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I remember typing pools...

Steve Bridger

I remember my first day at work. The summer of 1981. County Hall. The smell of polished corridors and trolleys laden three-feet high with leaver arch files and buff folders. I opened a door and there it was: The Typing Pool. Page 3 of The Sun were always plastered on the walls of the printing unit whenever I was asked to make errands. We still had a few discussion threads on that topic in the early days here - in 2004!


And I've seen Made in Dagenham, the movie!


I only mention this as the CIPD published a report called Work Audit today, a fascinating look at how the world of work has changed
in Britain since 1952.


I thought we could share our own compelling vignettes of social history comparing changes in the way we work.


What do you reckon?


Steve

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  • Remember my summer job in the typing pool at County Council offices in the Architects Department.  The matriarch sat at the front of the room with 16 of us fixed in front of golf-ball typewriters (we only had one electric typewriter at college so I was more used to manual machines).  We were issued with work by the matriarch who signed off the paper chit when we took it back completed.  At the end of the first week, I received a gentle telling-off from her because I was completing too many pieces of work and the pile of work to be done had reduced to 7 days delay from 10.  'At this rate, my dear, we will be completely caught up and someone will notice and the typing pool numbers will be examined and some poor lady will lose their job while you swan off back to college.'!
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  • Remember my summer job in the typing pool at County Council offices in the Architects Department.  The matriarch sat at the front of the room with 16 of us fixed in front of golf-ball typewriters (we only had one electric typewriter at college so I was more used to manual machines).  We were issued with work by the matriarch who signed off the paper chit when we took it back completed.  At the end of the first week, I received a gentle telling-off from her because I was completing too many pieces of work and the pile of work to be done had reduced to 7 days delay from 10.  'At this rate, my dear, we will be completely caught up and someone will notice and the typing pool numbers will be examined and some poor lady will lose their job while you swan off back to college.'!
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