2023-07-08 22:00:00
In order to score points with young employees, employers need, among other things, a commitment to flexibility – and to pets.
“The way people think regarding offices and imagine the ideal workplace is changing massively,” says Raphaela Fremuth, Communications Manager at Mars Austria. “Most people come into the office to socialize. They want to feel comfortable and feel that pets should be a normal thing there too.”
Companies score with animal-friendly work cultures
That is why, for more and more young employees in particular, the “work-dog balance” counts in addition to the work-life balance. This is shown by an online study carried out by iVOX on behalf of Mars with 1000 respondents each from Austria, Belgium and Switzerland. The result: In the competition for young talent, employers with an animal-friendly work culture can set themselves apart from others and score particularly well with the demanding Generation Z. Because: Pets play an important role in the lives of their people, including when choosing the right job.
Young people in particular no longer want to do without flexibility and hybrid work and want to spend time with their families and pets. And animals in the workplace are a sign of a flexible and progressive work culture, according to two thirds of the Austrians surveyed. 44 percent of the local employees already have an animal-friendly employer – significantly more than in the previous year.
At Mars Austria, animals in the workplace have been an integral part of office culture for many years. The company is convinced that animal colleagues not only create a more pleasant working environment for “their” people, but also attract new talent.
Animal-friendliness of the employer is an important factor when choosing a job
The iVOX study confirms the same: When choosing between two comparable jobs, the option of being able to take your own pet to work is an important factor for a third of those surveyed (33%), and for 12 percent this option would even be decisive . In addition, every third respondent states that they would go to the office more often if dogs were allowed in the workplace (32%). Among people who own a dog, it is almost twice as many (62%). And almost a fifth (18%) of dogless people agree. Office dogs are a clear incentive, especially for younger employees: 43 percent of 18 to 25 year olds (Generation Z) and 45 percent of 26 to 34 year olds (Generation Y) are lured into the office by four-legged colleagues.
The majority of professionals with a dog-friendly workplace feel more comfortable with dogs in the office (63%). They also report a more pleasant working atmosphere (61%), that the dogs in the office help with stress (66%) and encourage them to be more physically active (46%). However, some are sometimes bothered by the dogs’ presence at work (38%).
Of those who bring their own dog to work, three-quarters feel more comfortable (74%), are more productive (66%) and work longer hours because they don’t have to worry regarding the dog at home (77% ).
Mars Austria is happy to pass on experience with office dogs
“At Mars Austria we have a lot of experience with office dogs,” says company spokeswoman Fremuth. “We are happy to set a positive example and are available for an exchange with companies that would like to implement the project.” Incidentally, a so-called petiquette regulates the peaceful interaction between dogs, their masters and mistresses as well as teammates without their own pet at Mars Austria.
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