How things have changed at work

[Debi]

Take a moment and think back.

How have things changed from what we did or saw at work back in the day that would never be acceptable today?​

 

[garnetsilver]

The way people dress nowadays; you would have been fired! Also, using a cell phone for personal stuff while at work, to the extent that you are ignoring your work or people who are to be served in some way.

 

[Debi]

There was a time when people smoked at their desks. Heck, when I had my first two kids I was asked if I preferred a smoking or non smoking room!

 

[ozentity]

Doing greenkeeping we used a lot of fungicides and pesticides. The old greenkeepers weren't to fussed on safety using these and my boss used to stir the drum with his arm as it pumped into a hose and I applied it to the greens. His wife had a badly deformed baby and I think it was from the chemicals affecting his sperm. Most of the chemicals are banned now, including mercury based ones. I always used safety gear even though I was laughed at by older greenkeepers in those days.

 

[Duke]

There was a time when people smoked at their desks. Heck, when I had my first two kids I was asked if I preferred a smoking or non smoking room!

One of my bosses smoked all day, he literally used one cigarette to light the next.

In 1988, the organization I worked for had a "best legs" contest. It was a fund raising event for the CFC, cost fifty cents per vote. About a dozen women in the organization donned stockings and heels and had photos taken, but only from the waist down. I don't recall how much money was raised, but the winner was a very quiet young lieutenant in the admin group. I was surprised she even participated.

 

[Stevedog]

When I was in the Army most people smoked. About every hour, on the hour, a group of guys went outside for a 10-15 minute smoke break. The rest of us stayed inside and kept working. After a few weeks of seeing that smokers only had to do 75%-80% of the work as everyone else I decided to take smoke breaks too. I didn't smoke, just went outside with everyone else. When the smokers pointed out that I wasn't smoking I told them "I know, it's a real problem. I'm up to almost two packs of second hand smoke a day. I tried hanging out with people who were on the patch or who chewed nicotine gum but it's just not the same."

One of the seargents tried to call me out for taking breaks without an excuse and I asked if he was encouraging me to start smoking or if he thought only smokers deserved breaks. He thought about it for a moment and then, from that point on, every time there was a smoke break he told everyone to take a break. How each person spent their 10 minute break was up to them, smoking, getting coffee, just chatting it didn't matter. Funnily enough, about 2/3rds of the people who used to take regular smoke breaks quit smoking and just took the breaks.

 

[Lynne]

One of my bosses smoked all day, he literally used one cigarette to light the next.

In 1988, the organization I worked for had a "best legs" contest. It was a fund raising event for the CFC, cost fifty cents per vote. About a dozen women in the organization donned stockings and heels and had photos taken, but only from the waist down. I don't recall how much money was raised, but the winner was a very quiet young lieutenant in the admin group. I was surprised she even participated.

People are so politically correct now days that nobody can have any fun.

 

[crux]

the winner was a very quiet young lieutenant in the admin group. I was surprised she even participated.

It's always the quiet ones, you know.

 

[crux]

I haven't worked in an office for a long, long time. Do they still do the Secret Santa thing or is that now considered non-PC?

 

[Selectric]

I haven't worked in an office for a long, long time. Do they still do the Secret Santa thing or is that now considered non-PC?

The company i worked for did blind draw secret santa for the Christmas party every year.