Viral TikTok reignites a familiar debate: how tradies are treated on site
A viral TikTok video has kicked off a familiar industry debate once again: how tradies are treated on site. This is not about demands or asking for special treatment. It is something far simpler and more human. In the middle of summer, with long days of hard work, basic hospitality is appreciated. Lately, it feels like it is becoming harder to come by.
A tradie’s TikTok sparked a conversation many on site know too well.
The spark came from a video shared by Australian tradie Jaya Terima, known on social media as @balineseboi, which quickly went viral on TikTok. In it, Jaya talks about something many in the industry recognise straight away: turning up to jobs where there is not even a greeting, not a glass of water, not the smallest gesture of courtesy. Working in places like that is rough.
He is not asking for perks or handouts. He brings his own water and food. The point is respect. Feeling like a human doing a job, not like someone who does not exist. Unsurprisingly, the video set off a familiar storm online. Plenty of support, plenty of pushback, and the same old question popping up again: where does the client’s responsibility end, and where does the worker’s begin?
Basic hospitality is not a luxury
On site, the line is actually pretty clear. No one expects to be invited to lunch or have their day made easy. But when someone is working under the sun, lifting weight, cutting, drilling or putting walls up, small gestures change the tone of the day.
Cold water. Being allowed to use the bathroom. A simple “you right?”. Basic things that used to be normal, and that many tradies now feel are disappearing. In summer, when temperatures bite hard, hospitality stops being just about manners. It becomes basic care.
“No one wants special treatment. Just basic respect.”
The real day-to-day of tradies on site
These conversations do not show up in official reports, but they live on site every day. Long hours, pressure to hit deadlines, clients around constantly, and very little room to slow down.
Most tradies do not complain publicly. You cop it, keep moving and get the job done. But when these small frictions stack up day after day, they start to weigh more than people realise. Not because of the water itself, but because of what it represents.
Feeling respected matters. Especially at a time when the industry is already carrying heavy stress, labour shortages and physical wear.
Respect costs nothing
No, this is not a call to turn worksites into charity zones or to impose new rules. It is a simple reminder that basic hospitality goes a long way and improves relationships on site.
Tradies are there to do a job, and it is a hard one, physically demanding and tiring. A bit of respect does not change the budget or the contract. What it does change is the atmosphere. And when respect starts to disappear, patience disappears with it. In an industry that already asks a lot, maybe it is worth bringing back the small gestures that make a hard day easier on site.
Trending News
This is not a story about wealthy people whinging over expensive finishes. This is about ironclad contracts, untouchable builders and a client who says he was left with a rubbish penthouse and then threatened on top of it. The video has already gone viral, and what it shows is hard to ignore while the whole industry watches. This is exactly the kind of yarn that gets passed around on smoko, coffee in hand.