Colleague has thrown everything away that was on my desk

This isn’t for the OP’s colleague to decide though. If OP’s manager has an issue with this, he or she can raise it directly and ask the OP to have a tidy-up. It’s not for some jobsworth to take it upon himself.

He sounds as right knob. Can you talk to HR about him?

The more you say the more it's a case of what did you expect? The guy sounds like a knob and if you know he's going to sit at your desk then safeguard your stuff. Because knobs are gonna knob.

I'd be furious too and I would let him have it with both barrels. I would also go out of my way to sabotage him at work at every opportunity.

I said it was quite normal, because it is. Many places definitely do have it, but I didn't state it was ubiquitous and there would be no examples of this not in place!

The reason most places (of those which do have it) have it for confidentiality, but lots of people prefer it too, as their belongings and documents are safe and kept private.

Some people do not want to work surrounded by bits of paper and random pieces of information, but want to be able to file things in an organised way and concentrate on the task at hand.

And these aren't really personal possessions in the way that pp have described or is typical for sentimental reasons eg. cards, ornaments or photos etc. They're scribbled notes and would definitely be better in a folder, diary or notebook, which is unlikely to be mistaken for litter.

Do you have someone responsible for HR issues? Is he more senior to you professionally?
Obviously he should have not thrown any of your things away.

If it's your desk I'd absolutely put in a formal complaint.... Sounds like he wouldn't have gone through it... And there were important notes about work in it wasn't there...

Any nornal person would:

A) either work around your personal stuff...

B) Or and what i did when using someone's desk when they were off long term.. (they were really really untidy plus never cleaned up all their food /drink spills... ), carefully put it all in a carrier bag for them to review later.

Never, ever throw away stuff unless you're the boss!

If he's not the boss he has no business taking it upon himself to throw his colleague's stuff away. It doesn't sound like you hot desk or have a clear desk policy, so you've done nothing wrong. I note you say he didn't throw away betting slips of another male colleague, so it does imply he may be singling you out.

Why is it unprofessional?

He’s binned personal items from YOUR desk. I’d be having serious words with him. He had no right. Graffiti about an ex colleague’s chest? Tracks mud in? Is he a teenager?!

Its unprofessional to have all personal things across your desk for everyone to see. But he should have just put them in a drawer.

Those things didn't need to be thrown away 🤷‍♀️

Oh my God @WinkyTinky I’d have to change my former comment to add ‘oh yeah, thinking of things that annoy others, maybe think about not leaving muddy footprints everywhere and stop using the ladies’ loo’.

Grr. Annoyed in your behalf.

This!
I would be bloody furious. If he was only needing to use your desk some of the time to cover your job while you were off with flu then your personal stuff wasn't inconveniencing him. This was pure spite.

I would certainly be raising a grumble that he had taken it on himself to throw away your personal items while you were off. Entitled little shit. Who does he think he is?

And the posters banging on about clear desk policies, just because this is your experience do not assume everywhere is the same.

I have worked in both environments. If there is a clear desk policy you know about it and stick to it. It is unlikely this is the case where OP is if she has been there 14 years and this g as never happened before.

I think Id be making a complaint. He could have just put them in a pile, there was no need to thrown them away given it was hour desk and the sick leave was unexpected. I don’t think he should just ride rough shod over other people’s feelings like that. Complain about him using the womens toilet as well.

Those things don’t need to be left all over a desk.

I can’t decide if I’d complain, or bin everything personal or his I ever saw from now on.

If they were in his way, all he needed to do was to get a folder and bung them into the folder and leave that on the desk. There was absolutely no requirement by him to throw out your notes/documents/whatever.

You said that this particular colleague can be 'a nasty twat' - could he really have done this maliciously do you think or with more than a pinch of nastiness in his actions? Could he have read them and thrown them out knowing that they were probably important to you?

As you also said, the colleague that you sit next to has not had their desk touched, I'd actually approach the team leader (hopefully they aren't one and the same person with this individual) and request that in future, unless there is a severe shortage of desks available, your desk be considered as off limits to colleagues as a "hot desk" as you have returned to find that your belongings have been thrown out without any thought. They weren't even put into a box and shoved under the desk for goodness sake.

YANBU.

If I was using a desk and I felt 'your stuff' I think I would put it all in a file and put on the desk or in a drawer (with a note). He had no right!

A bit of a cunt act by old mate. He should have stuck all your stuff in a drawer (or envelope) if it bothered him.

Crikey, some really miserable and mean replies. No, OP YANBU - its your work space, your desk and so what if you want to have some personal bits and bobs on it. I'm the same, I've been sat at this desk for 27 years, probably spend as much time here as I do at home so of course personal stuff infiltrates through. I've got an old dog eared post it selotapes to my work tray which is a note my now 22 year old DS wrote me when he was about 5. I would be bloody raging if someone threw it away, not that they would.

My old boss years ago went through my emails and "filed" them away, I was annoyed enough about that. Your colleague sounds like a nasty prick. I can understand if you work for a massive corporation that work spaces have to be minimal if people are hot desking but in your regular small office then no harm at all to have personal stuff there.

For those at the back-
IT ISN'T A SHARED DESK, THERE IS NO CLEAR DESK POLICY AND HE DIDN'T THROW IT AWAY SO HE COULD WORK- HE DID IT BECAUSE HE'S A CUNT (and I don't use that word lightly!) Hope that clears things up 🙂

I used to work in a place with a clear desk policy where the cleaners were instructed to bin anything on the desk that wasn't the landline phone! And they definitely did so on the few occasions anyone was remiss enough to forget to put stuff away...

I think you colleague was a bit OTT, but he probably thought it was rubbish and was trying to have a clean space to work.