If you think that taking a pet dog into work with you would be a bit distracting for you and your colleagues, computer manager Toby Griffin goes one step further — he takes two into the office.

Griffin, who is head of IT for marketing agency Rise at Seven, turns up at its Sheffield headquarters with his furry friends Jesse and Oscar.

“Rise allowing dogs in the office has meant that I’ve been able to take both my collies in,” he says. “They get to meet new people, have new experiences, and I get to spend more time in work with my colleagues.

“It’s a complete win-win situation as far as I’m concerned.”

Like millions of other people, Griffin got his dogs during the pandemic. With many working from home at the time as a result of lockdowns, there was a huge surge in pet ownership as people wanted increased companionship.

Yet fast-forward to bosses requiring staff to return to the office at least a few days a week, and having a pet dog can become a problem. You have to see if a friend or relative can look after it, or pay for expensive doggie day care, or even potentially try to get a new job that allows you to continue to work from home all the time.

It was to help employees such as Griffin more easily return to the office after the pandemic that Rise’s bosses decided to let everyone bring in their dogs.

Mia King, one of the firm’s executives, says that rather than being a distraction, having dogs at work has actually made staff work harder because they make everyone happy, and cheery staff are more productive.

While having dogs in the workplace will likely remain a rarity, this example is part of a wider trend — companies introducing new incentives to try to make staff happier to come into the office more often.

Job search engine Adzuna says that the number of adverts that highlight “in-office perks” has more than doubled since before the start of the pandemic. The increased incentives range from free exercise and language classes, to complimentary food and subsidized childcare.

“Employees aren’t in a rush to return to the office, after enjoying the improved work-life balance that came from remote working,” says Paul Lewis, chief marketing officer at Adzuna. “As a result, companies are desperate to find new and unique ways to lure employees back to the office.”

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【激励措施】jīlì cuòshī incentive a thing that motivates or encourages one to do something

【赠送的】zèngsòng de complimentary given free as a courtesy or favor

如果你认为带只宠物狗上班会让你和同事分心，信息技术部经理托比•格里芬则更进一步——他带两只狗上班。

营销机构Rise at Seven的格里芬近日带着他的宠物狗杰西和奥斯卡出现在位于谢菲尔德的总部。

格里芬说：“公司允许带狗进办公室，这意味着我可以把两只柯利牧羊犬都带来。它们能够结识新的人，拥有新经历，我也可以有更多时间和同事一起工作。”

“对我而言这是一个双赢的局面。”

和数百万其他人一样，格里芬在疫情期间开始养狗。前一段时间由于疫情封锁措施，很多人在家办公，渴望陪伴让养宠人数大增。

后来，老板们要求员工每周至少有几天必须返岗，养宠就成了问题。你得找朋友或亲戚来照看狗狗，或者将狗送到费用昂贵的日托所，甚至换一份可以继续天天在家办公的新工作。

为了帮助格里芬这样的员工在疫情结束后轻松返岗，Rise at Seven公司的老板决定允许所有人带狗上班。

该公司的高管之一米娅•金说，带狗上班不仅不会让人分心，而且还会让员工更加努力工作，因为这样大家都心情愉快，员工工作效率更高。

尽管允许狗进办公室的做法还比较少见，但从这个例子可以窥见一个大趋势，那就是公司为了让员工回办公室上班推出各种激励举措。

职位搜索引擎Adzuna指出，自疫情暴发以来，打着“在岗福利”旗号的招聘广告数量已经翻了一番多。从免费健身、语言课到赠送食物和育儿补贴，这类福利越来越多。

Adzuna的首席营销官保罗•路易斯说：“员工在享受到远程办公带来的工作生活平衡感后，并不急于返岗上班。因此，公司迫切想找到吸引员工返岗的新招。”

(chinadaily.com.cn)