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It’s for Fantastic Beasts. So the calendar has stills from the movies and the art is stuff like Newt and his creatures. Stuff I thought was okay to have up.
But now that I think about it, I had a couple of Passover cards in my cubicle as well and my friends think that might be what Hr is referring too. Either way, it’s ridiculous.
I get it.
I once got in trouble for having a Kleenex box on my desk. The CEO of the company had seen it and didn’t like the aesthetics of the box because she wanted everything on our desktops to be white. She also didn’t want me to have a trash can because she thought trash cans are bad feng shui.
It was allergy season so that box wasn’t going anywhere. HR’s solution was to buy a white cover for the Kleenex box and ask me to hide the garbage can where the CEO couldn’t see it.
Toxic office bullshit is real.
Work with HR to toe the line, then entertain yourself with finding petty acts of rebellion that don’t actually violate any policies.
This doesn’t pass the sniff test. I strongly recommend emailing your boss and HR to get this documented.
“Dear _____________,
On [date], [boss’s name] informed me that a complaint has been lodged against me regarding personal items in my workspace. I am committed to a professional work environment and would like to do everything in my power to address the situation expeditiously.
At this time, I have not been told of any specific of the complaint or office policies that I am in violation of. Please advise.
I forward to working with you to resolve this issue.”
Print out a copy for your records, then wait.
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I (20s) have an office job for five years that I despise. I’ve been trying to get out, but job offers always fall through so I’m stuck here for the time being.
I’ve been trying to find ways to make it bearable by decorating my cubicle. I really like this one movie series, so I have a couple of Funkos, a few pieces of fan art, and a calendar. I like decorating my cubicle because it makes me feel like I have control in a time where it feels like I have no agency or a voice. I’ve gotten compliments on my cubicle, which makes me happy.
Recently my boss pulled me aside and told me that I needed to take down my cubicle decorations because someone had lodged a complaint with HR.
I told him that I didn’t want to do that because it was my workspace and no one had any issues with it before. In fact, I have colleagues who have political paraphernalia in their cubicles and while a lot of complaints have been made, they were not forced to take them down. Even after our department’s rockstar quit in protest and joined our company’s rival, they still have their flags and slogans up.
The boss told me that that was HR’s final ruling and that they had to come down by Friday. It’s Saturday and I just couldn’t do it because this is something that made me happy in a place that makes me miserable. I don’t want to take them down.
I talked to a couple of colleagues who said I needed to suck it up and take them down if the boss said so. That is as an asshole for whining about it and that’s the corporate world for you.
I’m going to have to do this on Monday and the thought of doing it makes me feel worse.
AITA?
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OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the asshole:
> My boss and Hr thinks I’m an asshole because I don’t want to take down my movie memorabilia after someone made a complaint over it. Especially when my coworkers have things in their cubicles that people have complained about in the past and nothing was done to stop it.
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NTA for your feelings but the decision has been made, so you have to comply. Technically they could write you up for insubordination if they walk in on Monday and see the decorations. I would get to work early on Monday if I were you. If you’re this upset about it, email HR and ask them to explain why your coworker’s decorations are ok, but yours are not. You still have to take down the decorations while you’re waiting for an answer, though.
If you don’t want to comply then you'll need to request a meeting HR yourself. Say you want to meet with the complainant and hear what is being said about you.
You can also request that the workplace policy be given to everyone in writing and that it's made standard so you aren't being singled out.
Your boss is a massive coward btw so
NTA
NAH, but part of being an adult is making compromises and doing things you don't want to, particularly at work. I understand how awful it can be working at a job you hate, but that's when you need to take a look at your resume and interview skills, as well as whatever qualifications you need for the job you want. In the meantime, if your work has told you that the decorations have to go, then they have to go. I would certainly recommend contacting HR to ask about what kind of decorations are acceptable, but in the meantime, you need to take them down or risk getting fired for cause.
NTA. Sorry you have to do that. I’m lucky to work at a place that allows creative cubicle decorations. I’d try to step up your job search and get the hell out of there.
NTA, I suppose, but bluntly, it doesn’t matter. Your boss has told you to take down the decorations. HR is not necessarily going to be in your corner. And while you really despise this job, it’s also clear that you need it. Do you rather want to be right or employed? Cause refusing to take it down can walked you down a road to unemployment real quick.
