Colleague has thrown everything away that was on my desk

You must be fun at parties.

I imagine the Hot Desk and OP is stuck in old ways of having her own. She said he sometimes uses the desk, not just a one off, so yes I would class that as sharing desks. What would you say it is?

I have, as you’re the one who bullishly quoted me to state his actions are inexcusable. In a workplace setting, how can that not mean disciplinary/policies at the workplace?

I think that some on this thread have failed to note that you were off sick before Christmas and have gone back to work to your appointed desk to find many of your notes removed.

Whilst I work in a clear desk office, which also hot desks, I am also one of the few who has a designated desk and have given very short shrift when someone has used my space or taken stationery items from my desk. If reminders were removed, I would not have been happy!

Every workplace is different. I would never have personal notes on my work desk, but is that normal where you work?

Just because it's a workplace doesn't necessarily mean that you can't have any personal belongings/notes on show.

Why is it any different to chatting to colleagues about your holiday plans or personal occasions? Both the OP's notes and personal conversations are only unprofessional if they interfere with or take precedence to your work.

We spend such a lot of our lives at work and I think it is unrealistic and undesirable to have a complete separation of work and personal lives. Generally people are more productive employees if the workplace is a pleasant place to be rather than being sterile, impersonal with no room for anything other strictly work-related activities.

(Obviously there are some exceptions for health and safety reasons but this is not what's going on here)

Go about replacing your paper notes as accurately as you can. Take a photo of them too. Add a written sign...
If I'm away sick no one is to throw away my crap. You may pop it into my drawer, if it is in your way.

And clear his desk into his drawer every time you see him gone from his desk for the next little while.. Show that you can touch his stuff.

Sorry OP I am not a ridiculous softy but I think this was over the line by your colleague so you are definitely not being unreasonable.

If he didn’t like it he could have put it in a pile and or put it in your drawer. It isn’t his decision about what is important or not.

Having said that, it is a work desk so that kind of stuff shouldn’t be out and on view anyway .But that’s not his decision to make and to enforce a clean desk policy if your company has that.

I would make it very clear to him to keep his hands off your stuff.

Oh wow, Mr Clean thought he was doing you, and him, a favour cleaning up your desk while you were away sick?

I suppose he must have read through eat little notes too, to know if it was to be considered out of date and therefore rubbish?
I guess it would be too much for him to even think of putting them aside, if out of sight, for you when you returned?

Is it your desk, or just shared occasionally?

Well too late now to get the notes back, but I'd be annoyed too that he touched my personal property and chose to dispose of it on his own.

I'm like that too, I have little notes from my DCs, sweet little notes that are sentimental, I keep them in the pages of my cook books.

That isn’t the same as sharing a desk.

This, personal clutter is annoying

Hope he didn't use sleeping bag when you were off 😠

He is out of order, he must have had a look through them to see what was personal and what was work related or he could have potentially been throwing away work notes/paperwork.

If he had an issue he could have popped them in your drawer or in a tray!

Have you challenged him why it felt necessary to throw it away?

Given that she said he will have had to use it - then yes I think they do 😜

”to find that one of my colleagues who sometimes works at my desk has thrown away all of my papers.”

Of course I do - but even thinking about it is ridiculous! He’s not really done anything. Why does OP need a GCSE timetable? The ones for 2025 surely won’t be out yet so is it just some old tat? She’s not been bullied, don’t be ridiculous.

Have you quoted the right person? I haven’t mentioned disciplinary policy.

Sleeping bag in the office? You're having a laugh.

In future, you should keep your personal stuff in a planner or folder and put it away at the end of the day in a drawer.

I've not worked anywhere without a clear desk policy in about 20 years. I know you've said that your work doesn't have it but for going forward I'd keep my desk clear so that no one knows any of your personal info.

I can’t imagine why it sounds like that, given that the OP has made clear they don’t share desks.

you understand the concept of "hyperbole for comic effect" right?

in any case: if other desks have personal stuff on them and only OPs was cleared, it is very plain where the bullying complaint lies. And it is not with OP

How have you come to that conclusion?

What a nasty piece of work. I’m outraged on your behalf op. I expect he has a very sad and lonely life, otherwise he’d have realised that these sorts of things matter. I take it he doesn’t live with anyone? Or if he does, he must be an absolute bully and an arse to live with. Op, build up a new collection of stuff. Keep it at home. And I guess the thing to remember is that you have your family, and the memories are still there. You can get a new timetable for GCSEs. Maybe he’s even done you a weird sort of favour by resetting your collection. Buddhism recommends detachment. He’s still an arse though.

I think you have been picked upon and from what you say, no one else would have had the same treatment. So you could call it harassment if you wished.

People plotting revenge on this thread are a bit unhinged… opening yourself up to a bullying case if you start all that! Deary me.

I'm not sure. It seems unreasonable and unprofessional to have this personal stuff all over your desk that you knew someone else would use.

What a mean, ignorant thing to do. From what you've said @WinkyTinky you can file this bloke under W for Weirdo anyway so there's no point in confronting him or hoping he'll understand how upset it's made you.

Snuggle in your sleeping bag and fantasise about the time you'll be able to return the favour in some way - revenge best served cold, and all that and your time will come...