Paper-counting technique

Sometimes, a counter would be called to the finishing department, where the men were packing reams of paper, to perform an extra step of quality control. As some former female employees of the company related, this was very embarrassing for them, as they would be alone in a room full of men—some of whom were not at all shy about making comments and teasing them. “We couldn’t wait for it to be over so we could go back to working in our department, with just us girls,” remembers Monique Thibodeau.

Counters could also be asked to count bank-note paper. They were carefully watched, and had to sit in a sort of cage to do the job. They were forbidden from taking their handbags in with them, and had to be escorted if they needed to use the bathroom.