WIBTA If I refuse to share an office with a girl who has OCD which may end up getting her fired?

A man found himself trapped in an impossible workplace situation when a colleague with OCD moved into his office and began systematically reorganizing everything, including his personal belongings. Despite multiple conversations asking her to stop, the behavior continued and escalated, with his coworker repeatedly going through his desk drawers without permission. What once was an enjoyable job became something he dreaded each morning.

When he finally decided to request an office change, she revealed she’s on her final warning—meaning any additional complaints could cost her the job. Now he’s torn between protecting his own workspace and potentially being responsible for someone losing their livelihood.

The poster explained how he had enjoyed a comfortable solo office arrangement until an unexpected change disrupted his work life.

Almost immediately after the office sharing began, he discovered that accommodating his new officemate would be far more challenging than anticipated.

Despite his attempts to set boundaries, the invasive behavior continued and eventually crossed a line he could no longer tolerate.

He temporarily backed down from his decision, but the toll on his own well-being continued to mount with each passing day.

This workplace scenario highlights the complex intersection between mental health accommodation and reasonable professional boundaries that many companies struggle to navigate appropriately. From an employment law perspective, while employers are required to provide reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities including OCD, those accommodations cannot come at the expense of other employees’ rights to a functional workspace.

According to workplace psychologist Dr. Amy Cooper from the Society for Human Resource  Management: “Reasonable accommodation means adjusting the work environment to help someone perform their job—it doesn’t mean other employees must sacrifice their own productivity, privacy, or mental health.” In this case, going through a coworker’s desk drawers and reorganizing their personal workspace repeatedly crosses the line from accommodation into workplace harassment, regardless of the underlying medical condition.

The employer bears significant responsibility for creating an untenable work environment. Rather than addressing Janine’s pattern of boundary violations with appropriate intervention—such as assigning her a private office where her OCD wouldn’t impact others—management simply shuffled her between coworkers until complaints mounted. This approach fails both Janine and her coworkers who deserve privacy and respect.

The poster’s growing reluctance to attend work represents a serious red flag. When workplace stress affects daily life to this degree, continuing to sacrifice personal boundaries isn’t sustainable and won’t actually help Janine address the underlying problem affecting multiple coworkers.

Let’s dive into the reactions from Reddit:

The vast majority of commenters firmly supported the poster’s right to a respectful workspace, emphasizing that mental health conditions don’t excuse boundary violations.

Several users provided balanced perspectives that acknowledged the complexity of the situation while still validating the poster’s concerns and suggesting practical solutions.

Some commenters offered practical advice and creative solutions while maintaining empathy for both parties in this difficult situation.

This workplace dilemma demonstrates how poor management decisions can force employees into impossible choices where someone inevitably suffers. The poster’s situation reveals a systemic failure where accommodation for one employee’s needs was attempted at the direct expense of another’s basic workplace rights. True reasonable accommodation would involve giving Janine her own space where her OCD wouldn’t impact coworkers.

What’s your take on this situation: Should employees tolerate repeated privacy violations in the name of accommodating a coworker’s mental health condition? Where do you draw the line between being compassionate and protecting your own wellbeing at work? Share your thoughts and experiences below—we’d love to hear how you would handle this delicate balance.