WALLCHART OF “WISDOM”?
I found the article “Just my Type” recalling the age of the typewriter most interesting. I learned to type at high school and then continued to learn about office and business administration at college.
I qualified as a shorthand typist with a speed of 100 words per minute. Prior to retirement I was secretary to the Director of Planning and Regeneration at Newcastleunder-Lyme Borough Council. A notice was displayed on my office wall featuring “The Typist’s Ten Commandments”, presumably left by a former incumbent. Being rather long, the “rules” included the following:
Typists must remember to be pleasant from Monday morning until Saturday midday.
Typists must realise that, although her boss has never typed, he can do her job in half the time and twice as accurately.
Typists must understand that “typist” is just another word for door-mat, tea-pourer, postmistress, general buyer, mechanic, organised conveyor, listening post, walking encyclopaedia, servant and shop hand.
Typists must have available at all times a crystal ball, aspirins, nail file, corkscrew, tact and charm, endless sympathy and limitless patience.
Typists must be neat and tidy (and, if possible, glamorous – despite the fact that she must be the lowest-paid member of staff) at all times, but never comb her hair, make up or clean her nails in office hours.
There was no indication of the original source nor the name of the author but my impression is that it had been on display for a lengthy period. I’m uncertain whether or not my boss saw it – if he did he never objected to it being on display. It would be interesting to learn if any readers can ever recall seeing such a list or similar.
Lynne Bebbington, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs