Employee Quits After Co-Worker Breaks In to Desk by Lindsey Novak on Creators.com

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Employee Quits After Co-Worker Breaks In to Desk

Q: I was a new employee for a state office and had been given the responsibility of handling two desks because we were short-staffed. I was told to keep my desk locked at all times if I was not present or was working at the other desk. Despite the fact that we were short-staffed, I was allowed to take a one-week vacation, which I did. When I returned, I could not believe what I saw.

A co-worker had been asked to clean up the materials on top of my desk. Instead, she broke in to my desk and emptied the contents onto the top of my desk. I was already overwhelmed by handling two jobs. When I saw this, I didn't know what to do, so I resigned. Two weeks later, I wrote a letter to the head of the administrative staff asking why he let her break in to my desk. The head did not answer me, but I later found out he had left his position and gone to another state agency. Now it is hard to find another job. What should I have done?

A: You should not have quit, and you should not have assumed that the head allowed this to happen. For all you know, this woman broke in to your desk, laid out the materials, and then said she had found it like that. If you never have heard the expression "never assume anything," you need to understand it now. Jumping to conclusions and blaming someone over something you have not researched is just plain you-know-what. Then to top that off, you quit, which shows you can't handle your emotions in stressful situations. You should have gone to the head in person. If he already had left his position, you should have found out who took over for him. You then could have brought the person to your desk and shown the acting head what had been done in your absence. That would have given the new person a chance to confront the woman who committed the break-in. She would have had to explain the situation or create a lie about it. If she had lied in front of you, the shock on your face would have revealed the truth to the administrative head.

Don't waste your time wondering why the woman did such a thing.

Throughout your workplace experiences, you eventually are going to work with people who have all sorts of flaws, some more serious than others. Unfortunately, some of these people remain employed despite their performance levels, and you will have to deal with them. Leave that job off your résumé, and don't apply to another government agency.

Too Much Time Allows for Too Many Negative Thoughts

Q: I have a job that is not very busy right now, and I have a lot of time to think. How to find happiness with myself is a common topic. We always tend to find fault in ourselves when there is nothing wrong at all. I can't read a book or anything personal, so I can't help but think about life.

A: You have two problems: You are delving deeply into your mind at the wrong time and in the wrong place, and your thoughts are negative and hurting you more than you know. You are starting with the premise that all people automatically find faults in themselves. Not true. Many people are confident and feel good about themselves, their situations, their friends, their families and their lives. They may not walk around the office boasting about their situations, but thinking they all find faults in their lives is transferring to them how you feel about yourself. Yes, everyone has undesirable characteristics, but focusing on those traits will only make you feel worse than you already do. Check out some books under the self-help category, and read how to increase your confidence. If you are slow at work, ask others whether you can help on anything they need, but explain you are in between projects. You are not allowed to read personal materials, but you should do something to keep busy. Reorganize files or systems, or create better procedures. This is not a good economy in which to emphasize that you have nothing to do.

Please send your questions to: Lindsey Novak, c/o Creators Syndicate, 5777 W. Century Blvd., Suite 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045. E-mail her at LindseyNovak@yahoo.com, or visit her Web site at www.LindseyNovak.com. She answers all e-mails. To find out more about Lindsey Novak and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.