Things that used to be commonplace in the workplace

[DelayRepay]

In the 'before times' when I used to go to the office every day, I never took a lunch break as such. I might pop out to buy a sandwich but I'd eat it at my desk while working. I certainly never took an hour.

When lockdown started, my company insisted that everyone took an hour's break at lunchtime and banned the organising of meetings or sending of emails during that hour. We thought it was a bit silly at the time, but actually it worked really well. Now I always take my full hour, whether I am working in the office or at home, and I get a bit cross if I'm not able to for some reason.

 

[AY1975]

Suits, waist coat, collar, tie.

And skirt suits and blouses for women.

 

[Snow1964]

When I started office based work round the end of the 1980s, set hours were still quite common - everyone started at this time, the office closed for a lunch hour, and everyone finished at that time. (I think there was some arrangement for covering the reception desk and telephone switchboard but can't remember what this was.)

Smoking in the office and a liquid (or semi liquid) lunch was then still quite common.

I started work in 1980s in small business accounting, and we used to visit lots of companies usually for week or two.

Some had well defined breaks and lunch hours, and staff would arrive and depart at canteen at virtually same time. At most of these companies everyone seemed to start either 8am, 8:30 or 9 and finish at 5 or 5:30, set hours and no flexi-time.

At other offices had to go and buy sandwiches (using luncheon vouchers which I think were tax free perk upto a certain amount)

All male office staff wore suits and ties, and blouses and skirts or trousers standard for female staff. No one was seen in an office with the more recent casual dress code.

One factory even had smoking pens, but that was because they used flammable solvents so smoking was banned from most of factory floor.

Later on came smoking rooms (which non-smokers never went near as they always stunk of cigarettes), until they closed and smokers had to go outside in the building. I know of companies that deemed smoking time outside as non-working time, so those staff had to stay longer to compensate, a sort of forced flexi time. Don't know if that still exists as smoking is so rare now amongst office staff.

 

[Springs Branch]

Post - we used to get no end of promotional material, trade magazines etc . . . .

Circulation lists for periodicals. In the days when everything was in hard-copy paper format, things like trade & professional magazines, publicity material, internal reports and bulletins etc. would have a "circulation slip" stapled to the front and one copy would get passed around the office.

The circulation slip had a list of names (or more likely people's initials), usually in some sort of seniority order. Different publications had different circulation lists and a long-serving secretary seemed to know who was supposed to get what.

Once you'd read the item, you crossed off your name and passed it onto the next person on the list.

It could be a nuisance if some particular publication (a periodical, bulletin etc.) was important to your role, but someone above you on the list was very slow in reading it and passing it on. You quickly got to know who the regular offenders were, and once away from the executive suite and filtering down the corporate food chain, you might 'skip a stop' and avoid passing on items to a known miscreant.

In true Reggie Perrin style, one's desk might have had three trays: "In", "Out" and "Periodicals"

 

[Killingworth]

Telephoe directories.

In Newcastle in the 1969s Kellys Directory listing all streets with businesses and householders at each address. Then alphabetically and iby trades. Similar were published annually in all major cities and large towns going back to the early 1800s. Bought by banks, solicitors, accountants etc. Put out of business by free Yellow pages.

They got passed down so the most senior in the organisation had the current edition and older ones usually got binned after about 5 years. I have one for 1950 that had survived.

 

[swt_passenger]

Circulation lists for periodicals. In the days when everything was in hard-copy paper format, things like trade & professional magazines, publicity material, internal reports and bulletins etc. would have a "circulation slip" stapled to the front and one copy would get passed around the office.

The circulation slip had a list of names (or more likely people's initials), usually in some sort of seniority order. Different publications had different circulation lists and a long-serving secretary seemed to know who was supposed to get what.

Once you'd read the item, you crossed off your name and passed it onto the next person on the list.

It could be a nuisance if some particular publication (a periodical, bulletin etc.) was important to your role, but someone above you on the list was very slow in reading it and passing it on. You quickly got to know who the regular offenders were, and once away from the executive suite and filtering down the corporate food chain, you might 'skip a stop' and avoid passing on items to a known miscreant.

In true Reggie Perrin style, one's desk might have had three trays: "In", "Out" and "Periodicals"

Circulation lists were presumably aimed at keeping everyone in the loop. If we had one for this thread you’d have already initialled circulation lists by post #39

Telephoe directories.

In Newcastle in the 1969s Kellys Directory listing all streets with businesses and householders at each address. Then alphabetically and iby trades. Similar were published annually in all major cities and large towns going back to the early 1800s. Bought by banks, solicitors, accountants etc. Put out of business by free Yellow pages.

They got passed down so the most senior in the organisation had the current edition and older ones usually got binned after about 5 years. I have one for 1950 that had survived.

Kelly’s and Post Office directories can be quite helpful for family tree research, there’s quite a few available to download nowadays.

