Practical point of view. Packing Christmas puddings in July/August 1976. One of the hottest summers ever on record. The tiled floor was sticky underfoot where dry fruit had been dropped, picked up, put back in, but floor never washed from the feel underfoot. Cadbury's for info. Later moved to Smash where if a bag burst, the machine had a vacuum attachment to hoover up the lumps. Bizarrely, the stuff produced for the MoD ie the army was powdered instant mash, not lumps. Didn't ever use Smash again. Next to the puddings they made steamed sultana puddings. The ends of the buildings had heavy plastic doors, without locks, handles for constant fork lift truck access. The sultana puddings were stored in stacked plastic trays that bakeries use. 6 or 7ft high. At tea breaks we used to watch the sparrows on the top, picking the sultanas out.
The pits was at a company that had received an award for it's anti-bullying policies. They only had them to look as if they were doing something about it. Massive provisions but, sadly more for legal fees than for damages to victims - I used to go to lunch with the insurance manager. I was made to sign an appraisal saying in the opinion of my manager I was emotionally unbalanced, because, to protect someone who'd lied to me but was vulnerable - early pregnancy after 4 miscarriages including fraternal twins (and needing dynorod), I revealed I was having counselling for past sexual abuse. The person I protected had been primed to find out why I didn't have children by 'befriending' me. After that I was fair game. Someone even said they couldn't wait to see a new starter having a go at me. Said new starter started screaming obscenities at me when the office was empty except for us. Then saying it was at his phone, not me. Then asking if it bothered me. Then ramping it up when I said it did and I thought it unprofessional. Got even worse, same guy at Christmas dinner manipulated me into truth or dare - opposite end of table to director, my manager or anyone else likely to stop him - he, obviously took first turn, 'newtb, ever taken it up the arse?', my first manager refused to believe me when I told him I was pregnant, saying he'd thought my next career move was going to be counselling whichever minority took my fancy that particular week. Asked me in an open plan office when 2 or 3 months pregnant if I'd do a 3 or 4 month secondment in Russia when I was planning to have amnio. And he knew that. And, that that was why I hadn't disclosed the pregnancy. We'd decided due to lack of family support, v limited funds for childcare that, if, after amnio that if anything too tough to cope with was revealed that I would have an abortion, even though it would require a birth rather than surgery. I told him that when he pestered again. He went a bit green at that one - he had 2 dd. Forced to work 200 miles away from home for 2 weeks when 32 weeks pregnant, travelling by car. I was born at 32 weeks.
Eventually, I gave a month's notice to the director, and left to go to the building where I was working. I'd said it was in confidence, gave anodyne reasons in writing but the real ones verbally. The director knew but had done nothing. In the 15 mins it took me to leave 1 building and drive to another my inbox had filled up with emails from the rest of the team. HR insisted on an exit interview as the son of the founder was concerned. HR defined it as abuse. On the advice of DWP alleged constructive dismissal. They recalculated my stated leaving date, and there was a pre-hearing. The HR manager swore on oath that her version of my leaving date was correct, it was ruled out of time and she was paid off a few months later. Oh yes, a company in which I was almost spat at for not being a Roman Catholic, and where the HR records had the ethnic category of English-Irish.
Bit outing that
They no longer exist as a group of 22,000 employees, some hived off some shut down.
On return from mat leave told by HR director that my rise in pay was only 50 %, as I'd had 6 months off. Queried that if I had another baby the same would happen ie missing a pay rise because of childbirth. When I told my manager I wanted to query this with HR as I thought it was sex descrimination. Told in no uncertain terms that I should drop it.
That's just a summary
And breathe.
Can't use their name but they had interests in clothing/football among other things. They had at one time a director who was an identical twin for Dwayne Dibley in red dwarf the Cat's alter ego.