Sharing a Desk Stinks

Dear Katie & Kelly

I share a desk with a colleague. We work part time and keep different hours. We both leave a few personal items on the desk. I never touch her things. But recently, I’ve noticed she keeps moving my things around so that I have trouble even finding things and can’t seem to find a pair of my gloves that I left one day and I swear she’s eating my lifesavers. Would it be rude to leave a note asking her not to move my things?

Signed,

Annoyed in Annapolis

Dear Annoyed,

Umm, no, leaving a note like that is never a good idea UNLESS you’re spoiling for a fight. Hear us out. Kelly once left an anonymous note in her sorority’s house fridge asking people not to eat other people’s food. It seemed a perfectly normal request because somebody had repeatedly eaten her various leftovers in the fridge without asking. Rude! Whoa nelly. Her note sparked a firestorm the focus wasn’t on the food stealer but the rude note author.

In review, a note is fine if you want to sour your relationship with this person and risk her doing something very naughty to your lifesavers and then putting them back in your drawer. The other solution would be to ask your supervisor for a desk with two separate locks to drawers so you can put your things away at day’s end and not worry about anyone disturbing them.

All our best,

Kelly