The history of work (III): an employee with talent in 1951
Following on from “A contract for a schoolmistress in 1923” and “Eleven rules for hiring women (1943)“, I’d like to share with you another pearl of wisdom from the past, this time from the book Practical Business Psychology by Laird and Laird, published by the prestigious McGraw-Hill Book Company in 1951. In this book the authors list the qualities which we should have if we want to be considered an employee with talent. (My favourite one comes at the end.)
Technical Qualities
1. Accuracy in day-to-day work
2. Completion of said work quickly
3. Planning of work beforehand
4. Neatness and tidiness in finished work
5. Knowledge of the systems of work in the office
6. Capacity to learn new systems
Social Qualities
1. Pleasant appearance
2. Use of appropriate language
3. Discretion as regards the secrets of the business
4. Cooperation with the rest of the employees
5. Acceptance of suggestions and criticism
Personal Qualities
1. Punctuality
2. Completion of tasks before the deadline
3. Initiative
4. Awareness of one’s own personal responsibility
And one final piece of advice: “To have a pleasant wife, if one aspires to be promoted.” In other words, if you weren’t bothered about getting on in the company, you could marry who you liked.
How often do you write your blogs? I enjoy them a lot