Arabic version: طلبات الإكرامية غير النقدية في أستراليا تثير تساؤلات

According to The Guardian, Australians are increasingly encountering tip prompts when making cashless payments at cafes and pubs, with suggested amounts including 10%, 20% and 25%. Reporter Isabella Lee examined how US-style requests for gratuities are being received and whether the money reaches workers.

Lee said her reporting was prompted by a post in a bartenders’ Facebook group in which a worker asked whether having tips withheld was normal. More than 30 responses followed, with most commenters naming venues where they said staff had also been denied tips.

Fair Work told Lee there is no legislation governing the payment of tips to staff. As a result, employers withholding tips would not necessarily be breaking rules on wage theft. Lee also noted that cashless payment systems take a percentage from every transaction, including transactions in which customers are asked to tip.

Patrons appear resistant to the growing practice, Lee said, citing Reddit discussions where users broadly agreed that tipping was an unwelcome US import. Workers who receive tips had a more complicated view: tips can be welcome, but uncertainty over distribution and the practicalities of paying them out make the system difficult to support fully.

Lee said tip requests are not suitable in every setting, pointing to prompts after buying a beer or following a $600 hair appointment. Her own approach did not change substantially, but she said that when she wants to tip, she would probably use cash because tips do not always make their way back to staff.