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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 job as Secretary in a firm of Consulting Engineers in 1976 I had a manual typewriter.  I then got an electric typewriter where the characters took up different amounts of space so if you made a mistake and had to use the Tippex sheet you had to try and re-position the paper in the exact spot (an "m" took up 5 spaces, an "l" 2).  When preparing reports for clients you typed up the first draft  and any amendments, for example inserting a new paragraph or moving paragraphs around, had to be done with scissors and magic tape.  When the report was photocopied you (hopefully) couldn't see the joins!

    When working in an accountants office in 1986 we worked in a bank of four desks put together.  One woman smoked and had an ashtray (usually filled) on her desk in amongst all the files and paperwork.  No-one dared to complain about the smell, smoke or potential fire hazard!

     

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  • In my first job as Secretary in a firm of Consulting Engineers in 1976 I had a manual typewriter.  I then got an electric typewriter where the characters took up different amounts of space so if you made a mistake and had to use the Tippex sheet you had to try and re-position the paper in the exact spot (an "m" took up 5 spaces, an "l" 2).  When preparing reports for clients you typed up the first draft  and any amendments, for example inserting a new paragraph or moving paragraphs around, had to be done with scissors and magic tape.  When the report was photocopied you (hopefully) couldn't see the joins!

    When working in an accountants office in 1986 we worked in a bank of four desks put together.  One woman smoked and had an ashtray (usually filled) on her desk in amongst all the files and paperwork.  No-one dared to complain about the smell, smoke or potential fire hazard!

     

Children
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