Bringing Your Dog to Work
One of the perks of owning my own business was taking my dog with me to work every day. If done correctly, I believe that taking your dog to work is beneficial on a personal and professional level, and you should consider allowing your staff to bring their pets in from time to time if possible.
Benefits of Dogs in the Workplace
Mental Health and Well Being
My dog was such an essential part of my mental health and well-being. My mornings often started with a cup of coffee reading through morning edition newspapers with my dog in my lap or desk. I could not think of a more relaxing and calm start to the day, which set the mood for the rest of the day. Setting the mood is important because how you feel will transfer over to your staff, suppliers, and anyone you interact with on that day. The same applies to employee interaction.
Happy Workplace
I cannot begin to tell you about my dog’s effect on the workplace. Thankfully, I had an extremely dog-friendly team who took time out of their lunch breaks to come into my office area for pet and play. Some loved taking him out for a sniff and a quick walk, and others loved giving him treats. The interaction acted as a circuit breaker of a long workday, and staff returned to their workstations rejuvenated and calmer. Undoubtedly, he was a stress reliever and generally made people’s days happier.
Is it ok to bring your dog to work? Things to Consider:
Space
Ensure your dog has adequate space to roam around, access fresh water and food, and can be taken safely and frequently outside on toilet breaks. Their area is also essential when you may accept customers onto your premises or even clients and suppliers for meetings. Don’t assume everyone loves your dog; ensure you respect everyone’s space and right of choice when you bring your dog to work.
Social
If you bring your dog to work, ensure your dog is sociable and will not attack or bite someone who enters your office. Ensure they are not afraid of their setting. Your dog must feel safe.
Low Energy / Quiet
It’s not a great idea to have a loud chihuahua barking all day (I do apologise to all chihuahuas 🥴) whilst you’re running a customer call centre. Loud and high-energy dogs can be disruptive to the overall business.
It would be wise to have some criteria if you plan to introduce dogs to your workplace. Some of these could be, allowing certain types of breeds, their vaccination status, behavioural certifications, and age. I say age because I remember my dog was a puppy; he chewed right through our internet cables, leaving our systems down for 24 hours 🤦♀️.
If your place of business cannot facilitate too many pets at once, perhaps allocate each pet owner a particular day a week, so everyone gets a day with their pet.
Dislike/Fear
Not all people like dogs; some may not feel safe, and as an employer, you have a duty of care to ensure all employees are safe at your place of employment. You have a responsibility to care for anyone who visits your place of work, including suppliers, customers, clients etc. Some people have allergies to pets, and some don’t like them. It would be good to get some feedback from your staff regarding this. It could be an anonymous questionnaire so that everyone feels comfortable answering honestly.
Equality
Everyone will want to do the same! If you’re bringing your dog to work, then your team may think it’s okay to bring theirs and whilst I’m an advocate of pets at work, this can only be done with proper planning, organisation, and an appropriate & safe set-up both for the pets and staff. You should factor in the time wasted on everyone petting everyone’s dogs, the number of pee and play breaks, and the mess and odours of having so many dogs in one place.
Most importantly, it would help to consider how other dogs get along. Remember, you are not running a dog care centre; you are encouraging a happier workplace with the help of pets.
Insurance
If you are bringing your dog to work, you should check with your insurance to ensure you are covered for all aspects.
Conclusion
Although it is challenging to achieve a policy in a workplace that allows pets to accompany their owners to work, there seems to be a shift and active work done by advocates that support this environment. There still is much work that needs to be done and so many hurdles to jump. Every year it’s becoming more common to see a ‘bring your dog to work day’ taking place, and whilst I think there are significant challenges ahead to make it a norm, it is certainly pointing in the right direction. Though I do admit, it is not for everyone.
Dogs are beautiful creatures that can bring calmness and serenity to people. It is not by chance that they are trialled in settings such as nursing homes. They are stress relievers; they fill gaps of loneliness and bring so much happiness to the people around them. They are the perfect way to take a break throughout your day. A short walk with your dog around the block can help you recharge your batteries.
Trying to run a successful business certainly has its challenges. I can guarantee you that having a dog next to you makes it so much easier. They take away a lot of those cranky boss moments!
Next week we will talk about bringing your pet goldfish to the office😂.