 

[Killingworth]

Kelly’s and Post Office directories can be quite helpful for family tree research, there’s quite a few available to download nowadays.

Lookups available for the City of Newcastle upon Tyne in 1950

 

[Roger1973]

I started work in 1980s in small business accounting, and we used to visit lots of companies usually for week or two.

Some had well defined breaks and lunch hours, and staff would arrive and depart at canteen at virtually same time. At most of these companies everyone seemed to start either 8am, 8:30 or 9 and finish at 5 or 5:30, set hours and no flexi-time.

At other offices had to go and buy sandwiches (using luncheon vouchers which I think were tax free perk upto a certain amount)

All male office staff wore suits and ties, and blouses and skirts or trousers standard for female staff. No one was seen in an office with the more recent casual dress code.

I started work at the end of the 80s and yes - similar. Although wearing a suit tended only to be for managers / senior staff in offices I worked in (although men were expected to wear shirt and tie.) Tie wearing seems to have disappeared relatively recently - until a year or two before covid, I was somewhere where tie wearing was expected except during summer, then one year most people didn't start again in the autumn and nobody seemed to care.

And yes - there was a fixed lunch hour in most offices then. People either brought their own sandwiches, or went out for sandwiches or got a cooked lunch at a cafe (an hour's break meant there was time for that) - or to the pub for a partly or wholly liquid lunch. In smaller towns, some people would go home for lunch - although not generally practical in the bigger cities. At some places, it was acceptable to eat your own sandwiches at your desk either before or after the lunch hour, to have more time for going out shopping or to the pub or whatever. Although one place I worked, this was considered to be cheating and you were not allowed to eat and work at the same time.

Luncheon vouchers were tax free up to 15 pence a day (apparently this was fixed in 1948 and never increased) so might (by the late 80s) have bought me one cafe lunch every few weeks. I think by the early 90s, some supermarkets accepted them, so a few people saved them to put towards their Christmas food shopping.

I had a temporary job somewhere in about 1991 where there was a tea lady with tea trolley who came round the offices morning and afternoon. That place was a bit of a time-warp by then.

Circulation lists for periodicals. In the days when everything was in hard-copy paper format, things like trade & professional magazines, publicity material, internal reports and bulletins etc. would have a "circulation slip" stapled to the front and one copy would get passed around the office.

That was still happening with trade magazines until work from home became more common - there was a theory at one place I worked that management would sit on them until the job adverts had all passed their closing date...

 

[AY1975]

At other offices had to go and buy sandwiches (using luncheon vouchers which I think were tax free perk upto a certain amount)

Luncheon vouchers were tax free up to 15 pence a day (apparently this was fixed in 1948 and never increased) so might (by the late 80s) have bought me one cafe lunch every few weeks. I think by the early 90s, some supermarkets accepted them, so a few people saved them to put towards their Christmas food shopping.

Luncheon vouchers are another thing that used to be commonplace but have now died out. The LV luncheon voucher scheme is discussed extensively in entries #191 to #201 on page 7 of the "Things you don't see outside any more" thread: https://www.railforums.co.uk/thread...e-outside-any-more.226622/page-7#post-5520244

 

[Cloud Strife]

Although wearing a suit tended only to be for managers / senior staff in offices I worked in (although men were expected to wear shirt and tie.) Tie wearing seems to have disappeared relatively recently - until a year or two before covid, I was somewhere where tie wearing was expected except during summer, then one year most people didn't start again in the autumn and nobody seemed to care.

I've never worn a tie in my life at work, except on business trips where we had to put across a certain image. Suits? What are they? I've worn mine three times in my entire career, except for job interviews. My standard work uniform has always been a pair of chinos or similar, a random colourful shirt and a pair of New Balance trainers in whatever colour.

 

[DelayRepay]

I started work at the end of the 80s and yes - similar. Although wearing a suit tended only to be for managers / senior staff in offices I worked in (although men were expected to wear shirt and tie.) Tie wearing seems to have disappeared relatively recently - until a year or two before covid, I was somewhere where tie wearing was expected except during summer, then one year most people didn't start again in the autumn and nobody seemed to care.

I wore a tie to work every day until around 2018, then things started to become more casual. Our CEO and Executives stopped wearing ties, and our customer facing staff uniforms were re-designed, at which point the tie became optional for men.

Post Covid, the dress standard is much more casual, with most wearing jeans and casual shirts/jumpers, even senior managers. In the past that would have only happened on a 'dress down' day where you could come in casual clothes in exchange for a donation to whichever charity we were supporting at the time.

I have several suits, smart shirts and ties. Apart from job interviews and funerals, I don't expect to wear them again. And as I have started going back to the office I've had to increase my 'smart casual' wardrobe. Although some people haven't bothered and are happy to go to work in ripped jeans and even shorts during the summer!