Feb 7, 2019, 7:41 PM

@Auspice

I don't think you're being unreasonable with the scenario as presented. If everyone has their own desks, there's no reason that she needs to be using it, and there's an expectation of personal space that's being invaded there. People sometimes sit and use my desk at work when I'm not here (for a variety of reasons), but they would always put it back, and they leave me NOTES when they do it. Because my space, polite, and so on.

I can't think of a way to say this without making you worry, but getting a new job should really be a priority, even if it has good things about it. You're bright enough and capable enough that while you might have to go out of industry or something, I can't imagine you won't find somewhere over a longer timeline of looking. Your workplace is terrible, they are treating you terrible, and it does not sound as if anything short of a lawsuit will have any impact on making it better. Your health/anxiety are going to get worse in this environment, and anything that you could do to try and help it get fixed will short-term make health/anxiety yet worse. 😞

ETA: Summarized as: GET OUT OF THERE DAMNIT. I know it's not that simple, I do know, I really really really do (I was there, I had a job that came >< close to killing me, I finally quit on the third heart attack) but you are worth more than what they are treating you like. By a lot.