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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

Parents

  • In my first 'proper' job, I had to run back-ups on the computer system each night. The computer was a giant grey box, at least a metre cubed in size, and the reserve computer to which I had to back up was the same size - the 'comms room' was VERY crowded. The backups were done using giant cassette tapes. If you wanted to print something off it was done on that stripey green and white paper with holes down each side, and the printer would wobble frantically from side to side as it printed stuff off.


    When I started work for my present company, as a call centre agent, we used a DOS based system (black screen with green writing) and nobody had a mouse - all the commands involved control key-strokes.


    And email?? What was that??? And I remember sitting in a management meeting when we pondered whether or not this weird 'internet' thing would ever take off ...


    Ah - memories! Fab thread - thanks for brightening my afternoon!


    A


     


     

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  • In my first 'proper' job, I had to run back-ups on the computer system each night. The computer was a giant grey box, at least a metre cubed in size, and the reserve computer to which I had to back up was the same size - the 'comms room' was VERY crowded. The backups were done using giant cassette tapes. If you wanted to print something off it was done on that stripey green and white paper with holes down each side, and the printer would wobble frantically from side to side as it printed stuff off.


    When I started work for my present company, as a call centre agent, we used a DOS based system (black screen with green writing) and nobody had a mouse - all the commands involved control key-strokes.


    And email?? What was that??? And I remember sitting in a management meeting when we pondered whether or not this weird 'internet' thing would ever take off ...


    Ah - memories! Fab thread - thanks for brightening my afternoon!


    A


     


     

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