If you have any guests at all inside your home, even for a short duration of time, always offer them a beverage such as water, tea, or coffee. If they’re going to be inside your home for more than a few minutes, always offer for them to sit down. And, if they’re going to be inside your home for more than an hour or two, offer them snacks or a bite to eat.
Basic rules of hospitality are that you should always offer a drink, such as water, tea, or coffee to guests in your home even if they won’t be there for long. It’s one of the quickest, easiest, and simplest ways to make someone feel welcome and at ease.
It can also be important to offer for someone to sit, especially if this is one of the first times this person is visiting your home. Many people can feel awkward or uncertain about sitting down and making themselves at ease in someone else’s home, especially if they haven’t been there many times before. Being offered to sit down by the host may be the only way for them to feel at ease enough to sit down and make themselves comfortable.
Of course some exceptions apply, such as if this is an unwanted guest who is making you uncomfortable. But otherwise, if this is someone whose company you enjoy in your home, or even if you just feel neutral about, your duty as host is to make them comfortable and at ease, such as by offering them a beverage and a seat.
Being a good host is how we can establish stronger ties to other people, and how you can create more of a sense of community with the people around you who visit your home.
Do you have any advice for when a worker enters your home? For example, a plumber or repair person.
I never know if I shoould offer drinks/snacks or if it’s better to stay out of their way and let them do their job.
It’s definitely polite to offer workers like plumbers and electricians beverages and snacks. You’re definitely not getting in their way at all by offering them water or a snack. I’ve heard too many horror stories from plumbers that people will yell at them or scold them for wanting a glass of water or just refilling their own water bottle at someone’s house. If they’re going around from house to house all day how else are they supposed to stay hydrated? You’re definitely doing the polite thing by making it clear to them that they’re allowed to have water at your house.
Also with any sort of outdoor workers too, like roofers or landscapers, definitely at least ask if they want some water.
also offer them the bathroom
a non-weird way to offer them the bathroom is to tell them where it is.
When it was particularly hot, my mom would put chilled water bottles in a box on top of the trash cans with a big shiny sign on them saying “NOT TRASH – WATER BOTTLES FOR SANITATION WORKERS”. This doesn’t work as well for people living in apartments, of course.
If someone is doing work inside my house, I put a clean cup for each person on the counter (it’s the only cup(s) out, so they don’t have to guess which is for them) and tell them it’s theirs to use and they’re welcome to ice and water from the dispenser on the fridge. Then I tell them the bathroom is next to the kitchen.
I didn’t used to do this because I assumed they would just use the bathroom if they needed, but then I learned that some people think workers should go elsewhere for the bathroom?? And once I started saying it, I’ve had people say things like, “If you’re sure- we can go down the street” But of course I’m sure! As long as they’re only doing bathroom stuff in there, why in earth shouldn’t they use the bathroom at my place?
The water hadn’t occurred to me before I read the suggestion somewhere, but it’s top notch.
We had a problem with this when we had electricians working at our house for a few weeks one time. I showed them all the bathrooms in the house and assumed we were okay… until 2 days later I saw one of them leaving the port-a-potty at the construction site next door. It turns out even though I’d shown them the bathroom, they weren’t sure if I was actually okay with them using it because apparently some people are REAL unkind about stuff like that. I had to flat-out say “Please use the bathroom in the house, it’s literally why we have them” and even then it was into the second week before one guy stopped popping his head into wherever I was working to ask if I was sure.
The bit I struggled with for a long time was not trying to over-host work crews. I didn’t know how to balance making them feel comfortable and hovering. I had the most luck offering them a water after introductions, giving them a house tour on our way to whatever needs fixing and then clearly identifying where I plan to sit while we’re touring. Now I end by saying “Please feel free to use the bathroom and if you change your mind on the water or need a snack or anything, come find me, I don’t mind.” Then I go sit on my hands until they need me - that way they can do their job without trying to entertain me. The trick with the cups on the counter is a brilliant one, I’ll have to bank that one!
I hate when people act like there’s an age limit on fun, excitement, whimsy, silliness, new experiences, finding love, making mistakes, or literally doing anything other than being an NPC drone who has a corporate job and 2.4 kids like sorry you’re a boring bitch but some people continue to live life beyond the age of 30
A bunch of microsoft logos from the 70s, 80s, 90s and today but instead of saying Microsoft all of them spell Microslop in the vibe of the original logos.
ALT