You know how it is – it’s your first morning in a new job and already you’ve been co-opted to make the drinks. In fact, you can count on it being your turn for quite some time to come. You’ve been introduced around but you cannot put a name to a face and there’s absolutely no way of knowing who owns the various dreg-ridden mugs. Some are covered with flowers, others sport witty little motifs or cartoon characters and there’s always a risqué one that gets obscene when filled with hot liquid.

All the mugs need washing up but probably no-one would notice if you just tipped out the dregs. You decide that this is the healthier option as the tea towel looks as if someone’s wiped the floor with it. Finally, you emerge, victorious, with the tray of steaming drinks. Matching the drink to the person is when it gets really tricky.

You mistakenly give Jennifer’s apple and cinnamon tea to Brian, whose white coffee with three sugars teeters precariously on team leader Bob’s messy desk. Fitness conscious Greg’s black decaff has gone to Phil, who now thinks it’s his black tea.

How easily this situation would have been avoided had the mugs been labelled? It’s so easy to find beverage printed digital labels, pre-empting the otherwise inevitable confusion.

The office germ factory

Labelling your mugs avoids embarrassment but there’s a sound health reason too. The 200 or so cold and flu bugs in circulation at any given time last year caused 180 million sick days, costing the UK economy £16.8bn (CBI data).

Unaware that it’s loaded with sugar, Bob’s already taken a swig of Brian’s brew. The mug is also teeming with germs as Brian’s started a cold. Within three days, Bob will have succumbed, generously passing the virus to Jennifer, Phil and Greg (despite all his vitamin C) and to you. Going off sick with a streaming cold within your first week isn’t really a great way in which to start a new career.

Avoiding the germs

You may wish to consider trying the following: Wash all mugs in the office dishwasher, preferably on a hot programme to kill the germs. If you don’t have a dishwasher, wash your own mug carefully in hot water and dry this using a clean tea towel or kitchen paper. Take it home once a week for a really thorough clean.

Always change the office sponge/cloth weekly or bleach/sterilise these regularly in order to avoid a build-up of germs; sponges and wet cloths are infamous for their capacity to harbour bacteria. Also ensure that your tea towel is clean.

So label your mugs! Some suppliers offer labels that withstand hot liquids and cleaning with water.

If you want to avoid embarrassing mug mix-ups during the office drinks round you can find beverage printed digital labels here at Paramount Labels. This is a quick, easy and cheap way to never go through this situation.