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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

  • Page 3 calendars were very much in demand during the 70's & 80's and I was sent one every year by our advertising agent. Even back then I considered it a bit non PC to display this in the HR Office but it did enable me to swap it for any other calendar within the large factory and distribution setup of Schweppes Sidcup in South London.

    I remember a lot of the aspects noted by other contributors and genuinely noticed one of our very senior secretaries applying tippex to the screen of her newly acquired word processing equipment c 1983. I was working for the BBC in central London at the time with most secretaries still using manual typewriters or if very prilviliged - electric machines displaying just one line of text. This secretary had been particularly favoured to test and evaluate the prospect of word processing for the Corporation and I think she managed to eventually  remove the 'old style' non H&SE Tippex from the small screen  with nail varnish remover.

    A few years later I had moved to the finance sector in Jersey  and received a deputation from our secretaries (all in their early 20's and very trendy out going personalities) - that if we made them change to 'word processing' from their electric typewriters - they would all resign en masse! In those days it seems strange to recall that there was not a universal WP system so in our case 'displaywrite' could not be edited or updated in another system so for contracts and lengthy legal documents- the whole version would have to be retyped from the paper option supplied.

    My best memory however, goes back to the early 70's when I starterd my HR career with the prognosis of experts and business Gurus (backed up by television programmes such as 'Tomorrow's World') - very seriously advocating that by the end of the milenium (2000 that is) - everyone would only need to work 2 days a week - as computers would be doing the rest  for us !!!

    Please keep the memories coming

    Kind regards

    Vic Tucker, Group HR Director, Altis Partners

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  • Page 3 calendars were very much in demand during the 70's & 80's and I was sent one every year by our advertising agent. Even back then I considered it a bit non PC to display this in the HR Office but it did enable me to swap it for any other calendar within the large factory and distribution setup of Schweppes Sidcup in South London.

    I remember a lot of the aspects noted by other contributors and genuinely noticed one of our very senior secretaries applying tippex to the screen of her newly acquired word processing equipment c 1983. I was working for the BBC in central London at the time with most secretaries still using manual typewriters or if very prilviliged - electric machines displaying just one line of text. This secretary had been particularly favoured to test and evaluate the prospect of word processing for the Corporation and I think she managed to eventually  remove the 'old style' non H&SE Tippex from the small screen  with nail varnish remover.

    A few years later I had moved to the finance sector in Jersey  and received a deputation from our secretaries (all in their early 20's and very trendy out going personalities) - that if we made them change to 'word processing' from their electric typewriters - they would all resign en masse! In those days it seems strange to recall that there was not a universal WP system so in our case 'displaywrite' could not be edited or updated in another system so for contracts and lengthy legal documents- the whole version would have to be retyped from the paper option supplied.

    My best memory however, goes back to the early 70's when I starterd my HR career with the prognosis of experts and business Gurus (backed up by television programmes such as 'Tomorrow's World') - very seriously advocating that by the end of the milenium (2000 that is) - everyone would only need to work 2 days a week - as computers would be doing the rest  for us !!!

    Please keep the memories coming

    Kind regards

    Vic Tucker, Group HR Director, Altis Partners

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