What was normal in your workplace in the noughties that would be outrageous now

[Shhhhivegotasecret]

My example - all the men going off to continue business meeting at a Stringfellows leaving all the women behind…. Would be the stuff of tribunals nowadays, back then it was 🤷‍♀️

It was until the time a huge chunk of glass was still attached to the Cork as it flew across the room before hitting someone in the face.

It was done outside after that.

Going to the pub at lunchtime and staying there all afternoon. Strippers for a guy's birthday in the pub. Smoking.

Good times!😂

🤣🤣🤣🤣

Designating one office as the 'smoking office' regardless of whether there were non smokers working in there. Everyone would come and smoke at break and lunchtime. You couldn't see a thing in front of you.

The 'girls' in the office making tea and coffee for everyone. We all had to take our turn. There was one very lovely man who insisted on taking his turn, but the rest just sat there and were waited on by the women - the lazy bastards.

Doctors mess parties going on till 5am and then tipping up to work at 8🫣
Consultants pinging my bra strap and telling me I had nice tits.

I was being sexually harassed by a male colleague (though at the time we didn't call it sexual harassment, we called it "banter"). I complained to my female much older boss about it and she said "enjoy the attention, they won't bother when you're 40"

My 55 yo male boss used to hide parts of my lunch he deemed unhealthy.

I was invited along to drinks etc as the token young woman when a deal closed.

There are so many. I wish I'd stuck up for myself more.

Loved reading through these. The good old days.

Some of the things we used to do were completely outrageous but we've gone too far the other way now. Sad.

Phone hacking. (Though I didn't know it at the time.)

Early 90s there was a smokers staff room in my high school.

Late 90s and we'd have a glass of wine on a staff member's birthday in the primary school I worked in.

Was this in the finance/banking sector by any chance?!

Boozy Christmas parties in the office on Christmas Eve. Smoking in the office. When I had a summer job as a student the men in the office wrote an ode to my bum when I left.

I remember very scantily clad kiss-a-grams coming on men's birthdays a few times. Cringeworthy.

One small charity I worked for in London, the boss had slept with most of the female staff there!

Smoking room up until the ban on indoor smoking.

'Page 3' type calendars on desks

Not done regularly but considered OK to go to the pub at lunchtime for occasional celebrations and drink alcohol.

Military. Birthdays and other similar celebrations.

I'm surprised we all didn't die of alcohol poisoning

Another one who remembers smoking in the office and getting smashed on a Friday lunchtime and basically doing fuck all until we could go back to the pub.

Simpler times.

For me, a Tea Lady. You didn't get your coffee from a vending machine or make it yourself. In my first job it was one of the office juniors (female) and was part of her role which was accounts. Don't think it would be tolerated in our fairly progressive society today!

I’ve worked for myself a long time now so miss office life!

in the noughties my boss would bring his dogs in, he’d also bring in partridge I think or some game bird to give to clients (he’d shot the bird).

Lots of boob comments from the guys in the office.

and yes lots of going out for lunch and a beer and lots after work too.

i didn’t realise people don’t go for pub lunches anymore at lunchtimes?

Yeah smoking canteens
The notifications on the staff board turning brown
It was grim

I used to walk pass a bus garage very regularly from the late 80s until around 2013.

There used to be completely obvious pictures of page 3 girls and other "soft" porn plastered all over the walls, which as a passing member of the public you could easily see.

They started having regular women drivers and inspectors from the mid-90s. Though most didn't stay long.

Over the years the number decreased until around 2008 I noticed that there were absolutely none at all.

It was considered normal when I worked at a well known fast food chain in 2002 for the male team leader to come up behind you and rub himself against us young girls.
It made me deeply uncomfortable at the time and makes my skin crawl now. Everyone knew no one said a thing against him. What a creep.

Smoking. The sexual harassment isn't that different.

People will still have a drink with lunch but won't come back slurring their words.

Going full circle, as my company encourages "Bring your whole self to work" we can openly talk about going to Torture Garden and any other left field topics of anyone's choice. 10 years ago, it was all very hush hush.

I have memories of a regular office job in 1995, where the Sales Office (men) had nude calendars adorning the walls.