"You stole my chair!"

[PastryGoddess]

The boss has ordered another chair.  Coworker did/has not complain(ed) about her back at all.

The CW current chair does have support, just not the super duper ergonomic bells whistles froo frah of her original chair.  A new chair with all the ergonomic bells whistles and froo frah is forthcoming.

The CW has every right to be upset at the way things were handled.  I'll say again that the OP could have softened the blow a bit at the beginning,  However, at the end of the day, the OP was getting her chair.

[Docslady21]

Background: I have some issues with my back stemming from muscle tension that result in horrible back spasms that put me out of commission for at least 24 hours. I recently started getting massage therapy for the spasms and it is helping.

One of the issues causing my back problems was my horrible office chair. It had no arms and very little support, so I never sat up properly in it. My massage therapist cites that as probably the biggest contributer to the problem. After having a particularly bad spasm over the weekend, I went to my boss on Monday morning and requested that they order me a new chair, similar to one that another woman in our office (who also reports to my boss but is in a different department) has. Instead, my boss told me to take hers as she is only there three days a week and often out on sales calls, while I am in the office five days a week for most of the day. She told me to tell the woman that she (my boss) had told me to change chairs if there was a problem.

On Tuesday the woman came in and was a bit put off by the fact that I had swapped chairs. When she mentioned it to our boss, she was told that because I am here full time and she is not, I will get the use of the chair and they will order her another one, but for now she can use my old chair or another chair that has arms and more support, but isn't as good as the one I am now using. She chose that second chair, and made a few snarky comments about it to me, though I ignored her.

Well, she has continued to make snarky comments about how I stole her chair, asking how it is and if it's comfortable for me and how I live with myself knowing I stole the chair. Yesterday I smiled and told her I was quite happy in my chair, but she's doing it again today and I'm getting to the end of my rope. I know she is bullying me to get me to let her use the chair but hiding it through humour. Our boss is away now until Monday, so I am unable to bring it up with her.

Is there anything I can say to make her stop, or is it best to just ignore her? My evil side wants to go off on her, but I know that's not the right course.

To get back to your question, I would say to her: I'll let the boss know you are upset with his decision. Would you like me to CC you on the email to him?

[Twik]

We'll have to agree to disagree then. I just don't see this as anything but wrong. I'd feel pretty snarky too if someone did this to me. It's just disrespectful in my eyes, and I don't think that the woman's behavior after being disrespected is indicative of how she would have behaved if she had been approached more politely.

So, if a handicapped fellow worker (and this is a legitimate, though temporary, handicap) was given something that you had been using, and she needed to do her job, you would feel "disrespected" by her? Why exactly would you feel you are disrespected by having your employer redistribute equipment they way they think is best?

[Amara]

I've read all the replies, which I found interesting, but here's how I see it. OP, you as the permanent employee should have priority over a temporary one, especially one who works on a part-time basis. But ... I think it would have been courteous of you to have waited for the employee to show up, then gone to her and told her that in accordance with your needs and your boss's instructions you needed to switch chairs. A brief but sincere apology for putting her out would have helped ease the pain for her, I am sure.

Temps can be treated like garbage and lied to and they have no recourse. It doesn't happen all the time, of course; some agencies and their client-businesses treat them well. But there are others where, well, let's say the temporary employee is treated as disposable, and give no respect at all. I saw that more than once, and it's the reason I refuse to consider ever working with a temp agency again.

In this case, the temporary employee was given no respect, not even in the form of simple courtesy. I think sympathizing with her feelings, even if nothing changes, would go a long way to making things better for her.

[CakeBeret]

We'll have to agree to disagree then. I just don't see this as anything but wrong. I'd feel pretty snarky too if someone did this to me. It's just disrespectful in my eyes, and I don't think that the woman's behavior after being disrespected is indicative of how she would have behaved if she had been approached more politely.

So, if a handicapped fellow worker (and this is a legitimate, though temporary, handicap) was given something that you had been using, and she needed to do her job, you would feel "disrespected" by her? Why exactly would you feel you are disrespected by having your employer redistribute equipment they way they think is best?

I'm not June, but I do agree with her. For me, it's the way it was handled rather than the fact that it happened. No one bothered giving the CW so much as a heads-up, and she probably felt like she got the runaround when she tried to find out what happened. Granted, it's perfectly *appropriate* for the boss to handle it the way s/he did. But I feel like the whole thing lacked a little courtesy.

[Twik]

We'll have to agree to disagree then. I just don't see this as anything but wrong. I'd feel pretty snarky too if someone did this to me. It's just disrespectful in my eyes, and I don't think that the woman's behavior after being disrespected is indicative of how she would have behaved if she had been approached more politely.

So, if a handicapped fellow worker (and this is a legitimate, though temporary, handicap) was given something that you had been using, and she needed to do her job, you would feel "disrespected" by her? Why exactly would you feel you are disrespected by having your employer redistribute equipment they way they think is best?

