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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Doing Maternity cover office dilemma

18 replies

BoysofMelody · 01/09/2017 10:41

Started a new job, covering for a maternity cover and am using the office of the person I'm covering for. I'm an external appointment and employed for 12 months.

I was shown to my office and nothing belonging to the previous occupant has been shifted. I work in a profession where we use lots of books and files and every surface, bookshelf and filing cabinet is taken up with her books, files and paperwork. As such I have nowhere to store anything.

There's even have drunk bottles of juice and personal effects strewn across the place - it basically looks like she's just popped out for lunch, rather than 12 months.

I have a meeting with the head of department after lunch and I'm torn on whether to raise it with him or not. On one hand, long term it is her office, but I can't do my job properly as it is.

Any thoughts?

OP posts:

Changerofname987654321 · 01/09/2017 10:43

I think is acceptable for you to say they the person you are covering has left lots of personal effects etc and you have no where to store you things and ask them what they think you should do.

I would not specially mention the half turn bottles etc.

Alanna1 · 01/09/2017 10:46

Ask him for a filing cabinet for your stuff, ask for a box for her personal stuff, bin the juice cartons and rubbish.

GreenTulips · 01/09/2017 10:48

Yes - you can't work effectively in a cluttered space - ask for some storage boxes and space

Maybe she had the baby earlier than expected?

Penfold007 · 01/09/2017 10:48

Perhaps she went on maternity unexpectedly. I would just say there are a lot of personal effects and that you would like to box them up safely for her.

MsDugong · 01/09/2017 10:50

It may be that the person's maternity leave started unexpectedly and sooner than planned. Childbirth is not predictable. I know several women who thought they had a few weeks left but baby had other ideas. So I wouldn't make a big deal of things like the juice bottle, etc. But I would just do what another's poster has suggested. I'd speak to the manager and ask where you can store any items belonging to the person you're covering/if it's okay to pop some things into a box or two.

Notevilstepmother · 01/09/2017 10:53

My friend got rushed into hospital for an emergency Caesarian weeks before she expected to go on maternity leave. She didn't have chance to clear her office funnily enough. Perhaps this was the case here?

Box up her personal stuff if it is in your way and ask for extra storage.

Original poster

BoysofMelody · 01/09/2017 10:56

Ask him for a filing cabinet for your stuff, ask for a box for her personal stuff

A box????

It would need a crate and would take several people to uplift the stuff.

I appreciate she may have left earlier than planned and don't blame her, but my new employer knew when I was starting and should have planned accordingly.

OP posts:

Musereader · 01/09/2017 10:57

She may very well have popped out for lunch and not come back unexpectedly. While not the same scale i know that the desk i was using at work was strewn with papers i was in the middle of sorting and at least one open can and a mess when i developed my braxton hicks contractions and went home over a week before i was supposed to leave work, i did not go back to work between then and having the baby 4 days later to sort it out. I do not expect my desk to have been left in the same state.

If i was you i would throw food/drink packaging away, put personal effects in a box and tidy up books, any resonable person would understand that you had had to use the office for 12 months and so it would not be untouched. Do bring it up with your manager, they may tell you that you can store the stuff somewhere.

HiJenny35 · 01/09/2017 10:57

I had to go off a month earlier than expected and only found out on the day. I left my classroom with loads of my personal stuff in it.
I think it's totally acceptable to say the office is great but there's not much room for me, would it be ok if I collected some of the items up and put them in a box to make some room while I was here?
Photocopier paper is usually boxed and in most offices.
Then I would just clear the desk and maybe one shelf. I certainly wouldn't clear everything as I'd guess the lady on leave will pop in with baby and for kit days and may feel a bit put out that you have moved all her stuff.

HiJenny35 · 01/09/2017 10:59

Just seen you said it's a crate amount rather than a box, now this is more difficult as it sounds like you'd be massively changing a lot of stuff. I'd maybe ask if they had an empty office as there's little room with all her stuff there and you don't want to offend her by changing her whole room while she is on leave.

haveacupoftea · 01/09/2017 11:00

Surely you will be using her files and paperwork to continue her work?

Original poster

BoysofMelody · 01/09/2017 11:03

No, have it is also stuff from last year. I won't be using it and will be doing different things. I won't be using her personal effects either.

OP posts:

Nuttynoo · 01/09/2017 11:07

Sounds like she might have been a bit disorganised and that your boss doesn't really care because you'll be in and gone in 12 months. Get that crate, put her files in it, and then get your boss to keep her personal effects safe or give them to her/send them to her house.

Original poster

BoysofMelody · 01/09/2017 11:12

Not so much disorganised but like she didn't realise or wasn't told I would be using her office. By the same token, I don't want to rock the boat or needlessly piss off the permanent occupant who i will certainly cross paths with in some capacity in the future.

OP posts:

Gizmo79 · 01/09/2017 11:13

I ended up being signed off sick unexpectedly before my baby arrived and never got to clear my desk. I feel bad for the person currently using it, but it couldn't be helped!

JigglyTuff · 01/09/2017 11:16

I would ask where you can put her stuff. If it's a big company, they should have archiving offsite where her things can be stored

Allthebestnamesareused · 01/09/2017 11:19

Yes ask the company to archive anything no longer current. Ask for boxes for her personal effects. Ask if there was a member of staff she was friendly with who might be better suited to packing her stuff away than yiu.

Clearoutre · 01/09/2017 11:33

I'd just show some sensitivity about needing to temporarily store her things elsewhere but you can't be expected to work around all her stuff for 12 months. It's a shame the area wasn't properly cleared (by whoever) in readiness for your start date or at least acknowledged that it needs doing.

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