Desk and office given away

[Proseccoprincess33]

I am due to return to work following maternity leave next month. I am anxious about going back but this has been further intensified by the fact my office has been given away during my time off. This has been my office for 5 years. Not only has it been given away permanently but I have not been allocated another office or even a desk. I only became aware of this because some colleagues alerted me to it and I then contacted my manager to discuss it.

She is off site and very hands off so we rarely see her if at all. In fact I have never met her. So had I not been given this heads up by my colleagues I would have been coming into work to see my office and desk occupied and no place for me to sit on my first day back.

I am part of a multidisciplinary team and I manage one of the departments. Therefore having my own desk and office is so important to supervise staff and the nature of our work is very sensitive so privacy is a vital. But at this stage I'd settle for a desk of my own.

I am having a meeting with my manager about this very soon and have found out she has invited 2 very senior managers along also which is intimidating and not helpful to the anxiety I am experiencing. I think she fears I will be very unhappy and so has her reinforcements ready to tell me tough sh1t.

Her solution so far has been that they'll slot me into a desk somewhere when other staff are off....ie hot desking.

AIBU that I am so upset about this and want to fight for a resolution? Any advice from anyone who has been in a similar situation would be much appreciated.

Thank you 😊

Explain you will need to provide a daily schedule for confidential meetings, the times and with whom and ask for advice on where these meetings are to be. Be reasonable and try to work with them, and monitor what happens - write it down. If a union person can be there also then that would help greatly. Yes, get outside advice too on how this work arrangement is no longer professionally meeting the demands of the job and what advice there is on this. Who has been doing your work in your absence? Where have they been working to carry out the duties? Ask for another meeting to report back your findings on how you are managing the new arrangements. Show you are acting professionally and write down how the new arrangements affect the outcome of your work. (I would be seething inside) - watch out for constructive dismissal, if the term still exist - making you uncomfortable enough to leave.

@WhistPie i was told by the estates team that I could buy a new one so long as it’s got the CE label as that covers it for 12 months and they pat test annually. The wire sits along the back of the desk. All safe and signed off but providing my own cable for an nhs office job felt bonkers to me. Surely it’s basic office provision.

That’s a great idea.

@TeenLifeMum Yes, it should be provided. I wouldn't be happy providing electrical things but sometimes you have to do things to make your own working life easier. The problem can be if other people use it, but if it's been OKed, then it should be fine

More important questions are : why has this change been made for just me? Why am I the only staff member without a desk? It’s not hot-desking if it’s only one person, it’s just telling the woman returning from maternity leave that you’ve decided she doesn’t get a desk anymore, but everyone else does. We aren’t going to discuss complicated adjustments for just me to manage wihtout a desk. We are here for you to either explain why this applies to just me, or where and when you will provide me with a desk. I will need to consult I think as to whether I should be on additional paid leave until you can provide me a desk like every other person in this team/business unit.

This, I get so anxious trying to find a desk now I can't get into work so early due to childcare.
Tbh I often wfh to avoid this issue.

@GRex There is no room in these rooms for more desks. It has been looked at before and no room on the current old style corner desks that are in situ sadly. And I didn't expect them to contact me on mat leave.i have stated a few times that I had a back to work conversation with my manager and this was not mentioned. Then I later spoke with colleagues who told me. So I would have expected this to be raised in my back to work correspondence.

Thanks for your input though. I do appreciate it and any solutions people are trying to provide.

@Ukrainebaby23’s post does trigger one practical question you could legitimately ask. If you arrive on time or early how will you know which desks are available for your use and will you be expected to move desk if it’s normal occupier arrives late perhaps because they have a meeting first thing? That kind of practical issue doesn’t arrive where everyone is hot-desking because it’s first come first served and is a good reason why this hybrid plan needs further thought by your manager

This is undermining of the OP's position in the most insidious way.If she works in palliative care, then , of course she needs a private space ; which ever way you look at it, palliative care is very, very sensitive and not just for the OP.
I've had this happen to me and it's a rotten way to go about things, ( I left eventually, but I was not doing the OP's type of work ).
This is not about contracts or desks this is about maternity leave and no man would put up with it , so get an agenda for the meeting, find out if you can, exactly why 2 senior managers need to attend a meeting about seating arrangements, take anyone you are entitled to, to that meeting, namely union rep, friendly colleagues etc., and above all do not be cowed into submission and fight your corner ( or office).

