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?!

I would go with the hidden tiny camera option, but do it on a day when you have some time after you finish work. Leave the camera running when you 'head home' for the day, watch to see who messes with your chair, then pop back into the office and pick it up so there's no evidence of it left overnight for anyone else to find.

Once you know who it is, I am sure you will be able to find a way to explain to your manager that you've worked out exactly who it is because of x, y and z (they were the last person to leave the office, they were the only person in on all the days when it happened, you walked in and saw them doing it etc.) without having to disclose that you used a hidden camera.

If its an open plan office can't you just ask your manager to have a look? Unless you can inspect everyone's finger tips all the suggestions of glitter and ink etc won't work.

You can’t set a trap or use a camera.

You have to follow your employer’s policy which may mean keeping a record of what is happening and when and reporting it to your manager / HR. I am pretty sure that an email to everyone from your manager would be enough for the perpetrator to stop.

Don’t be your own detective here. Even if you narrow down who it might be, what then? You can’t go to HR saying ‘I set a trap and they had glitter on them the next day…’ It would prove nothing.

The more you mention it the more it will happen. Just ignore it - the perpetrators want a reaction.
We used to have a woman, who for reasons unknown, locked her mouse mat (bog standard work supplied one) away every night. On the odd occasion she would forget and then we’d hide it. If she’d never started locking it away we’d have never started hiding it.

So you knew something was important to her so were vile about it?

Made you laugh I am sure, but you have no idea what it did to her.

Well done for being a bully......

Can’t harassment be bullying? And can’t prancing also be if the other person isn’t enjoying it? I’m sure most HR policies would say that does constitute bullying in those circumstances

It is bullying. What else do you think it is?

So, bullying then.

Do you have a HR department? Could you report it to them? If not you have to just keep reporting to your manager and put the onus on them to find out who it is. Surely they can readily do this by setting who is the last to leave each day? Am presuming only the manager or HR would know this?
it is definitely bullying btw.

It needs to be odourless - so bleach is out. I think glue would work. But you need to be really careful not to get caught.

I think an open, vulnerable chat with your manager along the lines of “Listen, I’m over it. Every day someone’s dicking around with my chair and it makes me want to cry. I don’t care if they’re only joking, my back’s a mess and it’s making it worse trying to sort it out in the mornings. I need you to stand with me on this please and tell them to grow up”

Have you approached your manager about this?
Mine would have definitely acted on this. If he/she is in the same building maybe they could start popping into your office on an ad hoc basis about an hour after you have left.

Yes, this.

Some of these ideas to booby trap the desk will make you look utterly bonkers. Smear Nutella here, put some dye there or unscrew that. I couldn’t possibly imagine what my IT dept would have thought of me if they’d found Nutella on my plugs!

I don’t really have advice though. Where I have worked before there were a few people who has special chairs for back pain etc and there was just somehow an understanding that you don’t move, swap, adjust their chairs. I think HR probably had sent a polite email about it at some point.

Couod you just go to HR to discuss reasonably adjustments for your back pain? Discuss the chair settings and that something isn’t working properly as your back is still suffering despite following the H&S stuff. Play ignorant a little bit and ask what you could do as the settings keep on changing - is it broken? Do you need a different / specialist chair with a greater range of adjustable settings? The aim isn’t to actually get a new chair but to highlight a problem without sounding paranoid. Maybe you could also raise that it is frustrating to have to plug in your stuff every morning and that crawling under the desk to do so isn’t helping your back.

Three steps, getting progressively more serious. Email your boss/HR each time, to log what you are doing,

1."My chair needs specific settings for medical reasons. Please do not change them."

2."If you are the person who keeps tampering with my chair, mouse etc., stop being an immature, bullying twat and grow up."

3.Print out the ACAS definition of bullying given by a PP and leave it prominently on your desk/chair. Send an email to your boss and HR telling them exactly what you have done. Repeat both those things daily if necessary, to shame/scare your boss/HR into doing something.

You were bullies then. And you’re trying to put the responsibility for your bullying on your victim.

Yes it is bullying. Her colleagues know she doesn’t like it and keep doing it anyway, when she’s not there and can’t prevent it, for no reason other than to annoy/upset her. That is bullying. Calling it "pranking" etc. is just an attempt to minimise unpleasant behaviour.

Congrats on being a bully.

@Hungrycaterpillarsmummy

Someone might be using your desk i.e. their kid comes in and does their homework and are using your desk, especially if all the other stuff is mucked up.

As others as said email manager and cc. HR in EACH TIME. Make it clear you have this desk set up to manage a medical condition and it is not being returned to your measurements.

If you are wanting to use some sort of dye to catch them out, then use the little brown pollen bits that you get on the inside of Lillies - small enough to be inconspicuous but an absolute BUGGAR to get off your fingers!!!

If you were caught filming employees at my workplace you would be walked out on the spot.

I’d concentrate on the H&S issue. Send an email to your manager quoting from policy or staff handbook whatever.

X co supports staff with health issues & provides equipment….

My chair is being tampered with, this has serious x issue as I have x concern. Please let me know how this will be addressed

a really easy one for manager to send email to all office saying Come to her notice that Hungrys chair settings being changed. Hungry has special chair, serious issue blah blah.

Put a sign on chair then saying per employee handbook, special chair, not to be touched.

I'd just readjust everything every day. If someone is doing it to wind you up show them it's not working. Does the person you suspect do similar stunts to others?

You need to have a word with your manager. You say they won’t be able to find out, but neither can you without getting in trouble. Explain that the chair is on the right setting for your back, and what is happening.

I won’t take a camera and I’m not sure it’s bullying

I don’t think it takes much time to adjust your chair and plug in a few wires. I agree with others to swap the chair with another before you leave