To be upset about being given the worst desk in the office?

[TeaTowelQueen]

Been working for a small firm for 6mths, 16hrs a week doing basic admin. Additional person starting (18yr old apprentice) so had to have a desk shuffle. Told today via email that I will be moved to a small desk, on the end of a block, back to the door and every person in the office will be walking to and fro right behind me for the 4hrs a day I am there.

I really hate it, every time I look at the desk waiting for me I want to cry.

My head knows that I am the lowest in the pecking order (even below both apprentices it appears) and I only work part time. I know the younger ones (I am in my 50s) need more nurturing and that they are the future. I know that I am being unreasonable. But I can't stop feeling just awful about it.

Any coping advice out there?

We have regular desk shuffles in my workplace. We base it on business needs, so as our work responsibilities change, we move desks so we're grouped together with the people we work directly with to avoid what PP have mentioned with talking across the office. I ended up moving twice last year, once as part of the annual reshuffle, then again shorty after as a co worker didn't like facing in a particular direction and was irritated by it, I'm not bothered which way I face. We sat behind one another, so it was a quick enough swap. The very part time staff, and those on zero hour contracts desk share, allocation was done based on the days that they are in, so everyone always has somewhere to sit. We also have a few tables set up as hot desks; they're smaller than a desk, but big enough to grab a Chromebook to get some work done if for whatever reason your usual desk space isn't available.

Nobody is precious about desk allocation. We had a new member of staff start a couple of weeks ago, who was doing some work with the colleague who sits next to me. The new starter had my desk for the day, and I used one of the hot desks. Our desks are based on the practicalities of the roles we perform, not on our worth or value to the department. Have you asked what the logic was behind the decisions? It could very well be the same ethos as our office moves.

Fuck it. Who cares??? If you do you need to toughen up.

The reason you are upset is that you know that THEY know for a fact this is the least attractive desk and have put you there anyway. It's no different from being stuck next to the kitchen doors in a restaurant, only lowest on the pecking order or last minute walk ins are given those tables.

You're having your face rubbed in being inconsequential, and nobody likes that, and you're powerless, which is even worse. Not sure what you can do about it, but your feelings are fair enough.

I assume you get the crapppy desk as the person there the least? If the size is an issue, by all means raise that as a concern, otherwise I wouldn’t.

Hot desker here. Over 100 in my office. Desks cause so many issues!
There has been a recent fashion of requesting sit stand desks. One person requested one and suddenly there was a flood of requests. Most people never ever stand when they get them but can’t refuse a request. They cost a fortune and we couldn’t find a size compatible with the old desks.
Office was refigured to accommodate more people and equipment so we had the brilliant idea of putting all the sit stand desks in one bank so they matched.
On day one the sit stand people came in and went straight for the normal desks that were in the favoured positions. Back of the room. Back to a window. Away from the management team. Led to so many upsets.

This

🙄

Do you think the OP should live with this kind of extreme emotional reaction to something which is totally without consequence? Or might it be better if she learned to cope with her feelings a little better so as not to let things like this affect her so much? It’s a desk.

Can you move the desk round or find a way to re figure it? I did this when I was given a shite desk when we moved buildings. After I moved it my desk was the best in the office.

So patronising again. She’s upset about having to sit at a rubbish desk for 16 hours a week. I’m sure she’ll get over it but I can see why she’s a bit upset about it.

She didn’t say she’s a bit upset about it. She said she wanted to cry every time she looked at it and she felt awful.

Had she said she was a bit upset about it, I suspect she would have got different responses. Certainly mine would have been different.

Whatever, people have emotions, she shared them anonymously. She hasn’t broken down in the middle of the office.

Yeah, she shared her feelings and I’m telling her I think she should seek help. That’s what I’d do in her situation because if I felt this way about a desk I would be concerned about my ability to deal with something more serious when it came along.

We can agree to disagree. I don’t think she needs therapy for being upset about getting the shitty desk, but hey, I’m sure we could all benefit.

I moved my desk sideways so I don’t have to look at people when they come in to the office!

Ain’t that the truth 😂

It’s just a desk, desks have nothing to do with pecking orders. Don’t read too much into it, it doesn’t mean anything. If a desk for a 16 hr job is all you have to worry about you’re doing alright

@TeaTowelQueen Can't you suck it up with good grace and a smile and turn it to your advantage next time there's something to negotiate? "Would you mind very much if I varied my hours a bit so I avoid the hours when there's most traffic behind me" "would it be OK if I come off x rota, as I have to concentrate more on that tiny desk" "I'd really appreciate getting early dibs on the holiday rota as I sucked up the awful desk". Use it to get other stuff you want.

Whilst I can understand why you have been placed in that position, you should not suffer a detriment because you are PT. To me it sounds like you are moved to the he least popular position/worst desk simply because you are PT, rather than it being a pot luck.
Who was at that desk before? Why has there been a suffle round rather than the empty desk being occupied by the new comer? Were you consulted at all or just told?

I’ve managed teams where people have cried at desk changes and frankly it’s ridiculous

Absolutely. These twerps pretending the OP is doing anything wrong by - shock, gasp horror - having feelings! Quick, get to the therapist OP so you never again feel anything that some munsnetter considers unacceptable!

One of the things that makes me feel a lot better about people being inconsiderate of me is being able to talk about it, however briefly, and have some people be supportive and say something like "I'm sorry love, that's shit". Just that brief acknowledgement makes everything easier, then time passes and the feelings pass too.

One thing that makes me feel far worse is being told I don't have a right to feel anything negative and to just suck it up.

Pretty sure that's why these posters are being like this to the OP, they're just enjoying bullying her.

Because the newcomer is A new, B an apprentice so they will need training and mentoring which means they need to be near the person training and mentoring them rather than put wherever there happens to be an empty desk.

Yep. ‘Maybe you should see someone’ is from the same stable as ‘do you often get this worked up about things, OP?’

Also the 'worst' desk is subjective. I think my colleague has the worst desk in the office, she thinks I have. Why? Because her's is over a radiator and mine is furthest away from any heating under a nice big openable window. I'm always hot she's always cold so we love our own desk but hate each others.

We're about to move some desks around in the office to put one team all in one place. After a couple of people leaving there are a few gaps and stragglers out on a limb, so we're looking to put them all back together.

I'm awaiting the drama it will likely cause!