My understanding of tipping culture

I see tipping as an expression of receiving a satisfactory service in many instances. And that someone doesn't tip another person for receiving a satisfactory service shouldn't be seen as ungratefulness. What I see majorly is that the giver has his or her own unique reason for tipping.

The act shouldn't be forced on anyone. Forcing someone to tip you or someone else is as bad as preventing someone from tipping others.

I once worked in an organization where receiving tips was prohibited. It was a secondary school. The school management felt that allowing unfettered relationships between teachers and parents could mitigate against their interests of dominating the teachers. As a result, they prevent contacts between parents and teachers as much as they can.

There was a day of visitation to the school by parents and guardians. It was tagged open day. They would come around to check the work of their wards and also interact with the teachers regarding the progress of their wards. The open day was conducted under the monitoring of CCTV cameras in the school hall. You dare not accept tips from any parent. A few parents that were determined to reward the teachers of their wards would go for bank details so that the tipping would be done behind the scenes. I see the ban on tipping by the school authority as being done in bad fate.

This is a free will gift. It shouldn't be restricted.

On the other hand, some people see it as their right to be tipped. Some would come to render an unsolicited service for you and would request you to give him something afterwards. I encounter this frequently in a motor park, where I board vehicles when embarking on a journey.

The first time that I was at the park, a guy ran towards me to ask me where I was traveling to. After responding to him, he walked into the park while he asked me to follow him. I followed him, and in less than two minutes, we got to the section of the park where the vehicle going my route was loading passengers. When I paid for my fares and took my seat in the vehicle, the guy was standing beside the car waiting for me to pay him. I didn't understand initially until he came straightforward with his request. I was like, did I invite you to direct me to the park? To avoid any drama, I gave him what I could afford, and he left.

Since that day, whenever I get to the park, I don't respond to whoever is asking where I am traveling to. I do tip people in the park, but it's usually a matter of free will. When I am satisfied with someone's service, I am poised to tip the person. I love doing it when I am opportune. However, I dislike someone asking me or taking it as a right.

Another place that I have had a close encounter with workers that feel entitled to tipping is in government offices, particularly in federal government parastatals. Many of the workers would want you to tip them after rendering the services for which they are drawing salaries from the government. I take it as a form of corruption.

Even on our highways, different uniform personnel ranging from police, road safety officers, civil defense officers, soldiers, and others expect motorists to tip them even when such motorist is not found wanting of any violation of the law. Some of these personnel would delay you beyond what you can imagine if you refused to cooperate. My friend and I were traveling a few years ago, and we were stopped by a team of policemen. They insisted we dropped something for them before proceeding from the checkpoint. Our initial refusal to accede to their demands made us spend hours with them.

I will conclude by reiterating that tipping should neither be enforced nor banned. It should be a matter of one's choice to tip the other party. It shouldn't be seen as a right.