He Found The Perfect Remote-Work Spot In His Apartment Complex, But One Neighbor Keeps Hogging It
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Shared workspaces run best when everyone uses the room that fits their needs, but first-come seating can make fairness a little murky.
Two coworkers keep squeezing into tiny call pods while one man occupies the only conference room alone, so would you question the arrangement or accept that he simply arrived first?
That daily pattern leaves one remote worker debating whether a polite conversation would solve the problem or create unnecessary office tension.
See why one oversized workspace has become the smallest possible controversy.
WIBTA for asking a guy why he always takes the largest room in the office?
I live in a large apartment building with a business center for all the WFH people.
It’s moderately used, but never super full.
I work remotely for a small non-profit and spend most days there.
We recently hired someone who lives nearby, and she often joins me in the business center.
As someone who has mainly worked from home for a long time, I actually love this.
It’s well set up for WFH people.
There are six individual call pods with desks/outlets etc.
They are basically never all full.
There are a few tables and couches out in the open space.
And there is one conference room with three chairs and a bit more space.
This is where my coworker and I would often sit.
Sometimes other people get there first, which is NBD, it’s first come first serve.
But since the office isn’t any one company, we’re lacking some rules that might make this situation clear.
However, for the past 2 weeks, every day when I go down there is the same guy sitting there alone.
He works there, alone, all day.
My coworker and I often cram into one of the individual pods to take calls so we aren’t being disruptive out in the open.
But WIBTA if I ask this guy why he is always using the 3-person room alone?
If he had another person there, I wouldn’t mind, but it feels wasteful of the space.
What IS the etiquette here?
On the other hand, I could be wrong because my coworker technically doesn’t live here, and we use the business center many days.
It is also first-come, first-served, so he isn’t actually doing anything wrong or against building policy.
Let’s check in with the comments:
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The reviews were mixed.
If we’re talking rule-breaking, there’s only one culprit in this story.
If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about an employee who ends up quitting over a dispute over bereavement leave.
So, like, technically…
The man was not breaking any rules, but using the only three-person room alone every day understandably made the setup feel inefficient.
Meanwhile, the two coworkers were cramming into smaller pods, even though one of them did not actually live in the building.
Some readers would probably support a friendly question, while others would say first come means first served unless management creates clearer guidelines.
The conference room may fit three people, but it only takes one person to quickly fill it with tension.
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