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We’re not just saying this for you, Sid – office dogs really do make us happier. Various studies show that having a canine colleague in the workplace\u00a0reduces stress<\/a>\u00a0and promotes cohesion<\/a>\u00a0among team members.<\/p>\n Read more: 5 of the best beaches for solo travellers<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n This is certainly the case at consumer giant Nestl\u00e9, whose Gatwick HQ has had a Pets At Work policy in place since 2015<\/a> (interested mutts must undergo a probation period).\u00a0 “Sometimes something will stress me out at work and I\u2019ll go: \u2018Right, I need some puppy love. And off I go to find a dog,” employee Zoe Green tells the Guardian<\/a>. “A few minutes later, I\u2019m a different person.”<\/p>\n Play all the games<\/strong><\/p>\n Here at Flash Pack, our ping-pong leagues are legendary – even if they do frequently descend into raucous rounds of beer\/vodka\/prosecco pong. And it seems we’re not the only ones getting our game on. The London hub of Expedia<\/a>, one of the UK’s happiest companies<\/a>, comes with a go-kart arcade game and giant sandpit for employees to throw around ideas in. “It\u2019s awesome,” product manager Jane Roslyak tells the Independent<\/a>. “We laugh, like, all day.”<\/p>\n Read more: How travelling the world disrupts negative thinking<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n Danish toymaker Lego is naturally at the centre of this movement, putting out giant boxes of plastic bricks for team members to play with during meetings. In her book The Year of Living Danishly<\/a>, journalist Helen Russell recalls how colleagues often can’t hear each other speak over the noise of rifling through hundreds of plastic bricks. This hasn’t stopped Lego becoming a mainstream way<\/a> of unlocking ideas and talent, in businesses around the world.<\/p>\n Slide between meetings<\/strong><\/p>\n Why take the stairs to the lower floor when you can glide down by helter skelter? That’s the motto of office designers\u00a0Space & Solutions<\/a>, who created the above slide – along with an office pub and cinema – for a Southampton IT company<\/a>. A sleek silver slide is also one of the main attractions over at Google’s new Zurich offices<\/a>, for workers to zoom effortlessly from one meeting to the next.<\/p>\n Read more: “Why I set up a travel company for people in their 30s and 40s”<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n One of the main perks of\u00a0The Workshop<\/a> space for digital freelancers in Kent is its\u00a020ft-long slide<\/a> that connects different floors. “Everyone has a go when they come in, but people have become accustomed to it now,” says office manager James Avery. “No-one looks up, it’s just the norm.”<\/p>\n Grab a free massage<\/strong><\/p>\n Insurance firm Admiral consistently ranks as one of the UK’s best places to work<\/a>. The fact that they give out free Indian head massages<\/a> to their employees can be no coincidence. The company runs six therapy sessions a month, in a move to promote happiness and stave off stress. “The massage is just fantastic,” says employee Terri Griffiths. “You get a feeling of complete and utter peace after being pumped up and on the phone.”<\/p>\n Read more: Solo travel fuels this major happiness habit<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n San Francisco tech firm Asana – touted for its excellent company culture<\/a>\u00a0– also runs\u00a0in-house massage and reiki sessions. “Treating each other well, being respectful to each other, building a culture you actually want to live in, these are all things that make people happier, and in the end, more productive,” says co-founder Justin Rosenstein.<\/p>\n Have a nap room<\/strong><\/p>\n With Arianna Huffington putting sleep firmly on the corporate agenda<\/a>, we’ve never been more aware of its impact on performance. And some companies are taking this seriously enough to build their own nap rooms<\/a>, where employees can retreat to for half an hour’s kip (ginger cat optional). Nike’s HQ in Oregon has nooks filled with cosy couches and chilled tunes for soothing time out<\/a> – be that power-napping or a spot of meditation.<\/p>\n Read more: How I learnt to embrace solo travel as a man<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Similarly, Google’s California base is peppered with innovative sleep pods<\/a>, complete with\u00a0built-in Bose music systems and light sensors. And people working at London-based app service Potato<\/a> can use their snooze room to break up long hours. “If a quick nap in the Pod helps them get their best work done, then it\u2019s well worth it,” says content lead\u00a0Declan Cashin.<\/p>\n Lay on the al desko drinks\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The Mad Men days of knocking back bourbon at every brainstorm going are – thankfully – behind us. But any company worth its salt should still be willing to roll out a few al desko tipples when the occasion warrants. Advertising firm Saatchi & Saatchi has its own heavily subsidised pub, The Pregnant Man, which is packed on a Thursday night, while fellow ad company FCB Inferno has a bar with a pool table and ice-cream machine<\/a> (#jealous).<\/p>\n Read more: Reclaim your single life by travelling with strangers<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Flash-Pack-Travel.jpg\")
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