Car-charging and dog hotels: Seven perks to lure you to the office

Car-charging and dog hotels: Seven perks to lure you to the officePublished21 minutes agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingBy Dougal ShawBusiness reporter, BBC NewsLockdowns during the pandemic meant that office workers began to work from home - and they liked it.But now many companies would prefer them to come back to the office.One way to entice them is to make the workplace more attractive and offer incentives that can only be enjoyed in person.

Working from home saves staff money, something particularly appealing when inflation is high.So many of these perks are about saving on the cost of living.Car-chargingIf you own an electric car, this perk might appeal to you.Software company SAP's office in Feltham, west London, has 10 parking spaces with free electric car-charging points.There are 600 employees, so these parking spots are highly sought-after explains Paul, who works there."The golden rule in the office," he says, "is that as soon as your car is charged, you have to move it and send a WhatsApp message to the EV group."The price of charging per kWh is around 51p and most cars have 80kwh batteries, so the savings are significant, he says.This benefit tends to work best for higher earners, he points out, who are more likely to be able to afford an electric car.Free FoodWould the above free lunch offering tempt you into the office?This is an example of what's available to employees at Time Etc, a virtual assistant platform, based in Birmingham.

For dessert, by the way, it's strawberries, yogurt and a selection of cakes.On other days there's hot offerings like curry, chilli, pasta and soups.Working from home can save you money on meals - but of course you have the hassle of making them.Company CEO Barnaby Lashbrooke says: "We recently introduced free lunches two days a week.These are prepared by our in-house chef with a focus on healthy options.

"We've had really good feedback so far, with increased attendance since we introduced the change...