To think this was rude and to be pissed off!

[Loveduppenguin]

I have a hybrid job. Today is usually a wfh day but for a myriad of reasons I was on site today. I opted to sit at a colleagues desk (as she is an A/L) and as my desk was taken by my desk share counterpart. Anyway, I had a massage at 12:00 for a half hour, I went to that and on the way back I grabbed a sandwich to eat at my desk so I was gone for about 35-40 mins in total. Not unusual at all! When I got back another colleague (not in my dept) had unplugged my laptop and moved it to another desk as she claimed she wanted the desk with two screens and knew colleague was on A/L. There were plants of other desks available. She could have gone to another office to find a desk with two screens. AIBU to be pissed off! 😠 I mean who does that!

I'd be really pissed off, OP and wouldn't be the done thing in my office at all and we hot desk.

No apology for being an arsehole though?

God I would hate that. Are you working with extremely sensitive information?

Yeah I would hate that too. We’re not allowed leave our desktop open, we have to lock the screen when we get up. That’s enough for me 😅

Congratulations.

We all hot-desk, but I am pretty sure that unplugging someone's laptop, taking a desk that is clearly in use by someone and moving their stuff would cause a riot. You just don´t do that.

Furthermore, your coworker couldn't know if you were running something in the background of your laptop that could get all screwed up with screens/battery being unplugged.

Really rude behavior.

I apologise for being an arsehole! 😢

I never thought of that! Yes!!

OP, I'm with you on this: it's very rude indeed to move someone's stuff from a desk they're clearly using just because you fancy that desk for yourself. Even more so when their stuff includes a plugged-in laptop. Your colleague's got a bloody nerve and shitty manners.

@Loveduppenguin grammar needs correcting. It's myriad reasons rather than myriad of ( myriad equates to many) reasons.
Susie Dent mentioned this in Countdown this week 😊

Yeah I thought so. I was just thinking of when it could be appropriate. Clearly not in this circumstance. I do think you should make a sign. Old school solution but it should work?

Yes it's rude. Was anyone else in the room? Why didn't anyone say Loveduppenguin is sitting at that desk (not that they should have to though as it's fairly obvious the desk was in use).

Oooh thank you! I did not know this!! 😅🙌🙌🙌

I think someone actually did, but she just ignored…

That is monumentally rude. I am genuinely flabbergasted!

Clearly not the case in the OPs office though

In my office no one would unplug and move an obviously in use laptop, that's very weird behaviour

Yeah I was so taken aback I genuinely didn’t know what to say!

I have hot desked for about 90% of my career and have never ever experienced anybody being this rude.

No idea how I would have reacted. Maybe stood over their desk till they moved.

Or passive aggressively wait till they use the loo and move my stuff back.

You should have sent her on a wild goose chase then unplugged her and plugged yours back in 😄

I would be really annoyed and would be asking that person why they’ve done it and I’d ask for the desk back! 😂 I would not leave it like that. Totally unacceptable. Even if I book a desk and someone comes in the office before me and sits at my booked desk, I ask the person if they booked it as I did. Obviously usually it’s my colleagues and I ask in a jokey manner, but they move to another desk 😂 The booking system exist for a reason 😂

Omg that would be so funny! 😂😂

I really should have! I’m terrible at thinking of things in the moment though

Recently, a colleague moved a handbag and laptop from a desk. When he was in the office he always sat at that particular desk, although it's a hot desk situation.
My colleague was so upset at someone touching her personal items, she went and complained to our manager. He was brought in and had a talking to.
Extremely rude and passive aggressive, I'm glad he was brought down a peg.

We have a booking system too and I always make people move, even more senior people (😂) unless it’s a Friday when I just take one of the 100s of empty desks.

Who polices what people choose to do in their lunch break?