Times have certainly changed and especially in the workplace. What used to be the norm back in the day is completely different now, like smoking in the office or having a drink during lunch. Here are twelve of the most outrageous practices that were once standard fare at work. It’s a mix of the good, the bad & the “what were they thinking?” that’ll make you appreciate just how far we’ve come.
Featured Image Credit: Elnur_ /Depositphotos.com.
Smoking Indoors
In the past, sitting at your desk being surrounded by a cloud of smoke was completely normal. Ashtrays were as common on desks as staplers and it’s hard to imagine that now, with all our smoke-free laws & health campaigns. But in those days, if you were a non-smoker, you just had to grin & bear it—or join in.
Mandatory Retirement
Hitting 65 used to be a forced exit sign from your job. The idea was that fresh, young blood needed room to move up & older people should step aside, ready or not. It seems pretty harsh now. We’re focused more on experience and age discrimination in the workplace is now illegal. And let’s face it—65 is the new 45 for a lot of us!
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Lack of Maternity Leave
Can you imagine being expected to quit your job just because you’re expecting? Not too long ago, paid maternity leave was non-existent and women often had to choose between motherhood or their careers. Thankfully, we’ve made leaps & bounds since then. We now recognize that, yes, women can have a baby & a job—they deserve support for both.
Sexist Job Advertisements
Job ads used to be rather blatant with their sexism. “Wanted: Young and attractive female receptionist” was seen as perfectly acceptable criteria because skills were second-best to a candidate fitting a certain look or gender role. Nowadays, such ads would (rightly) cause controversy, even though it was part of the job hunt way back when.
Limited Career Opportunities for Women
Similarly, women were often pigeonholed into “suitable” roles like secretaries or teachers, no matter what they really dreamed of doing. The glass ceiling was a concrete barrier. Today, while we’re still working on shattering that ceiling entirely, women have made incredible strides to prove that gender should never limit potential.
The Lack of Remote Work Options
The idea of working from anywhere but the office used to be a foreign concept. If you suggested working from home, your boss would’ve probably fired you because the thought of not being physically present & under a supervisor’s watchful eye was unthinkable. Fast forward to now and remote work is equally accepted as it is celebrated.
Long Boozy Lunches
Business deals & networking once happened over long lunches with more booze than food. The focus was on wining and dining, with little thought to how it might affect your work in the afternoon. These days, a liquid lunch is a guarantee for a conversation with HR. Our sense of professionalism & productivity is far more important.
No Personal Computers
An office without personal computers sounds practically impossible now but once upon a time, everything was done by hand or with a typewriter. Memos were the email of the day! The introduction of personal computers completely transformed the workplace & made us far more productive. Thankfully, it also put an end to the dreaded carbon copies!
Casual Racism and Sexism
What people once brushed off as locker room talk or just a bit of banter would (and should) lead to HR complaints today. Casual racism & sexism were rampant in those days. Of course, offensive jokes still exist but they’re less likely to go unchecked. We have a far greater understanding of how our words can affect other people.
No Health and Safety Regulations
It’s hard to believe there was a time when health & safety were simply afterthoughts. We thought that hazards were part of the job & protective measures were minimal at best. These days, there’s a whole industry dedicated to keeping workers safe—and rightly so. How did we manage without those safety nets?!
Corporate Espionage as a Norm
We used to think of spying on competitors as another tool in the business toolkit, with things like bugging meeting rooms or poaching employees for insider info being fair game. Nowadays, such practices would land you in a heap of legal trouble. And let’s not forget the PR nightmare of it all! Ethics in business has made corporate espionage a trope of bad spy movies instead.
Dress Codes Straight Out of Mad Men
Back in the day, you couldn’t express your personal style with your office attire because the focus was on suits, ties & polished shoes for the gents. For ladies? Skirts, heels and pearls, every single day. The idea of showing up to work in jeans was absolutely shocking, although many workplaces have embraced a more relaxed dress code nowadays.
Disclaimer: This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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