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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

  • 1979 - salary review letter templates were hand-cranked from a stencil on a Roneo machine. After about 100 copies the stencil usually jammed and you had to fight the machine to remove it, whist striving to keep indelible printer's ink off your clothes. Rinse and repeat for 400 staff….. My fantastic secretary at the time, then aligned the letters in her typewriter to add individual details (name, department, old salary, new salary etc.) At the end of each day telexes were sent to our remote locations is Dubai, Saudi, Oman etc. Replies were collected the next morning from the telex room. Communications were short, precise and targeted and didn't have every man and his dog on copy.


    1980-81 - our first word processor ! printing was SOOOOO loud that we called in the maintenance department to make a special housing for the printer with foam and felt inside it  - it was the only way to cut down on the noise to a level permitting us to work


    Ah, the good old days when Ruby the tea lady came round at pm with a bun and a cuppa for everyone and knew exactly how much sugar people took - for an office of 150 people that took some doing! 

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  • 1979 - salary review letter templates were hand-cranked from a stencil on a Roneo machine. After about 100 copies the stencil usually jammed and you had to fight the machine to remove it, whist striving to keep indelible printer's ink off your clothes. Rinse and repeat for 400 staff….. My fantastic secretary at the time, then aligned the letters in her typewriter to add individual details (name, department, old salary, new salary etc.) At the end of each day telexes were sent to our remote locations is Dubai, Saudi, Oman etc. Replies were collected the next morning from the telex room. Communications were short, precise and targeted and didn't have every man and his dog on copy.


    1980-81 - our first word processor ! printing was SOOOOO loud that we called in the maintenance department to make a special housing for the printer with foam and felt inside it  - it was the only way to cut down on the noise to a level permitting us to work


    Ah, the good old days when Ruby the tea lady came round at pm with a bun and a cuppa for everyone and knew exactly how much sugar people took - for an office of 150 people that took some doing! 

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