Colleague has thrown everything away that was on my desk

Nothing worse in an office then having to sit at someone's cluttered desk. Although he probably should have put it all in a draw rather than bin it.

Did he do it off his own back or did he say to a manager that the desk was messy and then was allowed to clear it?

I think you need to let it be. It is annoying he binned your personal notes but if you pick a fight over this (when presumably your colleague was covering your sickness) then it might result in a tidy desk policy coming in and bad feelings amongst staff.

He is a twat.
And I would also tell him he was a twat for acting like this...he could have simply put your papers in a drawer and used your desk as he pleased.

Not normal where I work, people have all kinds of personal items on their desk and it's totally fine. No one would dream of throwing someone else's stuff away, it would be unhears of

regarless he had no right to trow your thhings away

id report it

Wouldn't it be a shame if someone reported him for illegal firestick use

"I accept the comments saying it's more professional to keep your desk clear, fair enough"

No, it's not. Some places have a clear desk policy, others don't.
In some places, leaving notes on your desk in case you're ill could actually help your colleagues and in most cases it's just nobody else's business.

Exactly!

I’ve never worked anywhere that had a ‘clear desk’ policy.

I’d be very cross. This was uncalled for. He could have put OP’s stuff away without destroying it.

I would complain that he threw out all the paperwork on your desk and claim that some of it was work-related.

He was completely out of line and should be pulled up for his behaviour.

Putting things away, I get. Binning someone else's personal notes, off THEIR desk, he might as well have been pissing in it to mark his territory. He's a bastard OP, I'd have totally lost it if someone threw away my personal stuff. Be furious. His motives are not good.

It makes you look as if you’re more invested in your kids life than your work

There is something wrong if that’s not the case. I worked in a literal life/death department for decades, where everyone was on the ball and pulled their weight but if someone had of said to me ‘you know, I’m more invested in work than my kids and family’ I’d have thought they were one step off the cliff.

Oh get lost.

That’s company policy then, as custom and practice for years without anything being said. Your colleague has breached this.

If there was a tidy desk policy I'm sure the OP would have abided by it. And in that case if he had really needed to move stuff he should have put it in a drawer for the OP. You don't just chuck other people's stuff!

I'd complain.

Talk to him about it (nicely, though yes?)

I can't agree with all the "tidy desk policy" people here. You don't just throw things away, particularly when you're using someone else's space. You can easily move the things if they're in the way.
I'm outraged on OPs behalf.

I’d speak to the colleague and say you’re unhappy about it.

If they want a clear desk policy, they should speak to management about it. Not unilaterally throw away personal items that aren’t theirs, especially if it’s standard practice for people to leave items on desks.

If they wanted a clear desk while using your desk, they could’ve asked management what they should do with your things. Or found a reasonable solution themselves, such as put your stuff in a large envelope and tucked to the side.

If the colleague doesn’t accept this, I’d highlight to your manager. Management should be making it clear what the policy is in regard to personal items on desks to avoid misunderstandings.

In future, keep important/personal items in your drawer or your bag.

I don't think he should have thrown everything away-that's so rude and I would be fuming too. However I work in a shared office and two of my colleagues have really messy desks piled high with old paper, food, post it notes etc and it really pisses me off. One of the women keeps old shoes under her desk too which makes my stomach turn.
It makes me think they're scatty and unprofessional. Just tidy everything away daily.

Where is his desk? Why was he using yours?

I can understand he might have been frustrated not having a desk and having clutter around but very unreasonable to bin it, he could have put it in your drawer if bothering him that much.

You need to speak to him about it.Ask him why he threw it all away. Then tell your manager.

This. What a tosser. Who bins other peoples things like that?

I would have to have revenge so I could sleep at night.

It naughty but personally I’d never leave notes around my desk like that. In my bag or a diary.

He could have put it all in a pile, put it in a folder and handed it to you. It was nasty to throw it away. However, I wouldnt have personal items like that on a work desk, and if I did I would have tidied them away before I left for the holidays. Just like a work laptop, I wouldnt have personal items on that either.

I’m baffled by the comments on here. It is your desk as in assigned to you. Unless you have a clear desk policy at work (most companies don’t!) then you can have what you like on your desk. My manager has books all over his, I have post it notes stuck all over mine and various bits and bobs. I actually would raise this with HR depending on your company. No body throws other people’s stuff away without checking. There may have been important stuff in the pile.

I can see your colleague's point. YABU. Whilst I probably would not have actually binned them - maybe put them in a file in a drawer instead - this sort of personal stuff really should not be papered all over your desk in a work place, especially in a space shared by other staff. Keep a personal diary and save your work space for work.