In most offices, 3 p.m. signals the afternoon slump as workers attempt to muster the energy to manage the remaining hours of the day.
But in the offices of Brighton-based private hire company Inshur, sometimes a burst of activity comes from an unlikely place – as the three office dogs suddenly become “a little friendly with each other” in what has come to be known as the “3pm doggy romp session”.
One co-worker, Nicole Saunders, 36, said the unexpected “playtime” is one of the many bizarre consequences of taking your dog to work.
“There was a phase of territorial urination, but that stopped,” she said. “My dog once grabbed a sarnie of bacon from someone’s desk and had to buy another one for £8.50 – it was his payday treat on Friday.”
Dog-friendly offices have become increasingly popular in recent years thanks to the increase in pet ownership due to the pandemic and greater expectations of workplace flexibility.
Slaughter & May, an elite law firm in the city, said: the test of a dog-friendly policy was a success and would continue throughout the summer.
Since home counseling ended in January, searches for dog-friendly offices have jumped 53 percent, according to career platform Flexa Careers.
The number of users indicating a preference for dog-friendly offices has doubled since the beginning of the year.
Employers, many of them struggling with a labor shortagetook note: the career bureau said the number of jobs with dog-friendly offices has increased by 9 pc since the start of 2022.
Mat Valencic, of Inshur, said the company has embraced a dog-friendly policy because the owner has a dog.