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 😊

Just want to add my support @Proseccoprincess33 and say that the abuse you're getting is thoroughly unfair. I have no advice to add, but I hope this gets resolved in your favour. Having a desk to work at is really not so much to ask, in particular for the kind of work which you do.

Ah thanks. Looks a bit strange and I imagine it takes a bit of getting used to but probably great for people with wrist problems.

I might look into it….

@martinisforeveryone thank you for this. I think you are right 👍

@Chaotica thanks for taking the time do say that. I appreciate it 😊

Thanks for this. I don't have a lap top while on leave and in the absence of this the emails can only be accessed when you are on a trust building which I wouldn't be in whilst on leave 😊

I'm sorry to hear of your awful situation 😔 that is a heartbreaking read. And thank you for saying that some comments are cruel, I thought so too.

I hope you were able to get some resolution for your situation ❤️

@Wherearewe2001 that gave me a giggle. You are so right! I have been quite shocked at some responses. But thankfully the majority of people have resorted my faith in common sense and humanity.

@Wouldyouguess well said 👏👏👏

@TeenLifeMum sorry to hear of your messed up office situ too. Yes managers do a love a bit of bury your head on the sand sadly.

I hope that your current situ is working to your advantage though 😊

@Proseccoprincess33 I generally just work where I want now, usually in my preferred office or at home. I’m a senior manager but the directors were trying to “get control”. I think they’ve realised that really wasn’t working and they hadn’t budgeted for travel expenses (which is bloody obvious imo). Sigh… I still have a couple of bums on seats type colleagues so I make sure my teams background is off sometimes so they can see I’m in an office (this seems to make them happy).

'I would not suppport the hierarchical and bullying culture'

Yet you have advised I am clearly entitled and difficult to manage because I want a space to work at? And are basically advising I need to submit to the decisions within the hierarchy and not question it.

Marginalising peoples legitimate concerns/worries and making them feel like a problem for voicing these issues is fairly bullying behaviour. Making these people feel like they are the problem....gaslighting anyone?

I am glad I work for the NHS despite the many issues. I love that my work is about helping people in times of crisis and my whole remit is not lining the pockets of the big boss at the expense of others.

You’re only looking for messages of support, but this one is spot on even if it’s not what you want to hear. You should at this point be thinking about going back, doing the best possible work and reintegrating. The fact that you job share means you’re already being heavily accommodated. I wouldn’t want an employee who is so focused on perceived slights and her “rights” - even if you are not an entitled moaner, it certainly comes across that way. You’d be much better off focusing on doing your job and managing your life (which is always more difficult after returning from mat leave)…best of luck with these aspects of it.

I would have never made it through the decisions for my sister if it hadn't been for palliative care people helping make the hard choices and finding me a hospice center. Invaluable!

It's fantastic there is a gang of cheerleaders cheering OP on. Grand, indeed!

However, as someone who has seen every possible side of every possible fence, I suspect the issue is the conflicting work-patterns.

I also suspect the meeting with senior staff will be to look at this issue.

None of this would have been discussed during mat leave as employees would consider/claim this to be harassment. Not doing so, ends up where OP is with a meeting on her return, armed mostly with sketchy, entirely partisan, information from colleagues, and zero understanding of the issue/s at hand.

From experience, what happens is staff (aided and abetted by HR!) knit their own work pattern. No-one gives a flying fuck regarding the practicalities of this for the service/supervised staff/physical resources until something happens. When that something happens, like a relocation, it becomes apparent there are issues around the uncovered/overlapping hours.

Mostly, situations can be resolved when working with emotionally mature employees. Where employees are less emotionally mature, e.g. viewing matters 'through the very linear lens of solely their own perspective' then redeployment is very frequently the outcome.

Usually, where the service is critical to the organisation, the jsp with the most conventional work pattern will remain in post as it is easier to marry that with someone also on a conventional (opposite) work pattern.

I have seen/been party to redeploying staff lacking flexibility for the benefit of supervised staff/service provision.

