I am a postdoc here for 1.5 years. Today my HR at my department zoomed with me saying I should work on my way of talking and acting in workplace. I feel so wronged and burst into tears and even couldn’t breathe for a little. She was surprised by my reactions and tried to comfort me. 

The main thing is about what happened yesterday. We recently moved to a new building and new cubicle was assigned. 

I noticed that my cubicle is 25% smaller than other postdocs. Besides, the computers and screens I am assigned with are old and small. Even one keyboard is broken. One computer is a machine in 2008. But other postdocs have new and large computers. 

The cubicle is new and all machines and screens are with me ever since I joined 1.5 years ago. I noticed the difference in machines immediately after I joined but I never complained. But instead I choose to work from home with a MacBook Pro of my department. 

This semester I decide to mainly work at the workplace but I cannot stand the current setup of my cubicle. I feel I am treated unequally. 

So I went to my HRs asking about the possibility of reassigning a regular size cubicle and getting an upgrade of my machines. 

First HR I turned to (let’s call her A) was not there but at lunch. Her colleague asked to come back at 2pm. I then came back at 2:10pm but she was at a zoom meeting and she was talking. 

So I stood in the aisle for about one minute. I intended to wait for her break of talking and I can briefly tell her I would like to talk and will come back later. The thing actually went as I expected. I waited for about one minute quietly, and A stopped talking in zoom. A told me she is now in a meeting but it should be a short one, and I quickly told her I have questions about my cubicle and will come back in 10 minutes. 

Soon A came to my cubicle and listened to my situation. She said I should talk to another HR called B. 

I messaged B via Teams asking about this. She might be confused because it is hard to describe the desk setting with words. So she asked me to send her an email to request and include a photo. And I did. 

Today, B talked to me saying A complained about me saying I shouldn’t stand in the aisle because I gave her a lot of pressure by doing so especially she was talking to her supervisor at that time. 

B also said the email I sent her was arrogant, as if I was commanding her to do things. 

I was so shocked by what she said because I never meant so. 

I was assigned with the worst in the workplace and kept silent for 1.5 years. Now I bring it up and people are saying I’m arrogant.

I attach the email I sent to B. 

Any thoughts on what I should improve on? What I did is really that bad and inappropriate?

My HR talked to me today saying I’m arrogant and not appropriate when in email and in workplace.