Went into the office, all my stuff has been chucked out!

[CallieOp]

I’m perched on the end of a windowsill/shelf thing, my desk has been given to someone else and all my stuff is gone. Only explanation I’ve been given is shrugged shoulders and “sorry don’t know where it is”. This is my personal stuff, an expensive mouse, a Emma Bridgewater mug, a pen my children gave me years ago.

Was told to WFH two months ago but have been saying I need to come back in as there is stuff I have to be on site for. Manager has ignored all emails, never picks the phone up. I sent another email last week saying I have to come in as will miss a deadline otherwise, got a reply saying “come in then we will find somewhere for you”.

Come in to no desk (someone else sat there now), no stuff and manager just “well can you sit there, you aren’t going to be long are you”, pointing at the fucking windowsill!

Totally unprofessional. Go to HR.

technically ?theft?

This is workplace bullying, OP.
And clearing your stuff like that is appalling, really - I know it's only trinkets but they were YOUR things, not rubbish to be discarded!!

I'd definitely take it up with HR pronto, and consider other action as well.

Get on to your union too.

I agree with pp who said it's probably incompetence rather than anything else though, but it needs sorting.

Sorry OP that’s a shit situation!

I don’t think there’s anything to suggest they’re trying to shove you out, the problem is more just locating your stuff for now, and more medium term ensuring you get a new space.

To find your stuff—cleaners, estates and reception tend to be the people who know everything, it’s unlikely to be thrown out but may well be very hidden.

This is poor - even for the NHS. I would email your manager, HR and estates asking for your stuff - list what has gone missing and the cost of replacement. Someone knows what happened. Your things were either chucked, stolen or stored somewhere. Not acceptable.

I agree with technically theft. I’d make a full list if I were you, at least with a list people l ow that they are looking for. Have your colleagues’ belongings disappeared too?

This is really bad, OP, they are being outrageous.

Wow how awful!

Talk to your union rep, while the desk and stuff issue is today's problem it sounds like these are greater problems. Check with estates, or get your rep to check with estates to find your items, and think about your place on your team. When talking to the union think about if you still want to work there? Would you want to work there if you had better communication with your manager, if yes, what would you be prepared to do to get this, grievance? Mediation? If WFH isn't suitable for you, can you move back? If you didn't join your union then think about those questions and have a look at Citizens Advice and ACAS for tips. If you do want to stay, join for help in the future.

I would be really upset OP. Not surprised you are fuming.

This is totally unacceptable. One of our office administrators cleared my desk and drawers into boxes because they were shuffling desks around and I wasn't in the office.....I was however in a Client's office and contactable by phone and email for her to ask first! I went mental! I wouldn't have minded if she'd asked first but no one has the right to go through someone's drawers and personal belongings. The fact they don't even know where your stuff if just awful.

Horrible to have your stuff moved and then lose it but I doubt it's part of a plan to get rid of you. It happens all the time in the public sector, and I would think even more so now with the covid situation. Your workplace is never really your own - depts get moved about as they need more space. I would think the person at your old desk cannot work for home and all of their dept have had to expand into other offices because their team is in and they need more space to social distance.

I was in teaching. It is horrible to lose 'your' room because someone higher up decides to go for a reshuffle of rooms. It was especially hard for me as I worked really hard to create a lovely space for my classes,spending my own money on displays because there was never any budget for that and it was heartbreaking to see my previous rooms left to be neglected.

I'm sure your personal items will turn up again at some point.

I suspect your stuff will be gone now so best to concentrate on the bigger issue. When I worked part time there was an office move over days when I didn't work, I'd labelled the things that I wanted to keep, when I went to my new desk of course they were nowhere to be seen, either deliberately or because they couldn't care and I was told to check the grotty underground bin storage area, of course the bins had been emptied in the meantime.

