帶狗上班好處多
Zynga舊金山辦公室里的拉布拉多犬泰格
|
????上周五，即6月21日是“帶狗上班日”，美國數千家公司都對員工的寵物犬敞開了大門。但對有些上班族來說，愛犬們每天都能陪伴他們工作。 ????科學家艾琳?佩德森在谷歌（Google）從事研究工作，她每周大概有兩天帶著自己的大丹犬萊卡去上班。佩德森說，有萊卡在身邊，她就不會在那些棘手的問題上鉆牛角尖。 ????佩德森說：“每兩小時我就和萊卡出去散散步，就一小會兒，圍著這個街區轉一圈。這真的有益于我的思維。有她在身邊時，我的工作效率就會高得多。” ????其他對寵物狗態度友善的北美公司包括圣路易斯的雀巢普瑞納寵物食品公司（Nestle Purina PetCare）、社交游戲制作公司Zynga、多倫多的醫療保健技術咨詢公司INVIVO，甚至還有Comedy Central電視臺的囧司徒每日秀（The Daily Show with Jon Stewart）節目。允許員工在這一天帶著狗上班的公司也遠多于以往。據“帶狗上班日”活動的發起組織——寵物看護協會（Pet Sitters International）介紹，參與這項活動的公司已經從1999年的300家增加到了數千家。 ????研究者發現，帶著愛犬上班能讓員工更好地進行團隊合作，提高他們的士氣，減輕他們的壓力，還更容易留住員工。 ????弗吉尼亞聯邦大學商學院（VCU School of Business）管理學教授倫道夫?巴克一直在研究把寵物帶在身邊對工作者所承受的壓力會產生什么樣的影響。他指出：“狗會讓人們的工作環境發生積極變化。它們在場和它們不在場時人們感受到的壓力存在非常大的差別。總的來說，帶狗上班的員工對工作環境的滿意程度要高于行業平均水平。” ????不過，把狗帶進辦公室前，公司和員工都必須采取一些重要措施。公司應該調查一下寵物犬是否會讓員工過敏或感到恐懼。如果有這種情況，就需要進行協調。員工則應確保自己的愛犬規規矩矩，不會冒犯別人或別的動物。寵物看護協會營銷經理貝絲?斯塔爾茨說：“我們率先認識到，也許不是每個工作場所都適于這樣做。” ????公司應當制定相關政策和標準，從而明確員工可以把狗帶進哪些區域，他們的狗應該有怎樣的舉止表現。員工則應為自己的愛犬提供食物、水、玩具和窩，他們可能還要考慮使用游戲圍欄，或者先在周末把狗帶到辦公室，以便讓它們適應環境。 |
????Thousands of workplaces around the country play host to a parade of canine visitors on Friday, June 21, in honor of Take Your Dog to Work Day. But for some employees, dogs come to work every day. ????At Google (GOOG), research scientist Elin Pedersen drives to work about twice a week with her Great Dane Leika, who she says keeps her from getting stuck on thorny problems. ????"I walk her every other hour, just briefly, going out and around the block. That is really good for my brain," Pedersen says. "I am way more productive when I have her with me." ????Other dog-friendly employers across the continent include Nestle Purina PetCare Co. in St. Louis, gaming firm Zynga (ZNGA) in San Francisco, INVIVO in Toronto, and even Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. And many more companies allow dogs on the annual observation of Take Your Dog to Work Day, which has grown from just 300 participating companies in 1999 to thousands now, according to sponsor Pet Sitters International. ????Researchers have found that having dogs in work environments can lead to better teamwork, boosted morale, lower stress, and higher employee retention. ????"Dogs in the workplace can make a positive difference," says Randolph T. Barker, a professor of management at the VCU School of Business, who has studied the effects of the presence of pets on worker stress levels. "The differences in perceived stress between days the dog was present and absent were significant. The employees as a whole had higher job satisfaction than industry norms." ????But before bringing dogs into the office, both employer and employee must take a few important steps. Employers should survey the workforce about allergies or phobias that would need to be accommodated. Employees should make sure their pets are well-trained and not aggressive around people or other animals. "We are the first to admit that this may not be a good fit for every workplace," says Beth Stultz, marketing manager for Pet Sitters International. ????Employers should set policies and parameters for areas where the dogs are permitted and establish expectations for dogs' behavior. Pet owners should provide food, water, toys, and a bed for their animal and might consider using baby gates or bringing the dog to work on a weekend so they can become accustomed to the space. |
