The office used to be a lot crazier than people realize. If you’ve ever heard a boomer tell some pretty shocking stories about their workdays back in the ’60s or ’70s, you might think they’re exaggerating. They’re not. Many of the things they did in the workplace would get you fired today, and we’re going to look at 19 of these.
Turning Down Job Applicants Just Because They Were Women
Some hiring managers didn’t even pretend to be fair, and as soon as they saw a female name on a resume, they’d immediately throw it out. They’d say things like, “She’ll probably leave to have a baby anyway,” and such behavior was routine back then. Doing this now would immediately lead to HR knocking on your door, and possibly a federal investigation. You could expect an empty desk by the end of the day.
Expecting Female Employees to Serve Coffee
You could be a woman with a business degree and five years of experience, but your boss would still point to the coffee machine like that was your job. He really didn’t care what your job title was. If you were female, you were expected to pour the drinks, and having this kind of attitude today would get you suspended or investigated. You would probably be straight-up fired for gender discrimination.
Calling Female Coworkers Pet Names
But that’s not all. Some male workers would openly call their female colleagues “sweetheart” or “honey” during team meetings or while handing off reports. It was weird then, and it’s definitely not okay now because we understand how patronizing it is. Some people did complain about it, of course, but they were told to just “lighten up” back then. Today, HR wouldn’t even wait for a second offense to take action.
Treating Interns Like Personal Assistants
Boomer-era internships were essentially just unpaid assistant roles in disguise. For example, if you needed someone to book your anniversary dinner, you could just send the intern. If you forgot your wife’s gift, you could make the intern pick it up. This sort of behavior may have been acceptable back then, but it wouldn’t be allowed anymore. You’d possibly lose your job for wasting company resources like this.
Lying About Hours On a Handwritten Timesheet
In the days before everything was digital, it was normal for people to round up their hours or to just make them up completely. After all, nobody was checking, and it was all on paper, so who would know? But that kind of padding is actually time theft, and it’s a lot easier to catch someone doing it today. Rather than getting a warning, doing so would mean you’d get fired for falsifying records.
Writing Personal Checks From the Company Account
Some boomers thought dipping into the company’s money was fine as long as they paid it back later, and they’d write themselves a check to “hold them over” until payday. However, there’s no question about that sort of behavior today. That’s financial misconduct. Trying that now, even just once, would almost guarantee that you get fired and possibly sued, too.
Accessing An Employee’s File Just to Snoop
It used to be normal for supervisors or admins to look through someone’s file just to see how much they made or what their last review said. There wasn’t always a legitimate reason for it, and it was sometimes just curiosity. These days, opening a private employee file without a real purpose is a data privacy violation. In fact, you could be gone before lunch if you pulled something like that today.
Giving Out Home Addresses of Employees For “Birthday Surprises”
Speaking of data breaches, managers used to hand out people’s home addresses to coworkers or vendors like it was no big deal. Usually, this was for things like flower deliveries or “fun surprises,” and they’d do it completely without asking. But that would be a massive privacy breach now, and sharing that kind of personal info could break company policy or actual law. It’d definitely get someone fired.
Calling All the Women “Girls”
It didn’t matter if a female employee was a director or running a whole department, as many boomer bosses would call her “one of the girls.” They said it in front of clients and during presentations, even during team meetings. But today, we understand that this kind of language is as dated as it is condescending. It’s guaranteed to lead to formal complaints, and some people have lost their jobs for less.
Physically Grabbing Someone to “Make a Point”
In the past, some older managers would literally grab an employee’s arm or pat their back in the middle of a lecture to get their point across. It didn’t matter if it made people uncomfortable because they saw it as normal. Now, repeatedly giving unwanted touches like that could be classified as inappropriate physical contact. And yes, people absolutely get fired for it, even if they don’t intend it that way.
Demanding Female Employees Wear Makeup or Heels
Many boomer bosses expected women to wear heels and lipstick to look professional. Some of them even spoke about it in meetings, and rather than it being a dress code, it was kind of an expectation about appearances that didn’t apply to anyone else. Making these sorts of comments now would send someone straight to HR and possibly out the door, if there was a paper trail or witnesses.
Smoking at Their Desk
There was a time when puffing away at your desk was just part of office life, like using a stapler or answering the phone. Nobody cared that smoke had a constant presence in the office, or that people had ashtrays overflowing with butts. However, these days, you’d get fired so fast your lighter would still be warm. Even holding an unlit cigarette indoors at work would probably lead to a report.
Drinking Alcohol During Lunch Breaks
A couple of beers at lunch, maybe a Scotch if the client was paying, was totally normal back then. It wasn’t even just for Friday afternoons, as some kept it up daily with a flask in the glove box or a bottle in a desk drawer. Happy hour started early. Now, if you show up smelling like booze after lunch, someone will file an incident report. We see casual drinking on a break as impairment, and it’s not something most companies joke about.
Making Jokes About Weight or Appearance
Boomers thought they were being funny when they commented on someone’s figure or hairstyle, except they’d do it loud enough for the whole office to hear. It was normal to hear things like “You’re looking fuller these days” or “You should smile more” in the office. Even if you didn’t like it, you’d ignore it or laugh nervously because calling it out wasn’t an option. However, now, you’d get called into HR for even hinting at something like that. It’s workplace harassment.
Sharing Offensive Jokes On the Office Printer
Some boomer employees used to print out cartoons or dirty jokes and leave them around. These jokes were tasteless at best, and sexist, racist, or straight-up inappropriate at worst. Still, boomers would tape them up in cubicles or pass them around in memos. Trying that now would almost certainly lead to you being terminated on the same day and getting escorted out with a cardboard box.
Telling Women They Shouldn’t Work After Having Kids
Male workers would say things like, “Shouldn’t you be home with the baby?” to their female coworkers’ faces. Bosses also felt okay with pulling a new mom aside and asking when she planned to quit, regardless of whether she was planning to do so. Some even reassigned or demoted women during maternity leave. But that’s completely illegal now and would likely lead to a lawsuit.
Asking Candidates About Their Marriage or Religion
Interview questions used to be far too personal, and questions like “Are you planning to have kids?” or “What church do you go to?” were seen as casual conversation. It wasn’t uncommon for hiring managers to base decisions on how the candidates answered these questions. After all, you had to be the “right fit” for the company. But now, asking such questions is illegal and could get you fired on the spot, as we take equal opportunity laws much more seriously.
Refusing to Train Younger Employees
Rather than passive resistance, some boomers would openly refuse to train younger employees because they believed “the kid’s gonna take my job.” A few would even go as far as hoarding information or giving bad instructions on purpose, just to avoid being replaced. That kind of attitude might’ve flown back then, but now it’s seen as misconduct and could get you fired. And guess what? The kid still gets the job.
Playing Poker in the Break Room
Boomers ate lunch in the breakroom like the rest of us, but they also brought decks of cards and made a whole event out of it. Whether it was poker or blackjack, they had fun, and some played for money or used company supplies for scorekeeping. Today, you’d be in trouble for wasting company time and probably questioned about gambling on the clock. It’d also raise red flags for productivity and ethics, perhaps even compliance.
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