golden age of the occupation of the tea lady. 

Reference--

BBC, 2003, Tea lady among unsung heroes [on line] Available at: http:// news.bbc.uk/1/hi/uk/2988340 [accessed 22 October 2012]