Dog Friendly Work Spaces — Cloud Doodles

Wouldn’t it be amazing if you could bring your dog to work? Then you would not have to worry about leaving them home alone, paying for a dog walker or sitter AND you could have your furry companion with you all the time. Work can be a place with lots of stress triggers so what better place to have pups running around to boost morale, spread smiles, and increase everyone’s happy hormones. Sounds great to me!

On the flip side, there are justifiable concerns about bringing our furry friends to work such as employee health concerns, potential aggressive behavior, property damage, and religious preferences.

What the Research Says

More and more large companies such as Google, Etsy, and Air b n b are implementing dog friendly workplaces due to the clear benefits of dog ownership. As a result, a multitude of studies have been done to understand the outcome of these policies. According to HABRI (the Human Bond Animal Institute), many studies found positive outcomes correlated with pet friendly work environments. One study found that the presence of dogs decreased overall employee stress levels. Another found that the presence of dogs improved problem-solving skills in a group. One found that the presence of dogs helped with positive social interaction that would not have occurred without the dog. Even the non-dog owners would take dogs for a walk, which promotes taking breaks and getting fresh air. Additionally, HABRI conducted a large 2000 person sized study in the U.S. According to their results they found :

“ 91 percent of employees who work for a pet friendly company feel engaged with their work versus 65 percent who work in non-pet friendly workplaces.”
“91 percent of employees who work for a pet friendly company feel the company supports their mental well-being versus 53 percent who work in non-pet friendly workplaces.”
“52 percent of employees who work for a pet friendly company report a positive working relationship with their supervisor versus 14 percent who work in non-pet friendly workplaces.”
“85 percent of employees who work for a pet friendly company reported they rarely miss a day of work for well-being or recuperation versus 77 percent who work in non-pet friendly workplaces.”

These numbers are staggeringly in favor of having pet friendly work spaces. So how do we manage potential challenges?

Managing Obstacles

Now we understand the undeniable benefits of having a pet friendly workspace how can we manage the obstacles of bringing our pets to work? Unique rules and policies should be put in place by employers to ensure that employees reap the benefits of a dog friendly work environment.

Tips for policies and procedures:

Set in place an interview/ application process for pups to ensure a good fit.
Ensure dogs maintain good hygiene.
Employers should confirm up to date vaccinations of their dogs.
Plan for how new dogs will be introduced into the workplace.
Inform all employees of training and dietary needs for each dog.
Be sensitive to employees with allergies.
Avoid pets becoming a source of distraction rather than promoting productivity.
Implement pet & employee safety protocols and training on how to deal with reactive dogs or incidents where a dog may act out.

Alternatives to Pet Friendly Workplaces

In certain fields such as hospitals for example, dog friendly workplaces are not possible. How are some ways that we can incorporate the benefit of dog interaction in those work environments?

Designated therapy dog

An alternative to allowing employees to bring their dogs to work is to have one designated trained therapy dog in a work environment. This way the dog is trained for the specific task of supporting employees. This can help with alleviating some of the obstacles mentioned above with having multiple dogs in one work environment or a dog whose personality may no fit the role of work companion.

Scheduled Therapy Dog Days

Another option is to have scheduled therapy dog days biweekly or monthly where an organization that works with therapy dogs is hired to bring in pups for a day to help employees connect with furry friends and reap the benefits such as stress relief.

Take Your Dog to Work Day

If a company does not want to implement a dog friendly work environment every day there is also the option of “bring your dog to work day” perhaps on a monthly basis! Or if there is concern for having too many dogs in one space at a time you could also have an alternating schedule of which employee brings their dog on what day.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, there is a plethora of research supporting dog friendly workspaces and at the very least implementing a therapy dog day on a regular basis. Dogs help relieve employee stress, boost morale, limit absenteeism, and promote positive relationships between co-workers and bosses. Go have a conversation with your workplace and see how you can bring furry friends into the mix!