Industries in Europe and America have changed much and along with them – new employee orientation meetings. What are now sit-down meetings with bagels were once highly-productive meetings meant to orient employees with hourly lashings and week-old gruel.

Molly's production suffered the first few days on the job because she failed to pay attention during orientation.

Most orientation meetings in the 18th and 19th centuries were standardized. Orientation would take place during two business days; needless to say, the forty-eight hours was an adjustment for those who had not worked before or who had only held a 15-hour/day part-time position. Meetings were begun with an ice-breaker game – a favorite was “Pin the Tail on the Chinaman.” Among the courses during morning orientation were, “Suppressing Tears Durings Beatings” and “Sexual Harassment: How to Keep Your Job.”

Surprisingly, lunch breaks were actually quite generous as the meals were often provided. New employees could select either gruel in a bowl or gruel in a cup. After lunch employees were beaten with belts, suspenders, baseball bats and wet towels in order to get them adjusted to what they might face on the work floor. Floor managers were given authority to choose which type of beating to administer to under-performing or female employees.

Employees who smoked were seen as promising prospects for managerial positions. Little Mikey later became one of the best Floor Managers in the 20th century because he got an early start.

Times have changed. Employees are now baited into productivity with materialistic incentives and are treated with soft – very soft – gloves to ensure their happiness. What will later generations say of today’s orientation meetings? Only time will tell. But looking back we can see that yesteryear’s orientations gave workers a real taste of what their job would be like.