At a recent Recruitment Live industry discussion, a marketing director working for a recruitment company revealed a top tip for driving up likes, follows and general interest on social media. This tactic had nothing to do with targeting a new potential talent pool, buying lists or asking some dodgy resource to suddenly sign up thousands of more followers.
Nope.
It was dogs.
The company had a ‘Bring your Dog to Work Day’, and the resulting posts, tweets, instagrams and likes raised the company’s online profile almost overnight.
I note it was dogs. Dogs are generally pretty good at work. I know of a few people who regularly bring their dogs to work – and not just for the social media angle. The dog quite happily lies under the desk while work continues around them.
I don’t think it would be quite the same with other pets: Fewer social media hits, more office stress.
Bring your Cat to Work Day: Photo ops requires cats to be taken out of carry cases. And then the trouble starts. Several fights ensue. The ambience enhancing (but sadly plastic) plants in reception start smelling something awful. Every sheet of paper that comes out of the printer is summarily batted to the floor and torn to shreds. Staff are split fifty-fifty between those giving a cuddle and those taking the afternoon off due to necking non-drowsy Piriton (other anti-allergy tablets are available).
Bring your Budgie to Work Day: Recruitment comes to a stand still due to all-out argument between consultant factions divided over whether it’s mean to keep birds in cages and whether budgies are in fact endangered and therefore should/should not be domesticated as this either helps keeps up the numbers or keeps them away from populating their natural home (most London parks nowadays, apparently).
Bring your Guinea Pig/Hamster to Work Day: Morning work aborted due to consultants diving under desks, moving furniture and ultimately dismantling the electric cable protection tubes in order to rescue small animals from various parts of the building. Big biller leaves when office management gives up and asks for number of Rentokill (other animal management solution companies are available).
Bring your Invertebrate to Work Day: Head of accounts introduces Toby the tarantula to – a now screaming and running away Temp Construction Desk.
Bring your Fish to Work Day: Someone asks if they’ll come with chips. Someone is sacked.
…yes, maybe dogs are the best bet after all. They’re happy on leads, will generally be good until ‘walkies’ and might even help you sniff out some good talent.