If I were OP, I'd be asking myself these questions in advance of the meeting:

• where/what are the gaps for the staff/service on the days neither jsp is present?
• is there enough work for two on the days both jsps are present?
• do both jsps supervise both staff members or is it split so that each jsp supervises one staff member?
• what flexibility can you offer to avoid redeployment?

In relation to confidentiality etc., by all means argue about it if you wish. However, bear in mind senior staff have already considered this and, no matter how precious the confidentiality issues are for you personally, corporately they are not registering similar concern.

Also try to factor in what many other posters have shared regarding how equally (or even more) confidential areas operate. Social workers, for example, undertake all manner of difficult calls in an open plan environment where confidentiality is required/assumed.

Just to reiterate what so many other posters have said - going in 'all guns blazing' will be manna from heaven for those seniors, really. 😂

Ok let's sum up- your job is to cut costs, at any cost, including the human cost- and then you get to bullshit people telling them 'ok guys it is what it is, we (as in- YOU) all have to suffer' while your bosses get bonuses bigger than the previous year. But it's legal, so even if people are depressed and unhappy, what choice do they have?
The 'times have changes, this is the new normal' is a tune as old as time well before covid, but let's face it, it never quite impacts higher management in the same way. And that is on people like you, your priorities is your bonuses and your superiors.

Sadly the 'human' part of your job is missing. I bet you are not working sitting on someone's lap to deliver your job- so it's easy to be condescending to anyone who would like to work with (any) dignity.
You say something about working with vulnerable people- and yet here you are calling someone who wants to do their job 'difficult' and 'hard work'- it is a passive aggressive bullying behaviour and I don't believe you are any nicer or better irl than your post showed you to be here. I feel sorry for anyone who gets to be 'supported' by you.

I don't like the sound of any of this OP. Be prepared, take someone with you into the meeting.

AFAIK you are entitled to come back to work after maternity leave to the same terms and conditions you left. Have a look at what your rights are.... failing that I would definitely approach it from a GDPR perspective, you're "clients" are entitled to have their privacy protected that definitely can't be guaranteed in a got desk set up

That is all so helpful. Thank you. Some really great points to consider and I really appreciate you taking the time to post 😊

I can't do my job without a desk. I'm not interested in only positive posts but any who are showing a different opinion are always coming at it from an attacking and nasty standpoint. People can say I'm unreasonable and why without attacking my character.

I don’t think it is entitled for someone who has a desk job to be able to access a desk at work. As only OP-& potentially the other lady on mat leave are to be hot decking, but without a hot desk to actually use, then that can’t happen.

Great advice above-take a union rep; contact ACAS and the relevant pregnancy/maternity organisations. It seems a bit off that your manager is doing a maternity return to work interview and bringing 2 other senior managers; smells like something else to me.

I’ve been following this thread and I’m frankly surprised at the lack of support on a women-led site for a woman returning from mat leave to find her desk and office has been given away with no discussion.

It’s completely clear from the OP’s posts that she isn’t entitled or demanding anything unreasonable.

Why do you thnk that workshare is being 'heavily accomodated' for? It should be more or a norm, the fact many places don;t offer it does not mean we should all race to the bottom.
I would not to have someone like you as an employer who thinks people wanting basic work conditions met are somehow unreasonable. How is she meant to focus on doing her job if she can't do it without a desk?

I can’t believe some of the replies you have been getting . It is up to the employer to work with you to facilitate a smooth return to work , and of course it can affect you if that does not happen . And you have explained quite clearly why you job requires certain specific facilities.

Hope get it sorted .

Hi PP. I know exactly how you feel. Returning to work post mat leave is difficult enough.
while away I received a phone call from someone I’d never met telling me we were going to job share and what shifts did I want….., I had no info or documents about the job share and my wishes were required by the next day !
I hope your meeting clarifys yours position and your return is ok.

Yeah, stuff like this happens a lot in the USA and that is after only taking 6-12 weeks off. One of the reasons women are afraid to take leave even when it is available. They often use it to push you out of your job in any way they can or at least think they need to punish you for taking time off.