‘You're not going to win this fight’: General manager demands employee give up their desk at “hot desking” office, employee books the space again out of spite

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Mar 18, 2026 6:00 AM EDT

Apparently, some people don't go by the hot desking rule, and there is nothing you can do about it.

When an office decides to switch to a "hot desking" system, in which no one has their own desk at the office, and everyone has to book a workspace in advance, office disputes always tend to follow. We never heard of a single employee who likes this system, and these disputes are probably a big reason why.

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  • It doesn't take much for drama to appear in an office with no assigned workspaces. All it takes is someone who refuses to use the system to book their own desk, so they simply sit wherever they like, regardless of whether someone else booked it. Then, when the person who actually booked that desk shows up, they have to work it out between them, which is not something many workers are capable of doing.

    When the employee in the story below booked a desk that a general manager from another department normally works at, they knew they would probably have to fight for it. The general manager never books the desk; he simply decided that it's his, but since the system clearly states that no one has a designated workspace, nothing was stopping the employee from booking the desk for themselves.

    They weren't really surprised when they received an email from the GM the day before demanding the “release of the desk” so that the GM could sit there instead. And still, the employee refused to give up the space after they followed all the rules to be able to sit there for the day.

  • Businessman in red open space office
    via ismagilov

    Businessman in red open space office.

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • AITA for refusing to give up a hot desking seat the GM thinks is “his”?

    My workplace uses a hot desking system where everyone has to book desks in advance. Bookings open a few weeks ahead and no desks are officially assigned to anyone.
    via ala_ko
  • I only go into the office 1-2 times a week. My team day is usually Friday and it's fairly quiet, so on those days my team (about 10-15 people) tends to book desks in the same area to sit together.
    via ala_ko
  • About 6 months ago a new GM (not from my division) started sitting in that area and seems to have become very attached to a particular desk.
    via ala_ko
  • A few weeks ago I unintentionally booked "that desk" because it was next to my colleagues and there were visitors in the office, leaving limited seating options.
    via ala_ko
  • The day before, he messaged asking me to "release the desk." I politely asked for a reason and whether I could still book in that area (wasn't sure if the visitors were exclusively using that area) but he never responded so I kept the booking.
    via ala_ko
  • The next day I arrived and found him sitting in the desk I had booked. I asked him about it and he said he messaged me yesterday.
    via ala_ko
  • I asked why he didn't respond, he said he was busy. I ended up finding another desk on other side of the floor but was annoyed he didn't apologise or give a proper explanation.
    via ala_ko
  • I saw that same desk was available in a few weeks time so I booked it.
    via ala_ko
  • Young man working in his open space workplace
    via miodrag ignjatovic

    Young man working in his open space workplace.

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Fast forward to this week, this Friday I have booked "that desk". Today I received a message from his exec assistant asking me to "kindly release all future bookings and refrain from booking the desk he usually books".
    via ala_ko
  • Her justification was that as part of the leadership team he needs a desk with a screen that faces away from the rest of the office.
    via ala_ko
  • The thing is, it's a quiet day, so there are multiple desks on the other side of the floor that would meet that requirement.
    via ala_ko
  • Also, desks aren't officially assigned, and again this is where my team is sitting. So AITA if I don't release the desk this time and just keep the booking?
    via ala_ko

  • Is this desk really worth all this drama? If there are enough workspaces in the office, why fight for this one?

    This just goes to show how terrible a hot desking system is, and why no office should try it.

  • canvasshoes2 NTA but this is not the hill to d on.
    via canvasshoes2
  • LordFluffyPotato NTA, but you aren't going to win without repercussions. This is a classic office management "rules for thee, not for me" scenario. Pick your battles, you could escalate to your manager, your GM, your VP, to HR, etc. That the rules are not being followed and applied uniformly, that if certain people need assigned desks that needs to be clearly documented in policy. But all that will just get you branded as a troublemaker, uncooperative, or not a team player.
    via LordFluffyPotato
  • Ja_Lonley Ahahahahah. Oh you're serious. AHAHAHAHAH. You're not gonna win this fight. NTA but also Not The Brightest.
    via Ja_Lonley
  • deshi_mi > About 6 months ago a new GM (not from my division) Does the "GM" mean a General Manager? If yes, you are extremely brave NTA...
    via deshi_mi
  • JeepersCreepers 74 ESH, but especially the person who came up with this system. If desks are limited because people WFH most days, they should still be assigned. This guy is being childish for (1) thinking an unassigned desk is his, (2) kicking you out of one you booked, and (3) not booking it the minute it becomes available if he's so fond of it. But if you are now booking it just to spite him, you're stooping to his level. To resolve the matter, take his assistant's email and escalate it to HR
    via JeepersCreepers74
  • scholarlyowl03 ESH. You're starting sh over a desk that he's going to keep sitting in regardless of who booked it. This is a match you won't win. And it's not worth the fight. Pick another desk.
    via scholarlyowl03
  • bigp30 NTA, but I will say that it may not be worth it to be on the bad side of someone higher up than you in the organization, even if it's not your specific division. Maybe bring your concerns to your direct supervisor if you feel like this is going to be an issue for you. Perhaps your supervisor can find a way to keep your team together on your in- office days.
    via bigp30
  • Wooden-Repeat-9200 NTA, but of handles it delicately. I'd explain to the EA that Friday is your team's in office day and you need to sit together in that area. I would let her know that will mean generally Fridays it'll be tough for your team to find space if he's there and ask if there's a different deal that he can work at I'm guessing he's in the office most days and therefore is more of a hassle to move around a bit It's also stupid to have only open office set up.
    via Wooden-Repeat-9200
  • heyitscory Why isn't Hot-suiteing a thing? People like this need an office to separate them from the people doing the work. You're NTA, but it's way more likely that this person makes your life miserable than you teach them a lesson about following the same rules they insist you follow.
    via heyitscory
  • epicfail1994 Technically NTA but it's sometimes best to not pick fights over stuff like that Sounds like a lot of the people in this thread haven't worked any kind or corporate or office job
    via epicfail1994

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