A waggly tail at work
Pets boost morale, but allergies and fears have to be respected
NEW YORK — When a conference call turns tedious, Brent Robertson gets a smile from watching Gus rolling around on the floor.
The golden retriever is a regular visitor to Fathom, Robertson’s management consulting business in Connecticut. So are Pookie and Ari, dogs owned by two co-workers.
At some smaller professional businesses with a relaxed culture, it’s becoming more acceptable for employees to bring in their pets. Robertson is among business owners who think having animals around boosts morale and raises productivity.
“Everyone seems to smile and immediately become a little bit happier,” says Barbara Goldberg, CEO of O’Connell & Goldberg, a public relations company based in Florida. Her bulldog, Rosie, is a frequent visitor.
A survey by the Society for Human Resources Management found that seven per cent of organizations allow pets in the workplace.
At Badger Maps, owner Steve Benson’s Pomeranian mix, Foxy, seems to know when employees of the San Francisco app developer need some comfort.
“They’re very intuitive,” Benson says. “They have the ability to recognize when someone’s stressed out.”
But not everyone, including employees, customers and visitors, thinks animals belong. Some are allergic or afraid — and might take their business elsewhere. So people need to consider how to accommodate uncomfortable staffers or clients.
Rodney Alvarez, a human resources executive at Celtra, a video advertising company, says legal issues include making sure the company’s insurance covers biting, and keeping animals well-behaved so they won’t frighten visitors.
Some owners say when they interview job candidates, they let them know there are pets around.
Staffers at Celtra’s San Francisco office asked to bring in their pooches. Managers at its four offices decided it was OK if every staffer agreed, Alvarez says. One Boston employee said no, and there are no dogs there.
One regular deliveryman to Fathom is petrified of dogs. Since Gus “is a full contact dog,” Robertson says, “we collect the dogs and put them away in a room so (the deliveryman), can do his thing.”
And at Sterling Communications, seven of the 20 staffers want to bring their dogs into the California-based office. CEO Marianne O’Connor, who has a German shepherd named Kaya, worked out a schedule that allows two dogs each day.
When visitors arrive, pups may be placed in a closed office with a water bowl and toy.
Most often, a business becomes pet-friendly when it’s the owner who brings an animal in. Anne Buchanan adopted a dog about 12 years ago who turned out to be emotionally needy and much happier when Buchanan was around. So she began taking him to work at her PR firm in Pennsylvania.
As her company grew, staffers asked if they could bring pets in, too. There are generally two dogs in the office, and sometimes as many as four, including Buchanan’s two rescues, Katie and Lacey.
Behavioural issues can crop up, but many owners said they can be dealt with. If Rosie the bulldog at O’Connell & Goldberg starts barking during a phone call, the office manager quickly lures her away. When Buchanan’s dog and a staffer’s couldn’t get along, the boss paid for a trainer to work with both pups and their owners. Peace was restored.
Sterling staffer Rosie Brown recalls when Hazel, a co-worker’s Swedish Vallhund, couldn’t wait for her owner to get out of a meeting and left a present behind Brown’s chair. The next day, Hazel’s owner brought a cake for the office that said, “Sorry I pooped. Love, Hazel.”
“We all laughed it off,” Brown says.
Many people without pets are happy to have co-workers’ animals nearby.
“The dogs just wander around from office to office, say hi to everyone and nobody minds,” says Mike Dunklee, co-owner of Blvd Suites, a corporate housing company based in Michigan. Some staffers without pets keep treats in their desks.
Cats also sometimes make themselves at home in workplaces with dogs. When Brandon Scivolette, president of Elite Moving Labor, goes on vacation, his cat boards at the Florida-based company, where there is often at least one dog about.
“A cat is a great thing for an office. It goes from office to office to hang out with people,” Scivolette says.
Everyone seems to smile and immediately become a little bit happier.” — Barbara Goldberg