Back to work after Mat Leave and I've lost my office. AIBU to be annoyed?

[Skyblue81]

I'm in a senior managerial role at work and have been on maternity leave for 6 months. Before I went on Mat Leave, I had my own (small) office in our office building, as I need a private space for meetings and direct report performance reviews etc.

Before I went on Mat leave my boss and myself discussed what would happen to my office while I was away. It was his suggestion that no-one else should move into it, as he wanted to maintain it as my space and so I could go straight back into it on my return.

I then learnt that almost as soon as I left, my boss gave my office to a peer - a new starter who joined only a few weeks previously, and is in an equivalent role to me. No problem, I understand they need to use space while I'm away.

However I am due to start back again full time on Monday and at a recent KIT day, my boss suggested that I will need to hot desk when I get back, as my office is now occupied!

AIBU to be really annoyed!?

I don't see how I can do my job as senior manager if I am hot desking. Where will I keep confidential papers? Am I expected to carry my laptop / handbag with me whenever I go for a meeting? How can I have meetings with my team in an open-office from a hot desk? I'm mostly pissed off that I was directy told my office would be protected for me, and then handed out almost as soon as I left the building.

Feeling quite shit about going back anyway, and this just adds to the anxiety and feeling that i've been pushed out of the team in my absence :(

Yanbu to be annoyed. I was annoyed someone stole my headset while I was away on mag leave. Ya a bit unreasonable about open plan - we are fully open plan so CEO etc. Admittedly CEO does not hot desk but the desk next to him is. I am used to it now and I manage finance / hr etc so plenty of confidential stuff.

Open plan is the norm these days but it's a shame they've let someone else keep your office. It should at the very least be shared...could you suggest that?

Hopefully you can get a set of lockable drawers for your papers and laptop and that meeting rooms are available for private meetings. That's what I do.

You aren't being unreasonable.
The manager shouldn't have suggested the office be kept for you and then allowed someone else to use it. In my opinion, the new employee should have to hot desk, not you. When I returned from leave I found that the temporary cover they'd hired on a 12 month contract had been offered a permanent part time job and now we're over staffed and are having to look at our hours at work. It is a bit crap if I'm honest and there have been times where I have been really unhappy in a job I really loved.

No this is wrong. It’s not the case that everyone on your level has shifted over to hotdesking. You had an office, there was a discussion you would retain it, it has been passed to colleague on same level. The only reason you’re not still in it is because you went in maternity leave. It’s entirely inappropriate. I would just remind your boss of your office and the discussion you had and ask them to let you know the arrangements for return to the position before your mat leave began. Watch this very closely this could be the thin end of the edge on return from mat leave and you need to make sure they don’t start taking the piss. It’s really horrible too because it’s hard enough starting back with extra hassle.

I’d ask for your office back, or to share it with the colleague who is now in it, eg two desks, or 2.5 days each. Do others at your level there hot desk?

Although I think flexible working (including hotdesking) tends to be the norm now, if you've specifically been told your office will be 'saved' for you, you need to raise this. Personally, I don't think it creates a great work environment when Managers are locked away in their ivory tower though - maybe it's time to do away with offices and mingle with the masses?

Definitely shouldn't be hotdesk as a senior manager. Hostdesk suggests that you are not in the office most of the time, that's the only way hotdesking makes sense.

At the very least the office should be shared (flexibly if you are both out the office a lot or with fixed times if not) BUT whoever is hotdesking still needs access to the office for files and storage.

@Hecateh why shouldn't senior management hotdesk? All senior management at our organisation (NHS) are out in the open plan office with the rest of us - sometimes they don't get a desk and work from one of the co-working spaces.

I'm not saying that it's right in the OP's case, because her new colleague doesn't have to hotdesk, but senior management not hotdesking as a rule is bullshit now.

Also it hasn't nothing to do with not being in the office often, I'm in there 4 days a week but I don't have a desk, because we hotdesk.

You need to ask all these questions, of your manger.

In our building we have hundreds of people who are senior or people managers they all manage without an office other than senior directors who do have them.

Yabu in feeling you NEED the office but not about how your manager has gone about this

Tell them you’ll need a room to pump in then go and kick your colleague out every few hours to do so. I’m sure they’ll realise it would just be easier to give you the office back (if you’re not pumping then I suggest a YouTube search and the resulting video played loudly during “pumping time”)

I'd also frame it as an issue of seniority - you and new man are at the same level, so the distinguishing factor is that you've been with the organisation longer.

That's not on at all.
Think your manager has made and error giving your office away without telling the person it's temporary and now they don't want the awkward conversation with them.
I'd just push to remind him of the conversation where you're meant to keep your office
Aren't you also supposed to return to the same role/conditions if you've only had 6 months Mat leave?

I’m not saying this is discrimination but it’s bloody bold of them to give away the office of a woman on mat leave to a new person, especially one who is male

When I was last at a large firm our senior manager hotdesked but all senior managers had access to an office for holding confidential calls etc. Could it be suggested your old room becomes a breakout space for you and new colleague to use when you need but you both hot desk on a day to day basis?