There’s always one joker, who likes the sound of their own voice and thinks they’re much funnier than they really are.
There’s typically resentment bubbling away among the long-serving staff members who’ve once again been overlooked for promotion.
And there’s usually some romantic intrigue, which occasionally rears its head when everyone has a little too much to drink at the Christmas party.
But there are many ways in which working in an office today is a world apart from how it was in the 80s and 90s.
The biggest change of course is the technology, but there are other ways in which office work has altered over the decades, most recently with the rise in working from home and hot-desking.
How many of these features of office life in the 80s and 90s, including the unmistakable smells and sounds, do you remember?
If you enjoyed this trip down memory lane, you might like this retro photo gallery with some of the best photos from the 80s.
1. The chunky computers
Computers in the 80s and 90s were not the sleek units we know today. They were beasts, usually in an unappealing shade of grey, which took up most of your desk. | Getty Images Photo: Historic England/Heritage Images
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2. The screech of the fax machine
The grating screech of the fax machine was part of the soundtrack to office life in the 80s and 90s. Receiving and sending faxes felt like being at the forefront of technology during the 80s. | Getty Images
3. Flicking through a Rolodex
Before we stored all our contacts on our computers or our phones, a Rolodex was an office essential. There was particular satisfaction to be gained from flicking through the cards and landing first time on exactly the one you were seeking. | Getty Images Photo: Space Frontiers/Archive Photos/Hulton Archive
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4. Big phones
Before mobile phones became ubiquitous, there was always some poser who wanted to look important by pulling out their brick of a phone and making a very loud call. There were bonus points if you did it while holding a Filofax. | Getty Images Photo: John Downing