带狗上班好处多
Zynga旧金山办公室里的拉布拉多犬泰格
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上周五，即6月21日是“带狗上班日”，美国数千家公司都对员工的宠物犬敞开了大门。但对有些上班族来说，爱犬们每天都能陪伴他们工作。 科学家艾琳•佩德森在谷歌（Google）从事研究工作，她每周大概有两天带着自己的大丹犬莱卡去上班。佩德森说，有莱卡在身边，她就不会在那些棘手的问题上钻牛角尖。 佩德森说：“每两小时我就和莱卡出去散散步，就一小会儿，围着这个街区转一圈。这真的有益于我的思维。有她在身边时，我的工作效率就会高得多。” 其他对宠物狗态度友善的北美公司包括圣路易斯的雀巢普瑞纳宠物食品公司（Nestle Purina PetCare）、社交游戏制作公司Zynga、多伦多的医疗保健技术咨询公司INVIVO，甚至还有Comedy Central电视台的囧司徒每日秀（The Daily Show with Jon Stewart）节目。允许员工在这一天带着狗上班的公司也远多于以往。据“带狗上班日”活动的发起组织——宠物看护协会（Pet Sitters International）介绍，参与这项活动的公司已经从1999年的300家增加到了数千家。 研究者发现，带着爱犬上班能让员工更好地进行团队合作，提高他们的士气，减轻他们的压力，还更容易留住员工。 弗吉尼亚联邦大学商学院（VCU School of Business）管理学教授伦道夫•巴克一直在研究把宠物带在身边对工作者所承受的压力会产生什么样的影响。他指出：“狗会让人们的工作环境发生积极变化。它们在场和它们不在场时人们感受到的压力存在非常大的差别。总的来说，带狗上班的员工对工作环境的满意程度要高于行业平均水平。” 不过，把狗带进办公室前，公司和员工都必须采取一些重要措施。公司应该调查一下宠物犬是否会让员工过敏或感到恐惧。如果有这种情况，就需要进行协调。员工则应确保自己的爱犬规规矩矩，不会冒犯别人或别的动物。宠物看护协会营销经理贝丝•斯塔尔茨说：“我们率先认识到，也许不是每个工作场所都适于这样做。” 公司应当制定相关政策和标准，从而明确员工可以把狗带进哪些区域，他们的狗应该有怎样的举止表现。员工则应为自己的爱犬提供食物、水、玩具和窝，他们可能还要考虑使用游戏围栏，或者先在周末把狗带到办公室，以便让它们适应环境。 |
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. |
