listen up upper management: there’s a simple math equation you may have missed. more people require more space. not the same amount of space! yes, you’ve hired new people as we’ve grown adn that’s wonderful- but where did you think we were going to put them? I did NOT sign on to share a desk here! particularly not when it’s a case of I turn up at work and low and behold my desk has been taken over…my stuff shoved to the side, my papers rearranged, my phone gathering messages I can’t check because soemone else is having a meeting in MY space. and instead of shuffling off upon my entry to the office, I’m told to gather my things like an office nomad and wander to find my own space!
no. this is not how this goes. this is MY desk, my stuff, I’m more productive when I don’t ahve to constantly rearrange myself becuase someone else messed up my system.
and by the way, stop stealing my pens!
This article appears in Jul 17-23, 2008.
I too have been a victim of this. Nothing’s more irritating then showing up for work and some strange person is sitting in your seat!
hotelling was just about the least fun I ever had at the workplace… I mean where can I stack my rubik’s cubes when someone else has to work there? Not to mention that you know damn well the client is paying for the realestate for us all to work in.
I think it’s time to break out some office pranks. Get that alliance rolling and you may have more time to yourself.
ok, call me new to the workplace, but what sorts of pranks won’t get you fired?
Well, if you are going to narrow it down like that Hedgy, there’s really not much left. Anonymity is the key.
Stealing ideas from The Office isn’t a bad idea if done right. The best one I can think of from that show is where one deskmate inserted a nickel into the other’s phone each day for a few weeks. This would gradually weigh down the phone so that the victim wouldn’t notice. Then, one day, all the nickels were removed. Hilarity resulted the next time the victim picked up the phone.Be damned if I can help you here, I don’t work in an office anymore.