Are pet-friendly offices set to become the norm?
During the pandemic, an estimated 3.2 million households acquired ‘pandemic puppies’.
Millions of people turned to their new furry friends for comfort and companionship while they were stuck indoors, isolated from friends and family. But now, as people are being asked to return to the office, employees are reluctant to leave their furry friends’ home alone.
According to research by Wagmo, 67% of employees said their pet is the main reason they’re unwilling to return to the office full-time. What’s more, a survey conducted by OnePoll found that 60% of pet owners have left their jobs since offices reopened as their employers didn’t do enough to accommodate pets.
Paws fur thought
The question of how to lure workers back to the office has left employers scratching their heads over the past year. The stats suggest that embracing pet-friendly policies could help.
But the benefits of office dogs go way beyond getting bums on seats.
Research has found that dogs can improve employee well-being by reducing stress, boosting morale, promoting productivity, and encouraging a healthier lifestyle.
And forward-thinking employers are reaping the rewards. The University of Lincoln conducted a study “to quantify the benefits and impact of dogs in the office on work-related and dog-related outcomes”.
The findings? Employees that took their dogs to work reported a 22% increase in job satisfaction.
What charity doesn’t want that?
What do pet policies look like?
Pet policies can take many shapes and forms. For example:
Carers UK allows employees to bring dogs into the office on days when people with dog allergies and phobias are working from home.
Attest offers dog-friendly office spaces, up to 5 days paid leave when an employee adopts a pet, and up to 8 weeks of flexi-time to ensure they have adequate time with their new family member. Oh, and pet parents get a pet stipend.
TaskRabbit covers employees’ pet insurance and allocates three days of paid leave when a team member adopts a new furry family member.
Tailster encourages dogs to join meetings. And they have a sun terrace equipped with fake grass for the dogs to do their business.
Things to consid-fur
If office dogs boost morale and satisfaction, a pet policy is a no-brainer, right? Maybe. But before you ‘roll over’, be sure to consider the health and safety risks.
Pets can be messy
You don’t want your office to smell like a pet shop, or become unsanitary for your workers, which can sometimes happen with animals. Pets shed, get sick, and have accidents, so cleaning up after needs to be a top priority.
Damage
If you’re a dog owner, you’ll be well aware of the damage dogs can cause to belongings, furniture, and carpets.
The workplace is no different. But throw costly IT equipment and other people’s personal property into the mix, and you could have a recipe for disaster.
Allergies
Even if none of your team are allergic to dogs, a dog-friendly workplace could scare off potential hires that do have allergies.
Create a pet policy
Weighed up the pros and cons and decided to go dog-friendly?
Start by getting familiar with the Pets at Work Toolkit. It covers everything you need to get started, from making a case to senior management to creating a fool-proof workplace pet policy.
The final bark
Office dogs may not be able to help you do your job (unless you're a professional stick fetcher), but embracing them in the workplace can provide plenty of benefits for you, your employees, and their furry friends.
If you’re looking for dog-loving fundraisers to complete your team, we can help. Call us for an initial con-fur-sation on 020 3750 3111.