I'd get your email in to HR today if possible

Think your belongings may have been a victim of a “deep clean” procedure. I have worked in the office all the way through, (essential work not NHS) reallocated to another office In another part of the city during the lockdown- to someone else’s office - who was wfh due to health issues. Someone had to sit in that desk, due to the way the phones were set up. After a few weeks of working away quite happily an edict came round On a Friday afternoon all personal items to be cleared away By the weekend as a deep clean was going ahead. I spent a chunk of time on the Friday throwing personal belongings for people I didn’t know into boxes otherwise the stuff would be binned. No time for the wfh people to come in safely. Came back on the Monday and every thing was taken off the desks, signs off notice boards, communal coffee cups, salt, sugar from the staff room. Everything apart from phones computers. All the chairs were locked away apart from a very small number of them, including special chairs for certain members of staff who were on a rota to come in one day a week.
Now I am back in my usual office and building and apart from myself not a single other member of staff is in the same office, or in some cases not the same building as before the lockdown. Many have been reallocated to other teams, given new line managers etc.
Your situation doesn’t sound particularly unusual to me, I’m more or less in the same position and I know that they are not trying to get rid of me.

speak to HR.

Is there a backstory here re bullying or something else? Sounds very passive aggressive and bullying?

I'm unsure about the 'desks' side as lots of companies are now 'hot desking' and no personal desk but not right to move/ditch your stuff without your permission. In all corporate companies I've worked with when doing this the Estates Team always moves personal items into a safe place and they're not touched.

I had similar but not quite as bad when I left a contract last year and an expensive and personal bone china mug of mine was 'ditched' - I was a temp though and had got a permanent job (which didn't work out!) - my old LM I think was really annoyed I'd left whilst she was on holiday though I warned her this might happen - 1 week's notice and I'd texted her etc about the mug.

Speak to Estates, who were the last ones to have their hands on your stuff. Find out where your stuff is, because until you do that, you don't know what your full issue is. If they're able to direct you to a neatly stored box containing everything you left, that's very different to 'They chucked all my stuff out!!'

You have plenty to be pissed off about with your manager's attitude, but try to take the drama out when you deal with it.

Not hearing from your own manager for more than six weeks! That’s insane! I’ve worked in many companies as a consultant and never seen that!

Sorry about your stuff, I think it was almost definitely an oversight rather than a targeted plan. Awful they didn’t email you to let you know though and have now lost track of it.

I appreciate it's upsetting for you but I think a lot of actions were taken around office cleaning in the first Covid lockdown. We came back to find that the all the cupboards in the communal kitchen has been emptied and everything binned- mugs, Tupperware, etc etc.

Communication from your manager is much more worrying - deffo one to flag with your HR lead

This is awful and I was shocked reading the OP, but then I saw it was NHS and now I'm not shocked at all. Where I work this happens a lot.

I worked from home from April to June. When I went back in my desk had disappeared completely and I had to perch on the corner of a table next to the huge printer, sharing this table with reams of paper, cartridges, laminator and other crap. I went back home again. Lucky for me it was only a temporary contract ending in July.

People are regularly uprooted in their absence, such as when off sick. I've seen the cleaners come in and just sweep desk contents straight into black bin bags.

@notalwaysalondoner, and after 6 weeks she only called to ask me for a phone number for someone!

@IHateCoronavirus

I agree with technically theft. I’d make a full list if I were you, at least with a list people l ow that they are looking for. Have your colleagues’ belongings disappeared too?

It really isn't (no intent). The OP will not be helped by making stupid accusations of that type. She has a legitimate complaint- she shouldn't undermine it by sounding like a loon.

I think they are fair to expect you to work from home, because of COVID, although not very supportive in communicating it to you. We were also told we had to clear our desks. Which should anyway have been clear of personal items for hotdesking (but weren't). I think the managers communication and management skills are to blame here, not necessarily the actual changes. Definitely complain like stink about the manager. But decide what you want to raise, because if you make it about your desk/WFH they might more easily dismiss your concerns. If it's about no response to queries, being treated less fairly than other team members (especially if you have any of the protected characteristics) then you will have a strong case.

Sounds like there's a much bigger issue here - your manager. She sounds crap. Talk to HR.

"How fucking rude. I'd be thinking constructive dismissal I'm afraid (sorry)."

Exactly this. I would be tempted to take some mobile photos of the workplace and you current "work station", then get emails together.
This is a totally unacceptable way to treat an employee. Sadly I think it is going to become more common.
You have to be prepared to walk away from the job, possibly get a doctor's sick note, then take legal advice from a good employment law firm.
Good luck.