AIBU - only one without a desk

[Nurse1980]

Hi,

I recently returned to work following an episode of sickness.

We all had our own desk in the office (including myself). I’ve come back, and a six month temporary member of staff is now at the desk that was mine.

So Im having to use a laptop and sit at a filing cabinet, as I’ve no desk. I’m also disadvantaged as our job is much easier with two screens (all desks have two screens).

I’ve brought it up with my manager and was told that she was working on it.

I’m not sure if I’m overreacting (been off with stress and PTSD) and just finished my phased return. So I’m more sensitive than normal perhaps?

Wow, that's a shitty thing to do. Is that even allowed?

How ridiculous. How are you supposed to work with no work space? Can you work from home op?

I’d be talking to HR; and refusing to work in such a fashion-it must be causing you back ache at least trying to work like that.

You're not being ridiculous. You need a proper desk. Have you spoken to HR?

Hi, no I haven’t spoken to HR. Only my manager.

There isn’t an option to work from home.

It’s little things, like I’ve nowhere to keep my belongings so they are stored in a box file.

You should be able to home work

Could you turn up early and take the temp’s desk?

I did that once, but my manager told me that the temp needs the desk.

Talk to HR, whoever is responsible for health and safety, and your union if you are in one.

Hot-desking is one thing, but you absolutely should not be expected to work at a filing cabinet. If you are using display screen equipment (eg your laptop) for more than an hour at a time, they must conduct a workstation assessment. Perhaps download a copy of the checklist from the bottom link below and take it in with you.

https://www.hse.gov.uk/simple-health-safety/workplace-facilities/welfare.htm
https://www.hse.gov.uk/msd/dse/index.htm#article
https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/ck1.htm

I think you need to be firmer and say you need the desk. Don’t get up, make it their problem to solve.

It wouldn’t be so bad if everyone was hot desking. But to be the only one makes me feel rubbish.

That's contra to health and safety regulations? The whole desk assessment thing.

This happened to me when I came back from mat leave. My locker was given to someone else and I have to store my things in a cabinet near the printer.

We don't have fixed desks though, its first come first served.

Honestly I would go home & tell them you will come back to work when there is a suitable work space for you!

This is awful!

Occupational Health and Safety risk. You need a desk with a correct height chair

A user's workstation furniture should minimise the risk of injuries. Posture also plays a vital role in preventing upper limb disorders.
Desk health and safetyThe work desk or work surface should:

• be big enough to allow the user to arrange the screen, keyboard, documents, etc in a flexible way
• have a matt surface
• be big enough to let the user work comfortably and to change position
• be stable and positioned so that it's comfortable and easy to use where an employee uses a document holder

Office chair health and safetyWorkstation chairs should:

• be stable and allow the user to work comfortably
• be adjustable in height
• have a seatback adjustable in height and tilt

Other workstation considerationsOther features of the workstation you should consider include:

• arm supports must not interfere with movement, eg by stopping the user getting the chair under the work surface
• seat width should be wider than the hip width of the person using it
• the back rest should provide support for the back in all sitting positions, particularly the lumbar region.
• a foot rest may be needed if users are unable to rest their feet flat on the floor
• the importance of correct and comfortable seating should be emphasised to employees in a risk assessment

I would ask that everyone takes it I turns to work without a desk until she sorts it -.it would be fair and at the same time would mean that more people would be impacted driving pressure on her to resolve- power in numbers

Honestly, I feel like you’re being bullied.
why does the temp need a desk more than you? PleSe don’t allow yourself to be treated like this. Go to HR.

This happened to me when I came back from maternity leave too. Tbh it felt like they did it on purpose and singled me out. I left that dept shortly afterwards as I felt very uncomfortable about how I was being treated. The manager at the time, spoke to me a couple of years later, (by this time I was in a different dept), and she mentioned how hard it must have been for me when I returned from mat leave and brought up the desk situation and I got the impression it had been done deliberately.

Thats a long time ago now but I still feel a mix of humiliation and sadness when I think back to it.

Ask for a desk assessment.

I think anyone returning from sick is perhaps more sensitive then normal, but totally understand, toward my time of sick I had my account deactivated the manager was very apologetic in the lead up to return but never made it clear until first day it meant everything wiped. Pretty upset first day on return (friend also a long standing IT manager said it seemed pretty deliberate)

I never had to worry about the desk situation as I only went into a physical building to return their equipment and the desks in May were set up school classroom style as opposed to January when in another layout entirely.

I missed them only for a couple of hours Monday just gone and it was pretty fleeting thankfully like a horrible wave but why it chose two months on nearly from leaving, who knows. In the company I joined someone off sick has had to go through training induction all over again as cannot remember in less 6 months. I’m not being persuaded to make and store digital notes this time around!! Oh no.

Take a day off for back pain. They will sort it immediately.

As another poster said, this is actually bullying. They are totally disrespecting and alienating you by treating you like this. Talk to HR straight away.

A complete breach of H&s and rurally inappropriate from a culture perspective. Report the situation to hr.

Their insurer would not take kindly to this. They are in breach of their obligations. Write to HR and copy your Manager stating you need to escalate your unsafe working conditions given there has been no resolution. Don’t let them palm you off.

I often think workplace whinges on here are petty but this is anything but. It’s complicated unacceptable.

You need to go to HR. It is not acceptable to leave you without somewhere suitable to work from. Quote the H&S regulations about working at screens etc if need be.
This sounds really incredibly unsupportive in helping you return to work. I'm really sorry they're treating you this way.

If they insist they don't have a desk then tell then the use of the filing cabinet needs to be rotated equally. If you work off a screen then your need for a desk is equal to anyone else's in my opinion.