Someone is secretly bullying me at work..

[Hungrycaterpillarsmummy]

And I don't know who it is.

Basically, someone constantly changes my chair settings on the days I leave at 3pm (and others are in the office until 4/5pm).
I have a really bad back so my chair is set at a position that helps it plus we all have to do ergonomic checks as part of an EHS thing for our desk and chair.
So it really annoys me when it has been played with and someone is doing it on purpose. Other things happen to like the cables of my monitor are unplugged and my mouse is switched off.
When I started there over a year ago there were a couple of guys who would do stuff like this and it happened so much I had to bluntly tell them to stop. And they did. But this seems to be a bit 'extra'. I obviously made the mistake of showing my annoyance when it has happened previously (and by that I mean by saying something like "who has changed my chair settings?"

But the issue is - I don't know who it is and won't be able to find out.
My manager won't be able to find out. There's no CCTV and no one would admit it if she brought it up..so what do I do?!

That figures.

I do hope it's sorted for you soon OP

@Flyswats have you done any diversity training at all in your life? Any action or speech that makes a colleague feel uncomfortable or upset is not tolerated in the work place! Disaplinary action is mandatory and could even lead to the dismissal of the offending colleague. I hope the BBC don't rely on you too much!

I’m sorry you started a “chair log” there’s 10000% more to the story than you have let on, do you have issues where you are unable to execute all areas of your post then deflect? I only ask because I’ve been in both management and peer positions where people who rather than address their own issues get super defensive and create strange non existent scenarios in an effort to self preserve (which is human nature) xx

Moomoo - why so certain? Are one of the bullies?

@MooMooMoooove that’s a weird response - it sounds like you’re completely projecting something from your own life/issues here!

Other people (staff and cleaners) may not know this. OP needs to put a note up saying please dont adjust chair. But she seems hell bent on arguing instead.

@MsAmerica

Of course it is bullying.

Probably 100%, thankfully nothing that has included me but I’ve watched (or had to clean up) some wild situations go down that need to be seen to be believed, where people weaponise issues that are real but they have never been subject to and it’s so twisted and unfair it’s unreal…so maybe unfair but it’s difficult when you see the other side when there’s 500 slight variations of “yes I come into work an hour late everyday but still have time to pick up a Costa, yes I’ve messed up life changing NHS clinic appointments, no I don’t want to fix any of the mess (speak to the patients you’ve given non existent appointments to) and no I’m not accountable because I’m pretty sure Sarah 3 desks down in a different team spoke about me so it’s someone else’s fault…ps I will do the same next month”

Food colouring would work too, gel colours from lakeland. Everytime I make a bday cake my hands stay stained for days.

I would class this as bullying/ harassment at work. Get evidence and times and records of all instances and take it to hr

I think some of these suggestions are really weird. So , how about developing a retro bubble gum habit and sticking it under your desk. It’s awful to get out of trousers…

Please come back and tell us the outcome of the plan!

Well done op, the bullying should stop now.
And good luck on the secondment role.

Agree. Cleaners at night sometimes sit af desks to fo whatever they do when goofing off. They choose desk /offices where they won’t be seen or can see supervisor getting off the lift.

I saw a cleaner collapsed on the floor of locked office area, I called for help but turns out she was sleeping. Another used to call family - colleague knee someone had sat at the desk because of chair height.

@Hungrycaterpillarsmummy that's good news.

I hope the culprit is caught.

Keep a log every single day of who is in the office and whether it has happened or not. Eventually the pattern will show who it is then take that to your manager and or HR.

And I know as much about nuclear physics as you know about employment law, i.e. absolutely nothing.

How can you just declare that the deliberate, almost daily targetting of a colleague with a health issue or disability that needs a reasonable adjustment in the form of a specialist chair isn't bullying?

So longs the camera is only pointing at your work area/ desk then there isn't a problem. Then only people that come into your work area are caught on the camera.

Can we have an update if they are caught and what happens next....

@Flyswats Bollicks. It's only fun when the recipient is in on it and it's fair. The OP hasn't sat down in her re-adjusted chair and had a laugh about it. There's been no, Good one, Daniel! You got me, mate!
Has there?

You are on very thin ice here. Generally, it is against the law to collect someone's data or monitor them without them knowing, called covert surveillance. You could be sacked if caught

I'd go down the Health & Safety route with HR - if someone is messing with your chair and it's having an impact on your health they have a duty of care!

Read the updates.

I have done!