Massive cock up at work. What do I do.

[messeduphelp]

It's my first day back at work, I've been off on maternity leave for a year. I'm in the office on my own today, and I logged in on my old computer/desk. I had to quickly scan something to send off, which is a function not available on my computer. I had to use a colleagues empty desk to do this, I used their computer/desk for no more than 3 minutes. After this I read an email from my manager, saying no hot desking is to take place due to covid and telling me to work on a different desk in the corner of the room to be as far away from colleagues desk as possible.

Colleague isn't in today, but now her computer says my name when you go to log in so it's obvious I've used it. My old computer says the same. The only desk that I haven't touched, and doesn't say I've used it is the one desk I was supposed to use.

So what do I do? I don't want to get in trouble, and I know colleague is very worried about me coming back to work due to covid. I have used sterilising wipes on everything I touched on their desk. But do I now move to the desk I was supposed to be at, away from hers? Or do I leave that computer untouched so that when she comes back I can leave a note explaining I used both the other computers and to go on that desk if she wants to sit somewhere I haven't touched.

I'm freaking out a little, I was so nervous about coming back and now I feel like I've really messed up.

Honestly OP, stop stressing!! I work in a similar role and on the days I’m not in someone else uses my pc. They just clean it and put a green ‘clean’ sticker on it. I then wipe down before my shift. It’s not ideal but needs must!
You won’t be in trouble, it was a genuine mistake after a very long time out of the working environment.

OP do you seriously have to wipe down door handles and light switches??
I work in hospital admin and we dont do this

I can't believe you have been off for a year and you come back to an empty office, surely they should have planned their day off better, or are you always going to be working on your own?

I work on a hospital switchboard. We work different shifts and have to hot desk. We just wipe down between users. Don't panic, it will be fine x

This is a million miles away from being a "massive cock-up".

Not worth another minute of headspace. I doubt anyone will care or think anything of it when they next log in to that computer.

Massive cock up at work-

Faxing confidential documents meant for client to the other side in litigation

Double booking the honeymoon suite

Adding sugar to a diabetics meal after being told not to

Crashing bosses new car

All achieved by my university house mates and I during our summer jobs

My husbands secretary ordered him a cab for 3am not 3pm once. That was fun.

His trainee went home leaving a bundle for the court on her desk - the court deadline was 5pm - faints.

My secretary booked me into the Raffles hotel Singapore proper instead of the Raffles crappy corporate hotel on a work trip. I liked that mistake 😁

Getting inches and feet muddled up when ordering a sign. I had to break it into pieces and hide it in a skip.

I once accidentally transposed two numbers (out of about 800 pages full of numbers) which cause the client to think their advertising wasn't effective so they pulled the whole campaign costing them over £10K. I noticed the accidental transposition 6 months later.

Just leave a note on your colleagues computer, 'sorry I used your computer, I've cleaned it etc but feel free to clean it again' no need to text anyone. We use different computers at work sometimes as we work in different places. Spray, paper towels, hand gel is all available for cleaning before and after. Just do that.

You are not alone Fanthorpe, in 1983 an Air Canada jet ran out of fuel because they were moving from imperial to metric and the calculated the fuel wrongly. Fortunately everyone survived but the pilot had to glide to land on a race track. A sign is minor by comparison. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimli_Glider

I don’t know if this has already been said but your manager really should have briefed you on things like this before your return...not in an email that you had to log onto a computer before you could access the instructions! Any cock up is with your manager, not you! Plus it’s very poor management to bring back at member of staff after a year off when you won’t be there to provide some training on new procedures etc given the current climate!

I haven't rtft but it all sounds a bit overkill.

I work clinically, directly with Covid patients in the NHS and we've always had one workstation between at least 10 staff everyday. One phone/keyboard/mouse to share between all the 24/7 shift workers.

I appreciate that you have to try and stick to guidelines. But if you try and socially distance, if not wear masks. Most importantly, clean your hands religiously, surely most risks are eliminated anyway.

@BlackAmericanoNoSugar I think I watched an Air Crash Investigations about that!! I overdid it a bit and had to stop watching them when I started to dream about plane crashes 😬