# Office communication before the advent of email **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 28, 2017, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-communication-before-the-advent-of-email/802950 "2017-11-28T13:56:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ctnguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@ctnguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ctnguy)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2017, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-communication-before-the-advent-of-email/802950/21 "2017-11-28T19:33:44Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > Also, an artifact from that day: the “[holey joe](https://www.amazon.com/Quality-Park-String-Interoffice-Envelope/dp/B004XMZOL6)” envelope, used to route documents. In my memory, nothing epitomizes bureaucratic workflow in that era better than that envelope. > [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Anything that was coming from a place in the company other than on my floor (i.e., another floor in my building, or another facility) would show up in a [reusable inter-departmental mail envelope](http://www.davidlauri.com/mazer/Mazer_interoffice_envelope2.JPG). Why the holes in the envelope? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2017, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-communication-before-the-advent-of-email/802950/22 "2017-11-28T19:38:23Z")
In the early days of my business, I circulated a few memos each week. They all sounded very serious, but most were just goofy. “Toilet paper _must_ be hung over-the-top in order to meet OSHA Regulations” type stupidity. Yet people comp[lied! ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2017, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-communication-before-the-advent-of-email/802950/23 "2017-11-28T19:39:24Z")
> [@ctnguy](#): > > Why the holes in the envelope? So you could see it wasn’t empty, I assume. ETA: [Like this.](https://www.staples-3p.com/s7/is/image/Staples/s0200610_sc7?$splssku$) ---
**Author:** ![AllShookDown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d9b06d/32.png) [@AllShookDown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllShookDown)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2017, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-communication-before-the-advent-of-email/802950/24 "2017-11-28T19:40:40Z")
> [@ctnguy](#): > > Why the holes in the envelope? So you can tell by looking at the envelope whether there’s something inside or if it’s empty. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2017, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-communication-before-the-advent-of-email/802950/25 "2017-11-28T20:28:50Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > Also, an artifact from that day: the “[holey joe](https://www.amazon.com/Quality-Park-String-Interoffice-Envelope/dp/B004XMZOL6)” envelope, used to route documents. In my memory, nothing epitomizes bureaucratic workflow in that era better than that envelope. Oh, man. There was nothing like arriving at my desk in the morning and having several of those waiting for me in my inbox. Most of them simply contained a sheet of paper with a brief announcement and a list of names at the bottom. You initialed next to your name, put it back in the envelope, wrote the next guy’s name on the envelope and tossed it in your outbox. More time spent shuffling the envelope and the paper than in reading the memo. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2017, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-communication-before-the-advent-of-email/802950/26 "2017-11-28T20:31:21Z")
Memos were an official form of communication. Simple hand written notes were also common, and often attached to other paperwork that there was a lot more of. I had In and Out boxes on my desk, there was incoming mail, memos, notes, official letters even more formal than memos, and lots of forms coming in and out for approval or perusal. Those forms would often have hand-written notes attached, like an invoice for approval with a note from accounting about the balance as an example. The invention of the Post-It note was a big thing because it made it so simple to add a note to something else. And we spent more time on the phone too. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-communication-before-the-advent-of-email/802950/27 "2017-11-30T06:02:20Z")
Virtually none. General staff notices went on the bulletin board. Multiple copies wasted carbon paper. Office girls with black hands knew how to run a hand-crank mimeograph machine. Missed callbacks scribbled on trash-can envelopes and left on my typewriter (manual, non-electric Underwood). The time and place of the annual Christmas party in the pay envelope. Anything fairly serious, a secretary would come around and say “Pointy-haired guy would like to see you.” Phone call for you, yell “line 2” across the room. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-communication-before-the-advent-of-email/802950/28 "2017-11-30T16:31:13Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Memos, company newsletters, etc. yep they were all printed and distributed. I also remember when the team would have large documents to review, they would print a copy and attach a “routing slip”, and the copy was passed around for everyone to review and write comments. Yes, a colleague who has been here at least 25 years recently retired and showed a slide show including an image of the routing form with names, where you would check off that you had read it, and take it to the next person. He was in IT and the comparison between then and now was dramatic – especially in the number of IT staff people! ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-communication-before-the-advent-of-email/802950/29 "2017-11-30T16:33:59Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > Also, an artifact from that day: the “[holey joe](https://www.amazon.com/Quality-Park-String-Interoffice-Envelope/dp/B004XMZOL6)” envelope, used to route documents. In my memory, nothing epitomizes bureaucratic workflow in that era better than that envelope. Some areas still use those here. Back in the day, the month-end accounting reports would be stuffed for hundreds of departments and delivered in those. At year-end there were multiple closes and each day’s reports had to be stuffed and delivered. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-communication-before-the-advent-of-email/802950/30 "2017-11-30T17:49:00Z")
I remember when I was around 21, I had a college temp job in an office. This was 1993. We didn’t have email or internet (or at least I didn’t). My manager would just come by every now and then to give me stuff to do. But it was very boring dealing with long stretches of no work and nothing besides Minesweeper to occupy my time. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-communication-before-the-advent-of-email/802950/31 "2017-11-30T18:09:38Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > Also, an artifact from that day: the “[holey joe](https://www.amazon.com/Quality-Park-String-Interoffice-Envelope/dp/B004XMZOL6)” envelope, used to route documents. In my memory, nothing epitomizes bureaucratic workflow in that era better than that envelope. We still have those around the office; sometimes we use them to route congratulations or going-away cards, and once in a while, I need to send something physical to another building and use them still. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2017, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-communication-before-the-advent-of-email/802950/32 "2017-11-30T18:32:14Z")
Hand written notes put in your Box, or taped onto your desk if deemed urgent. Memos for official ‘everyone needs to know stuff only’. Manufacturing plant with offices. No beepers, pagers. radios or cell phones, just desk phones. If you were away from your desk and in the “plant” there was a primitive buzzer system through speakers. Two short bursts and a long meant “Dallas, find a phone and call the front desk”. Bonk…Bonk…BONNNNNKKKK. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/office-communication-before-the-advent-of-email/802950.md?page=1)