An abandoned factory somewhere in Connecticut epitomizes the sad fate of traditional manufacturing industries once they reach the end of the production line.

Hallgreen’s

Safety glasses may have been required but you’d need a powerful pair of rose-colored specs to perceive the power of this former factory in its green-walled glory days. The actual closing date is unknown, its name is not important, its use to anyone is negligible – unless you’re the graffiti artist who dropped his or her empty cans without a care. Did they at least wear safety glasses?

‘Dis Barred

It’s enough to drive one to drink… well, not literally. OK, literally… the photo above would appear to show a stool-less bar counter though we want to believe the bottles arrived after the business closed (or after the close of business). Photographer and Flickr member Matthew Hester visited this name-withheld-to-protect-the-innocent factory in late October of 2013 and no matter how thirsty he might have been, it’s safe to say NOTHING would have made him sample the contents of those bottles.

We Worked

This factory has been closed so long and has been trashed so much, it’s pretty much impossible to discern exactly what products it made, assembled and/or packaged. Not that it matters much: the decline of America’s manufacturing sector was broad and deep, decimating countless businesses and manufacturing concerns across a vast spectrum of market sectors.

Hammered & Nailed

People talk about the “Rust Belt”, often with a “better them than us” aura of schadenfreud, but New England’s boom era of hulking textile mills turned to bust long before the Midwest experienced an eerily similar collapse. Fallout from the Financial Crisis of 2007-2008 (aka the Great Recession) effectively kicked the second wave of successor industries when they were down, and hopes for yet one more phoenix rising from the ashes now lay as scattered as the debris on the factory floor above.

Red Brick Dream

The nascent era of cloud computing and globally fragmented product and production sourcing offers few options for bricks & mortar manufacturing dinosaurs like this one. Will some visionary “angel” developer swoop in with bags of dough, eager to turn the former factory into loft studios for niche artists? Would local authorities sweeten the pot with tax breaks and zoning bylaw exemptions? Is the amount of carelessly disposed hazardous waste, not seen as dangerous at all back when it was dumped, put a toxic damper on the site’s future prospects?

Time will only tell, but every former civilization leaves ruins for the next to interpret. Ours is – or will be – no different.

Back in the grim days of The Great Recession, companies large and small laid off workers while discouraging new hires with a wealth of “no hiring” signs.

Train In Vain

Historic Pullman, a former company town dating from the 1880s, is today one of Chicago’s 77 defined community areas. Though the South Side district has been a National Historic Landmark Site since 1969, renovation and rehabilitation of its buildings – including the former Pullman Clock Tower and Administration Building (now the Pullman National Monument Visitor Center) above – is an ongoing process, one that requires laborers… sometimes.

Construction work is typically one of the go-to manual labor options when times are tough. We’re assuming such jobs in the Pullman Historic District were snapped up quickly during late-2007 to mid-2009, when the above photos by Flickr members Bart Heird, crowbert, and Lynn Josse were taken.

Just Say No-No

They thought “no hiring” was so nice, they had to say it twice! Well, not really, but you can’t blame English-speakers for just seeing the “NOT HIRING – NO” part and tuning out “Se contrata a nadie” (“Nobody is hired”). Flickr member Indiana Public Media/WFIU captured the above sign posted in front of a construction project in April of 2009.

Peak Helplessness

“NO HELP WANTED”, reads the sign posted at Summit Industries in September of 2007, to which Flickr member and photographer bluefishtuesday replied, “especially not yours” and “recession, much?” Times were tough all over back in The Great Recession but Chicago seems to have been hit especially hard – this photo was snapped on W Lawrence Ave in the Far North Side.

Take Your Talents Elsewhere

More construction, this time in Miami, FL where workers hopeful of employment were greeted by “NOT HIRING” and “No nececitamos trabatatores” (“We do not need workers”). Times must have been tough indeed: the company couldn’t even afford a pre-printed no-hiring sign… and you can bet somebody was charged for the orange spray paint. Flickr member R. Maas captured the above labor-unfriendly scene in March of 2009.

Pay-Away Plan

How to save money when hiring staff, Exhibit #42… brought to you by The Brick, a chain of Canadian furniture and home appliance stores. In 2007, Flickr member Alex Indigo snapped this sign that appears to tell prospective hires they won’t receive any financial compensation ’til 2009. We don’t know how many workers this store ended up hiring but we wouldn’t be surprised if at least one was fired.

Garage Banned

“Too many people looking for work. Don’t bother asking here,” stated Flickr member Kyle Harr about Ron’s Garage in Pewamo, MI. The eponymous “Ron” must have had unemployed workers pestering him day and night for a job, any job, even the thankless task of hanging “NOT HIRING” signs on multiple windows to deter job-seekers approaching from any direction.

Speaking of signs of negativity, note that Ron’s also posts “NO PARKING”, “NO SOLICITING”, “Authorized STUDEBAKER Service” and “Approved PACKARD Service” signs. That might help to explain why the garage apparently conducts NO BUSINESS and thus, needs no staff.

