Here's the best treat your canine colleague can get
Dogs are now offices' newest best friends - and this latest competition from Frog Recruitment will determine who among them has been the best at being a good boy in the workplace.
Frog Recruitment's 2022 NZ Top Office Dog competition aims to celebrate the office's best canine colleagues, the latest additions to workplaces due to a pandemic that made their presence even more important for employees. Nominations for the following categories open on Monday:
- New Zealand's Top Dog with a Job
- New Zealand's Top Home Office Dog
- New Zealand's Top Office Dog
According to Shannon Barlow, managing director of Frog Recruitment, the competition aims to celebrate the role of dogs in workers' mental health and in workplace culture.
"The Top Office Dog competition celebrates all of these things and is an opportunity for us to applaud the companies that value the role of dogs at work and how they support employees to do their best work, while boosting mental health in the workplace," said Barlow in a statement.
The competition will be judged by sponsors PETstock, Frog Recruitment, and dog trainer and behaviourist, Mark Vette.
The winners will be announced on Frog Recruitment's social media accounts on September 29, with the Top Office Dog winner to claim a trophy, a $1,000 PETstock voucher, Doggles eye wear, and a bow courtesy of PETstock and Royal Canin.
Read more: Bringing pets to the workplace – yay or nay?
The event comes as pets play more important roles in employees' work lives, especially during the lockdowns imposed amid the pandemic. And as workers are invited back to workplaces, a recent report from Frog Recruitment found that 63% of workers admit that they're experiencing dog owner-separation anxiety (DOSA).
According to the report, this anxiety prompted 45% of employees to bring their fur pals to workplaces during work hours, with 21% admitting that these dogs join them to work on a permanent basis.
On the other hand, more than 60% said they changed their work habits to partly work from home (37%) or fulltime (25%). According to the report, adopting this flexible work arrangement helped reduce the anxiety felt by employees while they're separated from their dogs.
Barlow said dogs have a positive impact on people's mental health, and their contribution to employees' productivity is well-documented.
"Dogs at work are known to improve workplace culture. The data also tells us they play a role in reducing separation anxiety for workers in this pandemic age," said Barlow.
Last year's NZ Top Office Dog competition saw over 400 entries across the country.
Trust, a cattle-cross from Auckland, claimed the "Top Office Dog" title. Trust was the "Wellbeing Officer" of Family Works Waitemata, and is owned by social worker Phoenix Llewellyn.
