- Google’s Chelsea campus in New York had a bed bug infestation
- Employees were told to work from home until they were cleared
- The attack apparently cleared – for now
A bed bug infestation has forced workers at Google’s Chelsea campus in New York to work from home while the building is cleared.
A report from The cable claims campus employees were told by email “credible evidence” of a possible bed bug infestation had been discovered in the building and were told to stay home so the site could be treated.
Exterminators were quickly called in, and the campus was apparently cleaned and bug-fixed before the start of the next business day.
Bends out
The email, obtained by The cable and apparently sent to all employees in New York, claimed that Google asked employees to file a report if they had symptoms of bed bug bites or saw signs of bed bugs on site.
Anyone who found bed bugs in their home was also asked to contact professional exterminators.
The publication also claimed that its sources said the attack may have been caused by “a number of large stuffed animals” at the Google office – although it was unable to confirm this.
Google is also conducting additional checks at its other New York offices, including its Hudson Square campus, “out of an abundance of caution,” the email added.
The news comes not long after Google confirmed it would cut back on allowing staff to work remotely, revealing new limits to its “work from anywhere” (WFA) policy.
The changes will mean that Googlers will not be able to work from an additional destination, such as when traveling, as easily as before – when they had been allowed to work from their chosen destination for up to four weeks a year, giving them more time to spend on holidays or to extend seasonal holiday visits.
Workers will also not be allowed to use WFA allowances to work from or near home, the company said, as the “legal and financial implications of cross-border work” had also made it impossible to work from abroad.
