Before we know it’ll be June 24, which is the UK’s Bring Your Dog to Work Day. We all love our pets and we’re often sad when we have to leave them behind to go and earn their kibble, so you might want to start your own Pets at Work initiative to include your furry chums a bit more often.
If your bosses are sceptical, here’s how you might persuade them
Animals love to please
Dogs in particular aim to serve and there’s plenty of evidence to show that friendly pets can act as social glue, encouraging co-operation and cohesion among (human) employees. If you see someone who you thought of as frosty going all gooey over a spaniel, you’ll like them more.
Employees can be more productive
Animals are important family members and people worry about them if they’re working late. Allowing someone to bring in their pet if they’re working late on a project is the least a company can doand there’s no dashing off home to feed it. Your office space in Victoria will feel like a second home in no time.
Critters lower stress
Stroking a dog or cat is a brilliant stress-reliever – you’ve heard of hospital and elder care-home dogs, right? They work – people release more oxytocin (the bonding hormone) when they stroke a friendly animal and this also lowers blood pressure.
A good excuse for a walk
Not for a skive, though! A quick walk is a well-known way to spark a brilliant solution to a nagging problem. If there’s an ever-happy companion to join you, even better!
Animals boost office morale
Work can be stressful and sometimes people just don’t get on that well. If two very different people can have a common focus, it can diffuse tension and give them something to bond over. Pets also make for great comedy moments.
Fancy it? Here’s how to make it happen
Get everyone onboard
Find out what everyone thinks – if enough people like the idea, then it may well be a goer. If anyone’s concerned about allergies, or fleas, then you can address these concerns before moving forward. Create some guidelines – what kinds of animals are acceptable, how often they can visit, and so forth. Make sure everyone’s happy.
Make sure the leasing company is happy
Ask the building managers if you can go ahead with this plan – think of any potential risks and set forth your ideas for dealing with them.
Give pets ID
That’s right – human visitors get lanyards, so furrier visitors should too. This makes it easier to tell if a cat is a wandering stray or a beloved companion.
Get the premises ready
Kitchens, canteens and rest-rooms should be off-limits to animals, as should meeting rooms. Employees should follow your company’s petiquette (get it?) code and not bring in animals that haven’t had their jabs or haven’t been wormed or de-flead. Click here to read more about worming treatments.
Owners need to bring in the pet’s own bowls, beds, toys and litter boxes – this should all be set down in your company’s Pets at Work policy before the programme starts.