If insisting that employers obey the law about providing employees with appropriate workplaces and not discriminating against new mothers is being "a high maintenance employee" then I'll happily own being a high maintenance employee.

I'll remind you that all these laws and regulations exist to stop workers from being made ill by their jobs.

It's better to be on the dole than working in a job that is harming your health. You can apply for other jobs, but you've only got one body, and not all occupational illnesses can be fully recovered from.

I'd definitely be consulting the union and taking a rep to the meeting

@SoftlySoftly1 thanks for this. That's some great advice. When I was off they never covered the mat leave, despite there being the budget and means to do so. This isn't uncommon in the NHS unfortunately. Had they covered it the office would still be there.

@Codlingmoths these are actually really great and valid questions which can be asked calmly and professionally. So thank you so much for this ❤️

Thanks for this 🥰

@VitoCorleoneOfMNMafia yes, everything about this 👏👏👏

@Missmousie tha k you so much for this. I am very sorry you experienced similar. It's really not nice at all ❤️ I'm very sorry it caused you to leave but I hope you moved onto something that works much better for you and somewhere people respect you ❤️

@Ukrainebaby23 I'm really sorry you find yourself in this situation ❤️ it really is so unfair ❤️

@noodlebugz thanks so much for this. I agree, some really great points made 😊

So glad to hear the team in your trust do such great work. It is such a great job and it is such a privilege to hold this role ❤️

I've been in a similar situation... Where senior managers just don't understand how bloody important it is to have confidential spaces where no one can overhear....

As I was 'only in' 3 days... Therefore my clients deserved to have all their confidential conversations overheard... 😵‍💫.

I worked in child protection assessing risk (3 of us in the office) ... So having conversation throughout the day I eg.. ...

John Smith of Jones St...yeah don 1/1/1980, How risky do we think he is? Has anyone done full risk assessment.. Has there been a finding of fact on the rape of his 2 year old...? Yes her name is Chloe. Yup her date of birth is... Etc etc...

The senior managers (who weren't clinicians) had no idea the depth and identifiabiliy of these convos...

Not just needing quiet to think... And tbh it didn't matter that much that colleagues overheard... But they were also on their own telephone convos.. And there WAS overheard convos by clients..

We. Tested. This for our argument..

We needed it in this detail to be able to have out own private space.

I would suggest going on paid garden leave until they are able to provide you with the same facilities or better. Just be firm and say that you will be unable to do your job effectively without a private office due to confidentiality issues. Hopefully Senior Management will have enough brains to pick-up on the "effectively" and "confidentiality" and realize they are at risk of a constructive dismissal accusation.

@IamtheDevilsAvocado thank you so much for this. I amso glad you and your team got the resolution you so much deserved. And you totally get it and I appreciate that ❤️

I have so much admiration for those in CP services. I worked in them for 5 years and it is tough and so thankless at times. So thank you for everything you do to give the most vulnerable in our society a voice and for your continued fight to try to keep them safe.

@pollymere thank you so much for this ❤️

You Don't own desk or space. You are there to work wherever that may be. Unfortunately people get very territorial about office space.

@Bsgpuss whilst I appreciate you taking the time to comment, you clearly haven't read the full content. It isn't a specific desk I am asking for, just a desk to do my work. Also the full post highlights the implications this has for me to carry out my role effectively. To reduce it to a territory issue simplifies and undermines a much deeper and more serious issue.

Take your phone and tell them you’ll be recording the meeting. Don’t ask permission, just tell them, then they’ll be BERY careful and not discriminate