双语早读｜为吸引员工返岗 英国公司允许带狗上班

IT manager Toby Griffin now takes his two dogs into the office with him. (Credit: Rise at Seven)

如果你认为带一只宠物狗上班会让你和你的同事分心，信息技术部经理托比·格里芬则更进一步——他带两只狗上班。

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.

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。

Mr 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.

格里芬说：“公司允许带狗进办公室，这意味着我可以把我的两只柯利牧羊犬都带过来。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。”

"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.

“对我而言这是一个双赢的局面。”

"It's a complete win-win situation as far as I'm concerned."

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，大多数人在家办公，渴望陪伴的心理让养宠物的人数大增。

Like millions of other people, Mr Griffin got his dogs during the pandemic. With most of us homeworking at the time as a result of lockdowns, there was a huge surge in pet ownership as people wanted increased companionship.

后来，老板们要求员工每周至少有几天必须返岗上班，养宠物狗就成了问题。你得找朋友或亲戚来照看狗狗，或者将狗送到费用昂贵的狗狗日托所，甚至试着找一份可以继续天天在家办公的新工作。

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.

正是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。

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

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，因为狗狗让大家都心情愉悦，开心的员工工作效率更高。

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.

她说：“狗狗不仅会让你的家感觉更舒适，也有助于提高办公室里的工作效率。”

"Not only do dogs bring comfort within your home, but they also help increase productivity within the workplace," she says.

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更大的趋势，那就是公司为了让员工更愿意常来办公室上班正在推出各种激励新举措。

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.

职位搜索引擎Adzuna指出，自从疫情暴发以来，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、语言课到辅食和育儿补贴，这类福利越来越多。

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

Adzuna的首席营销官保罗·路易斯说：“员工们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独特新招。”

"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."

总部在伦敦中心的财务规划公司First Wealth通过附近健身馆的免费课程来吸引员工返岗。该公司鼓励员工在上班路上去健身馆。

At central London-based financial planning firm First Wealth, workers are being tempted back via free sessions at a nearby gym. Employees are encouraged to go to the gym on their way into work.

First Wealth的客户关系经理佐伊·雷恩斯福德表示，健身课程让她可以精神抖擞地面对一天的工作。“我喜欢沉浸在（健身）音乐中，这样有助于我理清思绪，让我有充足的安多芬可以心情愉悦地迎接新的一天。每次上完健身课我都感觉更强大、更高效，浑身又充满了能量。”

Zoe Raynsford, a client relationship manager at First Wealth, says the fitness class sets her up for the working day. "I like to lose myself in the music to help clear my mind and get myself ready to start the day full of mood-boosting endorphins. I feel stronger, more productive and re-charged after each class."

First Wealth的财务规划总监罗伯特·卡普兰称，健身课只是员工可以选择的其中一项福利。疫情以来，该公司在员工福利网站Heka为每名员工都购买了积分。

First Wealth financial planning director Robert Caplan says that the gym classes are just one perk that staff can choose from under a scheme introduced since the pandemic. Each member of staff gets credits for an employee benefits website called Heka.

在这个网站上员工可以选择心理健康支持、财务状况检查、就业指导、情感咨询等其他服务。不过卡普兰表示健身课是迄今为止最受欢迎的。

From there they can choose other things such as mental health support, financial health checks, career guidance or relationship counselling. Yet Mr Caplan says that the gym is by far the most popular.

为了吸引员工到岗，有些公司还会为员工预约美容服务。西萨塞克斯郡的美甲师伊莎贝尔·梅·瑟蒂斯发现近期来自企业的订单大增。

Beauty treatments are another incentive that companies are booking to get their staff excited about coming into the office. Isabel May Surtees, a nail artist based in West Sussex, has seen demand from businesses increase substantially.

Companies are employing Isabel May Surtees, pictured, to give staff free nail treatments. (Credit: Isabel May Surtees)

办公应用公司Envoy的老板拉里·盖蒂亚表示，尽管这些面向员工的激励措施都不错，但是到岗上班的好处不应该只是免费的健身会员资格、可以带狗进办公室或美甲。

Larry Gadea, the boss of workplace app Envoy, says that while staff incentives are good, the benefits of going into the office should be more than free gym membership or being able to take your dog in or have your nails done.

盖蒂亚说：“员工也想和同事面对面交流与合作，或是走出家门。”

"Employees want to connect with their co-workers face-to-face, and collaborate in-person, or just get out of the house," says Mr Gadea.

他表示，理想的做法是，公司应该规定在某几天所有员工都必须到岗。“如果没有规定所有人都必须一律到岗的固定日子，人们永远不会意识到来办公室上班是值得的。”

He adds that firms should ideally have at least some days when everyone has to be in. "Without fixed days where everyone is in without exception, people will never learn that the office trek can be worth it."

来源：中国日报网（编辑 丹妮）