I'm not June, but I do agree with her. For me, it's the way it was handled rather than the fact that it happened. No one bothered giving the CW so much as a heads-up, and she probably felt like she got the runaround when she tried to find out what happened. Granted, it's perfectly *appropriate* for the boss to handle it the way s/he did. But I feel like the whole thing lacked a little courtesy.

Yes, I agree the boss created the problem here. But I can't agree with June that the correct thing here is for the person who will at best be in severe pain, and at worst be off work, to refuse to take the chair (despite her boss's orders), because of the "disrespect" to the other worker.

It is necessary for her, and it is an order from her boss. Failing to use the chair will either (1) make it seem as if she didn't really need the chair in the first place, or (2) possibly lead to her not being given time off for her spasms, since "she didn't take the authorized steps to avoid them, so it's her own fault she can't work without excruciating pain".

[bopper]

Really the boss handled it terribly.  OP did nothing wrong and the Temp is only reacting as anyone would.  The boss should have never put them in that position.

[TootsNYC]

Have you tried simply apologizing to her?

Think of all the threads we have where our posters are upset about losing pens and paper and such.  This is her chair, which you understand impacts how its sitter's body feels...and her reasons for needing it may be similar to yours.  While it's the boss' orders, I can see why she's also upset with you and how she's been caught off guard (it sounds like she came in to a missing chair and no explanation).

I would have used her chair on her day off, returned it for the beginning of her next shift, then talked to her in person before taking her chair permanently. 

Now, I'd say something like, 'CW - I'm sorry you lost your chair.  I don't like how the boss is handling this, either, but we're stuck.  Is there anything I can do to help besides switching chairs back?'

Best wishes.

I think I might try the "customer service" option: commiserate with her. Get mad a little bit on her behalf.

And I would also be saying to Boss, "order a new chair, would you? if that chair caused me some extreme pain, it can't be comfortable for her either. Tell you what--order one for me, and then she can have this one back."

And I would apologize *for the situation* (not for having done anything wrong)--and I'd have made a point of personally communicating the chair instructions from boss to her even if boss did or didn't.

[squeakers]

It was never the temp's chair.  She just got lucky that the person out on leave happened to have a nice chair.  OP needs the chair, boss said use the good chair the person out on leave has. A second chair has been ordered so that both the OP and the person out on leave will have nice chairs.

The temp gets no say in how company resources are distributed.

[JoyinVirginia]

I agree with June and cake beret. It would have been BEST for Boss to tell temp cw that the chair is needed for another worker temporarily. The way it was done was rude and unnecessarily so. I would have been very upset in cw place.

[JamFly]

Snarky Coworker isn't using the OPs old horrible chair, she is using a chair that has back support and arms, but it's not as nice as the Nice Chair the OP has and needs.



Any updates, OP?

[kareng57]

It was never the temp's chair.  She just got lucky that the person out on leave happened to have a nice chair.  OP needs the chair, boss said use the good chair the person out on leave has. A second chair has been ordered so that both the OP and the person out on leave will have nice chairs.

The temp gets no say in how company resources are distributed.

No, she doesn't - but I think that it was discourteous of the company for her to suddenly come in one morning, and find "her" chair gone with no explanation.  People do become accustomed to their chairs, even on a short-term assignment.

I don't agree with her reaction, but I think that she was entitled to be somewhat unhappy.

[Raintree]

If Snarky CW isn't having back pain now, she will soon if she spends too much time in Horrible Chair. I don't think anyone should be forced to sit all day in a horrible chair.

[VorFemme]

Apparently there are three chairs - the OP is in Best Ergonomic Chair Already In Office, the temp is using Good Semi-Ergonomic Chair (but has never reported back pain), and Horrible Chair - which has apparently been put in the corner until the NEW Ergonomic Chair that has been ordered can arrive.

But the temporary coworker wants Best Ergonomic Chair Already In Office that Maternity Leave Coworker had at her desk because it was at "her" desk when she got there, even if she has no medical need for it, such as the OP does. 

I can see where the boss has shifted available resources to the person in most urgent need and that a replacement ergonomic chair is on order and I empathize with both the OP (back spasms) and the coworker (but that was the chair I was using) - but permanent & full time with medical need trumps temporary & part time without stated medical need - especially as no one is apparently having to sit in Horrible Chair.  Getting the new chair there and letting the OP have it while the other chair goes BACK to coworker is about the best that can be done - with recognition from the boss that the coworker is being a real team player because the OP needs the chair to continue working.

Not that the coworker seems to have been a real team player - but a pat on the back does more good than ignoring her and might put off the need to give her a boot to the backside if she doesn't start acting like a team player......

[Ciarrai]

Any updates, OP?

She's been out of the office all week so far, so I haven't seen her and thus haven't heard any comments. It's much more peaceful this way.

The new chair is supposed to arrive tomorrow, so if she comes in today she'll only have one more day in the less comfortable chair since she only works Tuesday to Thursday.