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I work in a reasonably small open plan office with around 20 people. For context, if it's relatively quiet, you can hear everyones' conversations.
General etiquette says that when I want a tea (or coffee) then I should ask my colleagues and get a round in.
However, what is the limit? Just ask the people in my immediate vicinity, or everyone within earshot? Is it bad form to not offer tea to everyone who can hear/see me about to make a brew?
P.S. I am British.
I have worked in a number of different offices in the UK and I don't think there is a cast iron rule. In some offices there is a rota and people take it in turns in others everyone just makes their own cup or one for their close team members.
I would avoid getting into a habit of making tea for a large group, you will find some people rely on you to do it (not interrupting their own work) and rarely if ever return the favour. If there are people who offer you a drink it is probably nice to offer to make them one in return when you're going to the kettle but don't stretch it too far.
There's no standard practice for this as workplace habits depend on several factors:
As your main worry seems to be making a wrong impression in a new environment, the best strategy is to observe what your colleagues are doing and emulate them. As long as you didn't end up in a toxic environment or among your company's social rejects you shouldn't ever run into any problems doing that.
Aside from that, you would generally draw the line based on how much of your own time you're wasting. You presumably weren't hired as a tea brewer so it's not your job to spend an hour a day making tea, even if it saves your coworkers 5 hours. So it would be fine to make a pot of tea rather than individual bags but you wouldn't start serving individual cups, unless that's how you see your colleagues behave and everyone pitches in equally.
My working place has quite the same configuration, when I asked people on my first week, boss told me everyone do his own thing. If I want a coffee and my desk mate wants one too, I should just take one for me and let him do is own coffee.
That's actually how we work, and that's fine for everyone. Of course, if someone is next to me when I serve myself, I ask him something like "Which one do I put in ?" (talking about little coffe capsules) Or asking him "Do you go out ?" (a smart way to ask him if he will take a pause)
We have an espresso machine, this point may be important. If we had a huge "percolator", I would say something like "I made coffee" just to let them know they can serve themselves.
The problem is that if you begin to make coffee for everyone one time, then two, then three... It will quickly become a habit and they may even criticize you the day you won't do it.
When my boss takes a pause, he invites us to follow him like he is speaking to himself "Little cigarette pause..." "Coffee then go..." and if we want to follow him then when do, if we don't we just continue to work.
You shouldn't feel responsible for everyone, even if it's the "etiquette" of your country. But, of course, it depends on relations you have with all your mates and your boss.
Of course that may be a great conversation topic for your next tea-pause, there won't be anything better than your mates advices. Just them and you know really how that's work in your compagny.
EDIT: Funny fact : The second after I posted this, boss came to ask me which type of coffee capsules I want to re-order... :D
If you try to offer drinks to everyone you'll end up being nothing more than tea boy rather than the career you wanted.
Where I am now when someone goes for a tea they will either ask the guys immediately next to them, or they will be part of a tea round.
There are a number of tea rounds going on in the office and it means people know where they are. In a round - you get tea for others in that round, not in a round? start one or just get your own.
