Tipping

I remember once being at the Redstone outdoor bar, was asked to join this table. The female was hosting client types, not sure the actual corporate structure, but she was putting down the company credit card. If you’re wondering why I got asked to join, I can’t even tell you, except that I’m a nice person and they felt like inviting.

Very foreign to me, access to the company credit card, as I’m not in corporate. As a Therapist & Life Coach, it’s best practice to avoid dual relationships with clients. That means, I do not engage with my current clients socially at all. Once that therapeutic relationship ends, after a subsequent amount of time, you can technically engage in more contact with a prior client. But while you’re advising, processing and nuancing with current clients, there is NO inviting clients along on outings or including them socially, it’s not professional in my line of work.

So for me, the whole tipping culture, isn’t applicable in therapy & Life Coach. In business, you take clients on a golf outing or to the nice restaurant, even ply them with gifts. That’s the business world, it’s normal and even expected in certain contexts.

It’s actually in my field’s Code of Ethics to never solicit gifts from current clients.

But once in awhile, I am curious about the corporate world. No one is wining and dining the Therapist, nor could I accept a dinner invitation or expensive gifts from current clients. That’s for the business world, in that context, you do invite and socialize with current clients in the corporate context.

It’s interesting to see different ways of doing business.

In this example, see photo below, a travel agent to high-net worth individuals, is tipped 1k by her client.

1. That’s an amazing tip.

2. I wish I had the top the travel agent is wearing, as it’s currently a heat wave in the state of Illinois.

Tipping culture is a hot topic recently.

My take, if you’re in the position to be generous, that’s an amazing place to be.

My insight, it’s my belief that it’s often the average person like a teacher or blue-collar worker, who’s the most generous tipper. Often, the rich can be stingy, in ways that you’d be surprised at, rude to wait staff or anyone they view as the help.

My thought, if you’re working 2 jobs (such as myself) and you tip 20% that may mean something as it’s costly to you. Whereas, if you’re a millionaire and you drop the same, that may mean less as it’s not overly costly to you. To do something meaningful, it’s compensatory to how much it costs you. To be a wealthy person, dropping a grand on a tip, may mean next to nothing, when they have cash to splash. But if an entrepreneur or company owner, is insanely busy, an hour of their time, may be the thing that costs them, that means something. Be cognizant of value, that it’s compensatory to what it costs someone to do.

Tipping is a hot topic recently.

Photo: This travel agent was tipped $1000 by her client