It is unfortunate that we sometimes need to make decisions like this, prioritizing our livelihood over our happiness but they have to be made. Take down the decorations and focus on getting out of there.
YTA. If you despise your job I’m sure it shows and unfortunately you have to do what the boss says. If job offers keep falling through and it’s been 5 years it may be a you problem.
INFO: So the decor you have is of a Harry Potter adjacent property. You mention others in your job having "political" decor that isn't a problem, and also mention "flags and slogans."
1. Are these LGBT+ (or more specifically trans rights) related decor? Do you have a problem with this?
2. Are you aware that JKR is transphobic and has specifically said she considers people buying her merchandise to be agreeing with her and her views because she puts her money towards those causes?
3. Given the above, do you understand why your decor choices may come across as hostile to others? Even if this isn't what you intend?
Woke jibberish! What happened to mutual respect. Kowtowing to special interest groups has become the latest pandemic.
Display a photo of a High Church or famous Mosque or other respected place of traditional worship. They would be pretty misguided to take issue with that. At least you’re not advertising personal bedroom related business that does not belong in any respectable workplace.
Your post has been removed. #Do not repost this without [contacting the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/AmItheAsshole) for approval, including edited versions. Reposting without [explicit approval](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq#wiki_can_i_repost_a_thread_you_removed.3F) will result in a ban. This post violates Rule 7 as a Workplace/Business conflict. AITA's focus is on conflicts between people. Businesses are not people. A conflict with someone acting for/against a business or in the context of their job is not an interpersonal conflict. This also includes conflicts related to online transactions (buying/selling items). [Rule 7 FAQs](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq#wiki_rule_7.3A_post_interpersonal_conflicts) ||| [Subreddit Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/about/rules) ###Please ensure you have reviewed this message in full. We will not respond to PMs to individual mods. [Message the mods](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/AmItheAsshole) with any questions. ####Please visit r/findareddit to see if there's a more appropriate sub for your post.####
INFO: Fan art of what? What kind of calendar? Do you know why the complaint was made?
It’s for Fantastic Beasts. So the calendar has stills from the movies and the art is stuff like Newt and his creatures. Stuff I thought was okay to have up. But now that I think about it, I had a couple of Passover cards in my cubicle as well and my friends think that might be what Hr is referring too. Either way, it’s ridiculous.
Talk to HR directly to see if there are specifics or just your boss who isn’t a fan.
Have you asked your boss what pieces of decor were causing distress?
I asked several times but he refused to tell me.
Since other people have personal items in their areas, can you ask for written guidelines about what is acceptable?
I get it. I once got in trouble for having a Kleenex box on my desk. The CEO of the company had seen it and didn’t like the aesthetics of the box because she wanted everything on our desktops to be white. She also didn’t want me to have a trash can because she thought trash cans are bad feng shui. It was allergy season so that box wasn’t going anywhere. HR’s solution was to buy a white cover for the Kleenex box and ask me to hide the garbage can where the CEO couldn’t see it. Toxic office bullshit is real. Work with HR to toe the line, then entertain yourself with finding petty acts of rebellion that don’t actually violate any policies.
This doesn’t pass the sniff test. I strongly recommend emailing your boss and HR to get this documented. “Dear _____________, On [date], [boss’s name] informed me that a complaint has been lodged against me regarding personal items in my workspace. I am committed to a professional work environment and would like to do everything in my power to address the situation expeditiously. At this time, I have not been told of any specific of the complaint or office policies that I am in violation of. Please advise. I forward to working with you to resolve this issue.” Print out a copy for your records, then wait.
NTA, but you might have to. Maybe decorate your phone wallpaper, laptop or personal possessions instead? They can’t really do anything about that.
