Co-workers that touch your work things at work

[Gmartz]

We have an HR lady at work that has been here for about

6 years.

 

 

She is completely obsessed with cleanliness and works on

a very calculated schedule. Nothing wrong with that.

I can even tell you the times she uses the restroom here at

the office, it's that calculated. She is like a robot.

 

 

Every now and then, when an employee is out, she will go into

that employee's workspace and organize it a bit. It must bug her.

 

 

The employees will complain, then she'll stop... but then a few months

later she'll be right back at it.

 

 

Annoying.

[mark clemson]

Bit o' OCD perhaps? It's not her fault.

[LauraXX]

That's weird. Does she also touch stuff inside the drawers etc.? At my job we have a cleaning lady who always does a very thorough job. She usually clears all the tables before she wipes them. It used to drive me crazy because the mess on my table actually has a system But now I got used to it and just keep my notes & papers inside my drawers. She wouldn't touch those. And the tables in the office always look immaculate...so I guess that's a plus

[Mr. Lucky]

The employees will complain, then she'll stop...

 

I'm going to assume the complaints go to someplace other than HR .

 

Honestly, not that big of a deal. A cleaning service would do basically the same thing...

 

Mr. Lucky

[GorillaTheater]

I'd probably feel compelled to move stuff around on her desk or shelves when she wasn't looking, but that's just me.

 

I once worked with an OCD guy who kept his pencils in "descending pencil order" as he termed it, longest to shortest. I shuffled them around randomly whenever the opportunity arose.

[preraph]

I'm only in the office sometimes, kind of on call, and it annoys the crap out of me when I go in and someone has put my chair down as far as it will go and rammed it under the desk (the arms are already showing wear and tear). I don't know if it's cleaning people or some ahole at work. And half the time, someone has stolen my trash can.

 

I had a thing going on for awhile where the office bully was using my desk as her receptacle instead of using her own. I told her to stop nicely like three times and then said to her, "I'm talking to (the boss)" and went right in front of her and did it. She was just trying to intimidate me or show she can. I told the boss, She only does it to show she can. She's a bully. I had also put a sticky on my desk saying to leave my chair alone and not to put things on my desk. So you might try that, but people of course kept moving the sticky. Maybe print a sign that says "My desk is just the way I like it as is."

[Gmartz]

I should add..... Sometimes this HR lady doesn't get her

own work done, because she's busy cleaning up someone's

area, wiping down windows or in the bathroom cleaning the sink

when we already have a custodian that does that at night.

 

 

She has an issue. I don't fault her for that but come on, she's gotten

complaints on her, she'll stop, but then go right back to it again

weeks later.

[Kitty Tantrum]

The title of this thread on the main page is truncated to "Co-workers that touch your..."

 

I keep wanting it to say "butt."

 

I'd raise heck if someone kept moving my things around without a very good reason. It really messes with efficiency and productivity when your things aren't where you expect them to be.

 

The flip-side to this is that it is ALSO discourteous to keep your workspace visibly messy if it's within view of your co-workers. That can ALSO interfere with efficiency and productivity because it can be distracting (and cause problems if it's the sort of environment where co-workers need access to things that are in your space and might have trouble finding them). Depending on certain specifics (if clients or potential customers can see it), it can also be bad for business.

 

So it's a bit down to particulars. In this case, it sounds like she's not cleaning up MESSES so much as she's just trying to impose her own organizational structure, and/or satisfying her OCD impulses. And that it's interfering with her own work. I'd press that issue pretty hard.

[The Outlaw]

Apparently the complaints have gone right over her head or she just doesn't care. You could try taking it to a higher authority if it persist, but that's the only thing I can think of that may actually put a stop to it.

[Blind-Sided]

If you have been there for a while... and know her... and you know she's OCD... next time you know you will be gone... leave a note in the middle of your desk telling her how you want it cleaned... and use it to your advantage. LOL

 

 

 

 

Now... if she's reorganizing, and you can't find things... that's another story. my last "Day Job" I was an R&D Chemist. If Someone cleaned my desk and office, I was grateful. (My offices was always messy) BUT... If someone went through my files, and lab books, and moved them around... I would be pissed.

[CautiouslyOptimistic]

This wouldn't bother me at all, but if it does bother people she should try very hard to not do it.

 

I once worked with someone kinda like this and I just chuckled at him. One time he had to go through a stack of papers from another coworker who had bronchitis or something. He was annoyed she was at work to begin with since she was sick, but he microwaved the stack of papers before handling them so he would not get sick too lol. I'm sure that wasn't the first time! He had a lot of funny quirks. I chose to look at it in an entertaining way rather than get annoyed.

[Geraltt]

This would irritate the bejeezuz out of me, but then one has to remember that HR folk aren't top-drawer people.

 

I'd have a word with her, personally, in private, and tell her to simply not touch your desk. Full stop. No excuses. No "reasons".

 

Her OCD is not your problem.

 

If she continues to do that - and she will, I guarantee it - go to her supervisor with a written record of what she has done and leave it up to them. It matters because how you arrange things on your desk has a direct impact on your productivity. If she is messing things about, that means that your productivity suffers. And you want to be productive as possible.

 

They may not do anything, but at least you can be honest with yourself that you did everything you could.

[Rockdad]

I had an OCD employee for many years and yes I will agree it can be very trying at times. On the other hand there was no concern that the warehouse and Svc Trucks were not cleaned and organized. When he left his replacement was much more technically skilled but also no matter what I do or say is a two legged walking pig. The perfect work place scenario is a lofty dream I think after decades at this. It may serve you better to do what you can to calm your own nerves and frustration level rather than try and change something as difficult as someone else's habits.

[mark clemson]

... but then one has to remember that HR folk aren't top-drawer people.

 

 

Better not go saying that in front of them LOL.

[major_merrick]

Hmm...can my husband hire her? He's been given a truck for work, and it seems he spends more time in it than in his office. He's got a secretary to deal with his office stuff, but his "mobile office" is an absolute disaster.

[mortensorchid]

Some people have OCD tendancies, to be sure and feel that they can move things around to make them more comfortable.

 

Suggestion? THere were times I had to work at a coworker's desk when my computer fried up and we were waiting on IT to repair. My boss would tell me (or others in the same department) to go to an absent coworker's computer and work there until it was fixed. As a courtesy to the other person I would write a note to them and leave it on their desk saying "I had to sit at your desk to work yesterday while my system was down. Sorry if I moved or changed some things."

 

Usually the other person would be okay with that and then put things back the way they wanted them. Once I came in and a particularly obnoxious coworker screamed her head off at me that I was at her desk and I said "Yes I did, didn't you see my note?" She continued to scream at me (in front of my boss I would like to add) and I simply walked away. She was such a shrew, I'm sure my boss told her eventually that I was there under orders to be there. But she never apologized to me. Life goes on.

[NomiMalone]

Ask yourself if this is really the hill you want to die on in the office? There are people dealing with workplace issues way more serious, such as bullying, theft of work etc. You’re lucky you don’t have to deal with worse. If I were you, I’d just not give it so much thought, and let it go.

 

There’s a lady at my work who helps herself to the stationery at my desk when she could easily go to the office stationery cupboard. She also goes through the paper work on my desk if she’s looking for info and I happen to be not at my desk. These not things I’d ever do, but everyone has different ideas on what’s acceptable or not based on upbringing and what the norms were at their previous workplaces. So I let it go - yes to me she’s rude and entitled, but what she’s doing is not malicious or illegal.