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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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  • Another sign of change at work is the disappearance of on-site social clubs.


    Typical day at the insurance company in the week in 1988 was:



    • Arrive 8.00am and clock on using the "flex" clock that counted up your minutes you were in the office for

    • Do all my difficult work that required complex number crunching and focus

    • Work till 12pm and clock off

    • Go to on-site social club and have 2-3 pints of lager (reasonably priced at 80p a pint) whilst playing "5p min bet / 50p max raise" poker for 1-2 hours lunch break (due to flexi-time, it was open 12pm - 2.30pm and 4.30pm - 11pm)

    • Go back to work, feeling relaxed and smelling of alcohol, and clock back on

    • Do my easier / boring work and the daily filing / house keeping

    • Clock off, go back to the social club at 4.30pm - 5pm for a "swift one before going home" and play the fruit machine

    • Leave at 6.30pm (ish)

    Absolutely no way this would be tolerated at work these days but back then, it was pretty normal behaviour. The transition to university undergraduate life was quite easy after that introduction to employment - just earnt slightly less!

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  • Another sign of change at work is the disappearance of on-site social clubs.


    Typical day at the insurance company in the week in 1988 was:



    • Arrive 8.00am and clock on using the "flex" clock that counted up your minutes you were in the office for

    • Do all my difficult work that required complex number crunching and focus

    • Work till 12pm and clock off

    • Go to on-site social club and have 2-3 pints of lager (reasonably priced at 80p a pint) whilst playing "5p min bet / 50p max raise" poker for 1-2 hours lunch break (due to flexi-time, it was open 12pm - 2.30pm and 4.30pm - 11pm)

    • Go back to work, feeling relaxed and smelling of alcohol, and clock back on

    • Do my easier / boring work and the daily filing / house keeping

    • Clock off, go back to the social club at 4.30pm - 5pm for a "swift one before going home" and play the fruit machine

    • Leave at 6.30pm (ish)

    Absolutely no way this would be tolerated at work these days but back then, it was pretty normal behaviour. The transition to university undergraduate life was quite easy after that introduction to employment - just earnt slightly less!

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