'My boss went through my office without telling me... she didn't like what she found': Employee requests tips to get back at boss who make them take their belongings home

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Sep 17, 2024 5:00 PM EDT

What would your boss do if they found out you read books in your spare time? It's a pretty harmless item to have around the workplace, right? Many bosses would assume you brought that book to read during your commute or your lunch break. I'm sure many would prefer that to employees being on their phones anyway! But this person's boss found some books laying around the office, and she took that personally. 

This person's supervisor sounds like both a snoop and a micromanager. She went and searched through all of their personal belongings without giving them any heads up! One commenter suggested that this manager felt insecure about herself, to which the original poster replied that it might be "a generational thing." Maybe the boss felt she was perfectly entitled to search u/makeitgoaway2yhg's belongings. After all, if you bring it to the workplace, you're basically giving your employer that permission, unless your contract states otherwise. Maybe the boss is from a generation with bosses who acted more authoritatively than today's standard bosses, who usually at least try to be understanding of their employee's personal space. 

After that, read about these concerts that weren't worth the ticket price, like one where the band "tuned their guitars for about 45 minutes, said 'Thanks a lot,' and walked off the stage." 

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  • 01
    aration a chum or fat aunt child the unimpaired human red at once, but with the human part of one's a the dust of the inhuman p Jewishment. He looked at her w the potage, but she, this old to bring from the pilery) vie at the Praslin's last Christmas. The day time he met her, that awful "wonder M gant jumble of geological faules, could we le she accepted as a dotted line of hand c old" Demon (all her pillow mates being red v appeared before her like a harnles p theaters "between mirror and fan o
    via Thought Catalog on Unsplash
  • 02
    My boss went through my office without telling me until today, decided she didn't like what she found, and is now giving me busy work. How do I "malicious compliance" this?
    via u/makeitgoaway2yhg
  • 03
    Edit: man, for people on the anti- work subreddit, some of you are very quick to assume I'm a terrible employee.
    via u/makeitgoaway2yhg
  • 04
    Edit 2: I'm just gonna bring most of the books home and finish the ones I've started over lunch break. I was moving at the time and she knew that, so I don't think I'll get in trouble. Maybe I'll get something interesting to do now.
    via u/makeitgoaway2yhg
  • 05
    codon011. Don't use the company wifi to do non-work stuff on your personal device, either.
    via u/codon011
  • 06
    Kendakr I don't know about malicious compliance but I would start looking for new work and not give a two week notice.
    via u/Kendakr
  • 07
    YoBro98765 If your boss is going through your things, write and print some fake emails from your boss's boss (big boss) that make it look like they've asked for your help in managing up and addressing some deficiencies in your boss's leadership style, including awareness that they are going through employees' personal items.
    via u/YoBro98765
  • 08
    Ensure your reply is effusive with praise for your boss and a commitment to her growth and development. Include a reply from big boss that if your boss can't improve then they will need to be let go. And add a statement from big boss that they would never admit this to your boss or HR if it were found out. In fact they want you to delete the email and they will do the same.
    via u/YoBro98765
  • 09
    Your boss-if they find it ―will either be completely at a loss, will accuse big boss of impropriety, or will accuse you of lying. In your defense, they were stored in your personal effects and were not disclosed by you to anybody.
    via u/YoBro98765
  • 10
    DontKillTeal What could go wrong when the manager shows big boss fake emails...
    via u/DontKillTeal
  • 11
    makeitgoaway2yhg OP Love it but it's too much effort
    via u/makeitgoaway2yhg
  • 12
    makeitgoaway2yhg OP. In the interview, she went into a lot of things she'd have me do. Like projects for mental health months outreach and things like that. She was going to have me working on poster boards and doing research and then...never did. I had one project to do that took a week (probably could have taken two days if I didn't have ADHD) and never did anything with it. "Oh. That's nice." Now I'm shredding documents we don't use, anyway.
    via u/makeitgoaway2yhg
  • 13
    Bobbyscousin. This. Never keep anything at the office. When asked why, "it's all online" or "I come here to work" is all you need to say. This is not the 1990's when you had to bring in all your college text books, which going by what I hear are not now in paper format any way.
    via u/makeitgoaway2yhg
  • 14
    LaChanelAddict Exactly. I don't keep anything at the office I wouldn't mind never seeing again.
    via u/LaChanelAddict
  • 15
    [deleted] Never keep stuff at the office. It's never worth it.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 16
    GreenTravelBadger. I always had a book at the office. Even if I were busy every minute there IS lunch hour, and that's MY time. I would do the Busywork, but oh so slowly, and ask for directions/input from boss every 15 minutes or so. "Just wanna make sure I'm doing it right," I would coo.
    via u/GreenTravelBadger
  • 17
    thinkingwhynot. I worked in an office for 15 years, I never went into my employees desk until the day it needed to be cleaned out. IDK seems toxic to me.
    via u/thinkingwhynot
  • 18
    makeitgoaway2yhg OP. Like I'm not even mad that she gave me stuff to do. I'm mad that she went through my things, saw some books in my cabinet because we don't have enough mentally ill people calling in for appointments, and made up things for me to do
    via u/makeitgoaway2yhg
  • 19
    Explain Jane Print some dust covers for your books with fake business book titles like "The Micromanager and You" or "Making the Best of Pointless Busywork" if feeling salty, or just non- provoking up business titles like "Every Job Matters" or "Finding Meaning in Your Current Job"
    via u/Explain Jane
  • 20
    MrWhiteLab Coat ⚫ My one buddy had a manager that was a micromanaging incompetent. He bought a paperback "Dealing With Horrible Bosses" and left it visible so they could see it every time they passed his cubical. He left shortly after but the boss essentially ignored him for the last few months.
    via u/MrWhiteLab Coat
  • 21
    makeitgoaway2yhg OP. Maybe I'll buy a copy of "Bulls Jobs" and have it on my desk.
    via u/makeitgoaway2yhg
  • 22
    awesomeuno2 "Why your boss going through your personal items is a sign they're insecure" Put this on everything 36 Reply Share makeitgoaway2yhg OP. I asked my dad and he said this happened when he was in the workforce. I think it's a generational thing.
    via u/makeitgoaway2yhg

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boss antiwork workplace-stories jobs job bosses work coworkers books book workplace busy
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