Is this a disciplinary offence?

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Mr Phoebus

New Member
I'm referring to the lovely, sweet lady who's about to retire in the OP.

It's not one of your riddles, you know. :biggrin:
 

MarkF

Guru
Location
Yorkshire
punkypossum said:
The reason I haven't just claimed my drawer back is that I didn't want to weaken my position by basically doing the same thing that she has done.

Er, she has your drawer so how weak can your position get?:biggrin:

Look, it's simple, take your drawer back, the one that she had no right to take from you. I don't want to offend you, but blunt is best, from me to you, from you to her.
 

yenrod

Guest
Respect is respect.

She is not being respectfull.

Technically, if you've had a word with her then a manager is the next step & if you get nowhere there its above them.

If she is getting off with things like this then there may be something more to it than meets the eye...!

At the end of the day: however long she is there for she should be 'playing the ball' along with everyone else!!!
 

Rhythm Thief

Legendary Member
Location
Ross on Wye
MarkF said:
I can hardly believe what I am reading, this is not a parallel "office world" it's the real world, stop whining about it and do the right thing. Go in early tomorrow morning, and get your bloody drawer back:angry:!

Then, tell her directly that it is yours not hers and she will not be getting it back under any circumstances. You should have done this already instead of pondering options, letting the situation deteriorate and get muddled. No wonder this woman behaves so badly, stand up to her, it is best for everybody, oh, good luck:biggrin:.

I'm inclined to agree with this. Sometimes there's no place for diplomacy.
 

Downward

Guru
Location
West Midlands
MarkF said:
Er, she has your drawer so how weak can your position get?;)

Look, it's simple, take your drawer back, the one that she had no right to take from you. I don't want to offend you, but blunt is best, from me to you, from you to her.


Indeed if you "take it back" your in your original position.
 

yello

Guest
punkypossum said:
I have never involved a manager in a problem I might have had with a colleague in my life

I think you'll have to in this instance. Think of it this way; it's not simply a problem between you and her, it's an issue in the workplace. Your manager(s) need to know. If you simply take the drawer back, what do you think will happen? She'll either take it back, or take some other tit-for-tat action OR go bleating to a manager herself.

She'll not listen to you, she probably won't even listen to a manager!, so you have to 'escalate'. If there's anything I know about the workplace environment is that to win, you have to play the game. In this instance, that means escalating and covering your arse. You don't take action without the manager sanctioning it. (They'll probably fold and just buy you a new drawer, but that'll work for you too... unless she wants that too!)
 

Mr Phoebus

New Member
Maybe her replacement will be even more of a cow.
 

Maz

Guru
ComedyPilot said:
She's 'empty nesting', a classic menopausal activity, desperately seeking to show her value in life/work and manifesting that as 'I must be needed, I have 3 drawers'
I suspected all along it was cupboard love.
 

simoncc

New Member
There's no such thing really as a 'disciplinary offence', just things which might cause an employer to subject you to what it calls its disciplinary procedures. Behaving in a way an employer doesn't like is not an offence, unless it is somehow criminal.

Years ago I had a boss who was got fed up with me. She managed to get me a verbal warning which she timidly handed to me in the form of a letter without saying a word. It was a sort of written verbal warning I suppose.
 

fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
Why should you not have a set of drawers - if she needs so many, she needs to get filing in order. Just go to your line manager and ask for them back - or a new set....
 

Blue

Squire
Location
N Ireland
Speicher said:
Put something in "her" drawers ;), not identifiable to you, but not pleasant; half eaten apple! At the front, so she notices it.

She could do better than that. On a past holiday in France I stayed in a hotel that had a vibrant week-end street market outside. The previous occupant of my room left some cheese, garlic and tomatoes in a drawer and the staff hadn't cleared it. When I opened the drawer it was noticeable and unpleasant - go for it!! (BTW, put these items in 'her' drawers, not yours - which you should just take back).
 
Interesting Punky. Firstly don't react immediately but think it through. 2nd don't take it personally otherwise you won't be able to deal with it rationally, expecially if you go down the formal route.

It depends on the company as to how they deal with it, so yes speak to your manager and also e-mail it to make it formal. If they then don't react you can use the e-mail as a follow up with a copy to HR. Going down this route may cause you a bit of pain and some resentment from your manager, you have to decide if you want to do that but it should yield results.

The alternative, as others have suggested is to get even but again you need to judge whether, if she then complains, her complaint will carry more weight because of who and what she is, so you might need to take the anonymous approach. By the sounds of it this may work pretty well as she sounds like she has a few psychosis to deal with and paranoia might just be one of them ;)

Whatever you do don't just let it go because it will fester.
 

Speicher

Vice Admiral
Moderator
This may sound pompous but I hope not. Remember that you are in control of your reaction to her actions.

She seems to lack control in her life, as suggested by others on here.

People have sometimes teased me relentlessly, and I am sure others have suffered the same at times. Wait until the right opportunity occurs, this make take some time. Then anonymously seek revenge. The half-eaten apple is a mild retribution, it is not for me to suggest anything stronger.

One extremely very troublesome person that I had to deal with, was quite happy to allow a truck load of pigs (the animals) to suffer in extreme heat at a Motorway services. She refused to assist me, when I knew she had the experience to help with the problem. She would not, because she said she had urgent work to do. (She was processing invoices, I was trying to assist a Vet inspecting said pigs). I did not muck about, went straight over the top of her head, as it were, to sort things with our Chief Vet, who then personnally got involved. I think she was gobsmacked to put it politely, that I was prepared to do that. I also think that he may have hidden, when he saw her approaching him. ;)

I avoided complaining about her, she had been trouble for many years. I gained confidence, in knowing that she could **** off, I did not need her help. The point I am making here, in addition to the "revenge" suggested earlier, is that you rise above her petty reorganising etc. I know you have said there are circumstances you do not want to mention, so it is easy for me to say this, and harder for you to stay calm.
 
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