OW My Bank Balance

Flickr member Pak Gwei snapped this trio of fence-mounted signs in Washington D.C.’s Franklin McPherson Square back in March of 2007, mere weeks before the Subprime Mortgage Crisis sparked what would turn out to be the worst global economic contraction since the 1930s. Hope may always spring eternal but in the spring of ’07, the stage was being set for an epic fall. Note to the anonymous wiseguy who made an “adjustment” to the handmade “No Hiring” sign: much pain is about to ensue; you should have erased the “N” after adding the “W”.

This eclectic selection of “We’re Hiring” signs illustrate some of the unusual ways companies offer jobs in a booming economy with low unemployment.

“We’re still hiring humans”, declares this billboard ad for Carnegie Robotics in “The City of Bridges” (presumably Pittsburgh, PA), and that’s good news, right? Right?? Indeed, there’s something more than a little sinister about this pitch and the image of a vaguely Bender-ish robot doesn’t help. At least they didn’t give him a goatee. Flickr member Nick Amoscato snapped a couple shots of the jumbo hiring ad in June of 2018.

Hirers Gonna Hire

OK, maybe you could write off this hiring banner for Sears as a “vintage” photo but according to Flickr member and photographer Random Retail, the image dates from 2013 and was taken at a newly closed Sears store in Pennsdale, PA. Like Sears hasn’t trolled its remaining workers enough; does it really have to jerk the chains of potential employees as well?

Proofreader Wanted

Now we know why there’s no “I” in “team”… it’s found a new home on this bizarre hiring ad. While one might excuse a typo on a hand-written sign, this appears to be a manufactured or at least, a bulk-printed piece. That means there must be many more out there, barring any flashes of comprehension by the staff members charged with deploying them. Normally we’d mask some or all of the phone number to avoid embarrassing the proprietor but in this case, Flickr member Domenico Bettinelli‘s image has been posted for almost 12 years. Also, they deserve to be shamed.

Eat Mor Pengwin

Is this a hiring billboard or a lost cat, er, penguin poster? Why not both? “Tux” the penguin is the official brand character of the Linux brand so, umm, where is he… and what’s with that ‘gator’s evil, lip-smackin’ grin? Who designed this ad anyway, Admiral Ackbar? Flickr member Michael Coghlan snapped the fearsome hiring billboard in Austin, TX (wherever you are) in January of 2012.

Hiring In Plain Site

Yes, “site”, as in a plain site situated in plain sight. Bet it looks even plainer on the inside due to the apparent lack of windows, not to mention a door. Wouldn’t the latter make the whole “inquire within” thing somewhat of a challenge, to say the least? Maybe they’re interviewing pole vaulters. Flickr member joepopp captured this enigmatic example of hiring-inside-the-box back in March of 2007.

Next Page - Click Below to Read More:
Worker Be 10 Were Hiring Signs Of The Times

As workers become increasingly packed in modern, open-plan offices and coworking spaces, designers keep working on high-tech solutions to allow employees to focus, often with the unintended effect of highlighting office layout shortcomings.

The latest of these gadget-based solutions is a set of “blinkers” from Panasonic’s “Future Life Factory,” designed to block out sights and sounds from the wearer’s sides so they can hone in on what’s in front of them.

These Wear Space units, they believe, will help keep work environments distraction-free. They were created in collaboration with Japanese fashion designer Kunihiko Morinaga. Somehow, though, the photographs just reinforce a sense of dread, with humans arrayed in front of small screens like captured cattle. But who knows: maybe they will prove useful barring other spatial redesigns.

“As open offices and digital nomads are on the rise, workers are finding it ever more important to have personal space where they can focus,” said the company. “Wear Space instantly creates this kind of personal space – it’s as simple as putting on an article of clothing.” The user can then adjust their field of view and reduce peripheral vision to desired levels. This is coupled with noise-cancelling technology for audio isolation. Of course, no such potentially dystopian, present-day design would be complete without a crowdfunding campaign, currently scheduled for late 2018.

Made by power tool-maker Makita, this is the ultimate coffee machine to energize construction workers, charged by the same batteries already in use on work sites. The CM501D is designed to derive energy from plug-in, rechargeable, lithium-ion power sources that drive cordless screws, drills, saws and other standard equipment.

For those unfamiliar with them: these swappable systems (used by various companies) add simplicity and redundancy, allowing different tools to work off share batteries, so some can be recharged while others are in use.

The Japanese company behind this unusual battery usage boasts the mobility of the device, which can be brought to work sites that are not yet plugged into the grid. It can make about a half-dozen cups on a single 18V battery charge, from modular coffee packs or ground coffee It is convenient, requiring no paper filter (grounds can be poured straight in), compact, versatile and fast.

Makita’s first coffee maker went on sale in 2015, but the design was more conventional — it was less robust and compact (featuring a cord that batteries could be plugged into). The new model is made to me sturdier and safer, an all-in-one machine without any lines to trip over.

As a general strategy, this powering system opens the door to other similar ideas, too — anything needing electricity on a building site could be adapted to function in a similar way. Meanwhile, other toolmakers (like DeWalt, Ryobi, Bosch and Dremel) could learn a lesson or two from this manufacturer.