Google offers a lot of interesting staff benefits – taking pets to work being one of them. But when a 3ft ball python escaped in the company’s New York office last weekend, the first thing the company had to do was persuade staff it wasn’t an April fool.
It seems that the claims that bringing pets into the office raises productivity could be true. According to an official Google blog: “Some laugh, some debate whether it is actually a joke, and some stand away from walls and corners. The bathrooms have slightly fewer occupants than usual.”
The snake – called Kaiser – was found relaxing behind a cabinet after Google contacted a herpetology expert at the American Museum of Natural History. It was returned to its owner’s home.
Here in the UK, taking pets to work is largely confined to dogs. This year, the national take your dog to work day takes place on Friday 22 June.
