WORK buddies
Want to make your employees happier and more productive? Let the dogs IN
Hate leaving behind your furry friend while you trudge through the hours at work? Increasingly, businesses are allowing their employees to bring their pets to the office.
From large companies to locally owned stores, working alongside animals — especially dogs — is becoming more common. Experts say the practice could improve workers’ moods and productivity.
“I think for a lot of people, pets exert a major calming influence on them,” said Ashley Brown, practice manager at Animal Hospital at Brier Creek in Raleigh, N.C. “For our pet parents, they’re not just animals, they are their babies.”
One of the best-known dogfriendly companies is Amazon. com, which has more than 6,000 dogs joining their owners each day at its Seattle headquarters.
The Amazon campus includes designated relief areas, free treats and two dog parks.
In addition to allowing the dogs at work, many companies provide pet insurance and bereavement leave for the loss of a pet.
While this may be the latest trend in tech companies, small businesses have been allowing pets in the workplace for years. Often it’s because the owner is a pet lover and because they have fewer employees to manage.
“It also depends on what their core values are and what kind of image they want to portray,” Brown said. “Some companies are known for taking care of employees, I think it kind of depends on that.”
The benefits of having dogs in the workplace have been documented in recent studies.
According to a 2016 report by Banfield Pet Hospital, a petfriendly office contributes to a sense of well-being, reduced stress, greater work-life balance and reduced guilt about leaving a pet at home. It can also lead to improved work relationships, increased productivity and the ability to work longer hours.
In addition, 83 percent of employees surveyed said they had a greater sense of loyalty to their employers when there were petfriendly policies in place and that 88 percent said having pets at work improves morale.
But what about the potential problems with having dogs around?
Some people are afraid of dogs and others may get distracted by the animals.
Most employers make sure that their employees’ pets are housebroken, well-behaved and vaccinated before allowing them in the office.
As for the best breeds to bring to the office? Brown said there is no ideal type.
“I think it depends on the dog,” she said.