If you think taking pets to work with you would be a little distracting for your colleagues, computer manager Toby Griffin goes a step further — he takes two to the office. The head of IT at marketing agency Rise at Seven, shows up at his Sheffield headquarters with his furry friends Jesse and Oscar.
Like millions of others, Griffin took his animals during the pandemic. With most of us working from home at the time as a result of the lockdowns, there was a huge increase in pet ownership as people wanted more companionship.
However, thinking about bosses who require employees to come back to the office at least a few days a week, having a pet dog can become a problem. You need to know if a friend or relative can take care of him, or pay for an expensive day care for dogs, or even try to get a new job that allows you to continue working from home at all times.
It was to help employees like Griffin more easily return to the office after the pandemic that Rise’s bosses decided to let everyone bring their pets, particularly dogs.
Mia King, one of the company’s executives, says that instead of being a distraction, having dogs at work made employees work harder because it makes everyone happy, and happy employees are more productive.
While pets in the workplace are likely to remain a rarity, this example is part of a broader trend – companies are introducing new incentives to try to make staff happier by coming to the office more often.
Job search engine Adzuna says the number of ads highlighting “office benefits” has now more than doubled since before the pandemic began. The biggest incentives range from free exercise and language lessons to complementary food and subsidized day care. According to the brand’s marketing director, Paul Lewis:
“Employees are in no rush to get back to the office after enjoying the better work-life balance that has come from remote work. As a result, companies are desperate to find new and unique ways to lure employees back into the office.”
At First Wealth, a central London-based financial planning firm, workers are being tempted to come back through free sessions at a nearby gym. Employees are encouraged to go to the gym, a branch of Barry’s UK, on their way to work.
Zoe Raynsford, First Wealth’s customer relations manager, says that exercise class prepares her for the workday. “I like to get lost in music to help clear my mind and get ready to start the day full of mood-boosting endorphins. I feel stronger, more productive and recharged after each class.”
First Wealth’s director of financial planning Robert Caplan says fitness classes are just one perk employees can choose under a scheme introduced since the pandemic. Each team member receives credits towards an employee benefits website called Heka.
From there, they can choose other things like mental health support, financial health screenings, career guidance, or relationship counseling. However, Caplan says the gym is by far the most popular.
Beauty treatments are another incentive companies are booking to get their staff excited to step into the office. Isabel May Surtees, a West Sussex-based nail artist, has seen demand from companies increase substantially. According to her:
“Companies are more willing to invest in treatments, such as manicures. And that means employees can not only have some downtime, but they also don’t have to get manicures during the workday.”
Larry Gadea is the head of Envoy, a workplace app and website that allows companies to manage hybrid work, such as scheduling staffing and allocating desks.
He says that while staff incentives are good, the benefits of going to the office should be more than a free gym or being able to bring your dog or get your nails done, and I concluded that companies should at least have some day when employees employees attend in person.
This article is a translation of the writing by Sarah Finley to the BBC News.
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