Hello, my team is being forced to RTO and I just found out I will be sharing my office space with a registered s*x offender. I’m not sure what to do, I already asked HR not to send me to the office because I don’t feel comfortable with this.
12 replies (most recent on top)
@pe In Virginia, both the locality where the offender lives and works are tagged, for searching purposes.
There is no HR here. Your manager is setup as HR and HR just advises them. Best thing is document and get paid when your manager is inept
After having demonstrated that work from home is possible without harming productivity, there are so many reasons why RTO office at this point is just more trouble than it's worth.
As many have repeated, it's likely part of an effort to reduce workforce through having people leave rather than actually about being on site per se. My guess is the RTO dies out and they start allowing people to go to telecommute again in roles where it's possible some time by the end of the year into next year. Until then, those of us who have been made to go back on site will have to deal with it or quit (which, again, is likely the entire point).
@OP When you requested reasonable accomodation what was their solution? Did they offer to seat you in a different area in the office? It is unclear what you expect HR to do as this is probably a situation that occurs in any office building where you have hundreds of employees. You concern are legitimate, but you can't expect them to say nobody can work in the office.
How did you even find this out? It’s usually only put out to the public where a registered s*x offender will be living. Seems off to me.
If this is affecting your mental health then go see a counselor and file a workers comp claim for the bill. The only thing that will get their attention is money. Don't wait for Optum to suddenly develop a concern for employee well being. That's lip service only.
You go to work, do your job, and go home. You stay in your lane, mind your own business, and conduct yourself professionally. If you still feel "unsafe," ask yourself: Is it their actions towards you? Are you being judgmental because of their history? Sometimes, people want a second chance and live their lives. Unless this person is actively watching po-n, as--ulting someone in the office, or doing anything illegal, move on.
In the office, I have a wife ki-ler (allegedly in self defense) to my left, and a necrophile to my right. It’s pretty morbid out there. We also had a guy convicted of desecrating the graves, but he was RIFed in December of 2025.
Why is this in a forum about Layoffs?
Wasn't it only DC and Minneapolis being forced to RTO?
@OP If you feel safe to do so, you may want to share what location so your fellow employees are aware as well. I would not share any info about the person in a public forum.
@OP what are we talking? 8’x8’ shared office with 2 cubes in it? Or is it someone just in the same building? A little more context might be helpful here.
No matter what, they have an obligation to ensure yours and their safety I would believe.