Dear Littler: Now that our employees have returned to the office, we have discovered that something else has also unfortunately returned – bedbugs! Word is getting around, and people are freaking out. Based on where we found them, we believe we can identify the employee who introduced them to the workplace. What do we do now? This is almost making me miss Zoom meetings.
—Disgusted in Denver
Dear Disgusted in Denver,
First and foremost: try not to panic. Bedbugs may be an unnerving nuisance, but they are quite common and generally harmless to humans. In fact, I have been getting this question frequently now that in-person work is resuming across the country, so I can assure you that you are not alone in facing this unpleasant predicament. The best approach is to learn a bit more about bedbugs and then formulate your response based on the circumstances. As discussed below, employers have a lot of discretion in handling a bedbug outbreak.
Know Your Enemy!
While I realize you’d probably rather not read up on bedbugs, it is helpful to understand the challenge before you. There are many misconceptions—and a lot of unwarranted stigma—surrounding bedbug infestations. Knowing what these pests do, and what they don’t do, can eliminate some of the fear and make it easier to remedy the situation.
Bedbugs, for example, do not jump or fly. They crawl quickly and are good at hiding. They hitch rides on humans, in clothing, shoes, purses, backpacks, and other personal belongings, which is...
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