The Secret Life of Machines

S03E06

The Secret Life of the Office

Today, over 50% of jobs are in offices, but 160 years ago the figure was only 1%, and the only office workers were 'Dickensian' clerks. They had considerable status and freedom to organise their work, and kept financial ledgers, but there were no forms, memos, reports, etc. Episode Contents: Guests: The suspended ceiling conceals all the ventilation and lighting systems. A tour of the inner workings of a typical office building. Films: Cartoons about what makes a good office. Gilbreth's time and motion films. An poetic little film from the 40's about progress and change. An excerpt from a goofy 50's educational film regarding the human relations approach to management. Zombies from the 70's demonstrate new computer systems. Extro: An amazingly active office scene where everything (computers, desklamps, binders, papers) seems to be attached to actuators.