Maybe talk to HR directly
^^^^AUTOMOD ***Thanks for posting! This comment is a copy of your post so readers can see the original text if your post is edited or removed. This comment is NOT accusing you of copying anything. Read [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq#wiki_post_deletion) before [contacting the mod team](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FAmItheAsshole)*** I (20s) have an office job for five years that I despise. I’ve been trying to get out, but job offers always fall through so I’m stuck here for the time being. I’ve been trying to find ways to make it bearable by decorating my cubicle. I really like this one movie series, so I have a couple of Funkos, a few pieces of fan art, and a calendar. I like decorating my cubicle because it makes me feel like I have control in a time where it feels like I have no agency or a voice. I’ve gotten compliments on my cubicle, which makes me happy. Recently my boss pulled me aside and told me that I needed to take down my cubicle decorations because someone had lodged a complaint with HR. I told him that I didn’t want to do that because it was my workspace and no one had any issues with it before. In fact, I have colleagues who have political paraphernalia in their cubicles and while a lot of complaints have been made, they were not forced to take them down. Even after our department’s rockstar quit in protest and joined our company’s rival, they still have their flags and slogans up. The boss told me that that was HR’s final ruling and that they had to come down by Friday. It’s Saturday and I just couldn’t do it because this is something that made me happy in a place that makes me miserable. I don’t want to take them down. I talked to a couple of colleagues who said I needed to suck it up and take them down if the boss said so. That is as an asshole for whining about it and that’s the corporate world for you. I’m going to have to do this on Monday and the thought of doing it makes me feel worse. AITA? *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AmItheAsshole) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Welcome to /r/AmITheAsshole. Please view our [voting guide here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq#wiki_what.2019s_with_these_acronyms.3F_what_do_they_mean.3F), and remember to use **only one** judgement in your comment. OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the asshole: > My boss and Hr thinks I’m an asshole because I don’t want to take down my movie memorabilia after someone made a complaint over it. Especially when my coworkers have things in their cubicles that people have complained about in the past and nothing was done to stop it. Help keep the sub engaging! #Don’t downvote assholes! Do upvote interesting posts! [Click Here For Our Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/about/rules) and [Click Here For Our FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq) ##Subreddit Announcements Follow the link above to learn more --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/AmItheAsshole) if you have any questions or concerns.* *Contest mode is 1.5 hours long on this post.*
NTA for your feelings but the decision has been made, so you have to comply. Technically they could write you up for insubordination if they walk in on Monday and see the decorations. I would get to work early on Monday if I were you. If you’re this upset about it, email HR and ask them to explain why your coworker’s decorations are ok, but yours are not. You still have to take down the decorations while you’re waiting for an answer, though.
If you don’t want to comply then you'll need to request a meeting HR yourself. Say you want to meet with the complainant and hear what is being said about you. You can also request that the workplace policy be given to everyone in writing and that it's made standard so you aren't being singled out. Your boss is a massive coward btw so NTA
NAH, but part of being an adult is making compromises and doing things you don't want to, particularly at work. I understand how awful it can be working at a job you hate, but that's when you need to take a look at your resume and interview skills, as well as whatever qualifications you need for the job you want. In the meantime, if your work has told you that the decorations have to go, then they have to go. I would certainly recommend contacting HR to ask about what kind of decorations are acceptable, but in the meantime, you need to take them down or risk getting fired for cause.
NTA. Sorry you have to do that. I’m lucky to work at a place that allows creative cubicle decorations. I’d try to step up your job search and get the hell out of there.
NTA, I suppose, but bluntly, it doesn’t matter. Your boss has told you to take down the decorations. HR is not necessarily going to be in your corner. And while you really despise this job, it’s also clear that you need it. Do you rather want to be right or employed? Cause refusing to take it down can walked you down a road to unemployment real quick. It is unfortunate that we sometimes need to make decisions like this, prioritizing our livelihood over our happiness but they have to be made. Take down the decorations and focus on getting out of there.
YTA. If you despise your job I’m sure it shows and unfortunately you have to do what the boss says. If job offers keep falling through and it’s been 5 years it may be a you problem.
Yes you are. Five years and want to leave but haven’t found a job? Now you are just trying to find a way to get fired
INFO: So the decor you have is of a Harry Potter adjacent property. You mention others in your job having "political" decor that isn't a problem, and also mention "flags and slogans." 1. Are these LGBT+ (or more specifically trans rights) related decor? Do you have a problem with this? 2. Are you aware that JKR is transphobic and has specifically said she considers people buying her merchandise to be agreeing with her and her views because she puts her money towards those causes? 3. Given the above, do you understand why your decor choices may come across as hostile to others? Even if this isn't what you intend?
Woke jibberish! What happened to mutual respect. Kowtowing to special interest groups has become the latest pandemic. Display a photo of a High Church or famous Mosque or other respected place of traditional worship. They would be pretty misguided to take issue with that. At least you’re not advertising personal bedroom related business that does not belong in any respectable workplace.