Location: BC, Canada
I’ll try and give you a brief recap of my situation. I’ve had a personal storage locker since 2014, and when I started with my now company – let’s call it ‚W’ (HQ is in Los Angeles) in March 2019, they asked me if I could set up a storage locker to hold their items for trade shows and demos in my area. At the time I told my manager, A, that I already had a storage locker and that I could use it for W. They then took over payments for the storage locker up until today. There was no formal agreement signed regarding this. It was all done very casually.
I have now been on maternity leave since November 2024. Right after I began my maternity leave, A was laid off, and a new manager, C, was hired by the company earlier this year. I have not formally met her yet, I have only had communication with her via email.
C – for whatever reason – is now adamant that I transfer the legal lease of my storage locker over from my name to the company name, W, so that they can now clear out this storage locker of all of their property. She has gone so far as to email me on multiple occasions demanding this, and she has called the storage locker directly so many times that the manager that works there, R, has actually called me personally to ask me what’s going on and how I want to proceed. She’s also threatened to pull payment for the storage locker now, and has demanded that I do as she asks by July 31.
I think her behaviour goes against all of my rights while on maternity leave? I shouldn’t be harassed or even emailed while I am on leave with anything related to my work duties. I am also under the impression that they aren’t aware I have personal belongings in the locker. I think they believe I am withholding their private property, but I have been hesitant to say I have my personal belongings in there.
I’ve checked our employee handbook and there are no guidelines relating to storage lockers at all. And again, nothing I’ve signed has made anything formal regarding it.
I’ve been told by R that I can give W ownership of the locker and with my permission he can cut the lock, but my personal items are in there and I have no idea who they would send to take their items out, etc.
I did reach out to C (CC’ing HR and her manager, M – who I’ve worked with for a few years and am on excellent terms with), stating that I’m happy to clear the locker out in Sept when my husband can take a day off work so I can do so, but cannot now as this is his busy season till the end of August. I also reminded her that I don’t need to do any work duties and am only replying to her out of good faith, and I’m back from maternity leave in less than 5 months. She largely ignored my email and wrote back that I need to transfer ownership.
I’m not sure how to proceed now. I don’t have time to deal with any of this and I don’t have the money while on leave to pay the monthly storage fee. Right now the fee is just over $500 CAD/month.
Any advice would be much appreciated! Happy to answer any clarifying questions also.
Thank you so much!!