Photo caption: Lacey Smith of Serenity Hospice also moonlights at Aegis 360 Consulting.
Pets play a critical role in the lives of their owners. It’s only fitting they should be a part of the workplace. In recent years, it has become more commonplace to see pets at work. Studies show pets reduce stress and make the work environment more comfortable. But that’s not all they do.
According to recent studies, having pets in the workplace can increase job satisfaction, reduce stress and improve overall workplace morale.
Job Satisfaction and Productivity
A study by Banfield Pet Hospital found that pet-friendly workplaces positively impact employee recruitment and retention. The study found that 82% of employees in pet-friendly workplaces felt that their employer cared about their well-being, compared to 61% of employees in non-pet-friendly workplaces. The study also found that 88% of employees in pet-friendly workplaces felt more connected to their colleagues.
In 2018, the Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) published a study called “The Impact of Pets: At Work and Beyond,” which showed that pets increase productivity, boost morale, and improve employee retention. Additionally, people reported significantly higher levels of physical and mental health. They were also three times more likely to experience positive working relationships with supervisors and coworkers.
Groups performing a collaborative task with a pet around were more communicative, less closed-off, and cooperated better. They also cited trusting their coworkers more.
Eighty-eight percent of people who work in pet-friendly offices plan to stay at their current job for at least 12 months. Nearly all (91%) are more fully engaged with their work. Even employees without pets perceive their company more favorably across the board when pets are allowed in the office.
Impact on Health
Pets in the workplace can also have a positive impact on employee health. According to the American Heart Association, having a pet can reduce the risk of heart disease, lower blood pressure, and improve overall cardiovascular health. Pets can also help to reduce anxiety and depression, which are common issues that can impact employee well-being and productivity. HABRI found that employees who bring their pets to work have lower levels of cortisol, a hormone associated with stress.
Another study by the International Journal of Workplace Health Management found that people in pet-friendly workplaces have lower perceived stress levels than those in workplaces that don’t allow pets. The study also found that employees who brought their pets to work reported higher levels of social support and a stronger sense of community within the workplace. In addition, employees who were allowed to bring their pets to work were more likely to engage in physical activity and take breaks from their work, which can help reduce work-related stress and increase productivity.
Money Matters
There are also financial benefits to having pets in the workplace. A study conducted by Nationwide Pet Insurance found that pet-friendly workplaces have lower absenteeism and higher productivity levels. Employees missed an average of 2.6 days of work per year, compared to 3.5 days for employees in non-pet-friendly workplaces. The study also found that people in pet-friendly workplaces were more likely to work longer hours.
How to Make Your Office a Woofice
If you’re considering adding your pooch to the payroll, it’s best to follow these three steps.
- Landlord Approval. If your company is leasing space, first ask permission from the owner or management company.
- Employee Liability Waivers. Employees who want to bring a pet to the office should sign liability waivers to ensure they understand the potential risks and that they will be held accountable for any legal situations.
- Pet Health Documentation. Create a checklist of what your office requires regarding pet health. Set a reasonable deadline for employees with pets to submit documentation of medical checkups and proof of required vaccinations. Be sure to have a system to keep documentation up to date.
Benefits
Overall, the benefits of pets in the workplace are clear. By reducing stress, improving job satisfaction, and promoting physical activity and social connection, pets can positively impact employee well-being and productivity. In addition, employers who embrace pet-friendly policies can also benefit from increased employee retention and recruitment, reduced absenteeism, and increased productivity. So if you’re thinking about bringing your furry friend to work, remember that you’ll not only make your pet happy but also contribute to a more positive and productive workplace environment.
Below, we highlight some special four-legged coworkers making their workplaces pet-tacular.
Osha: Belgian Malinois, Age: 11 / Owner: Ned Parks, Owner, Aegis 360 Consulting, Inc.
What inspired you to bring your dog to the office?
I remember my Dad taking our dog to the office from time to time when I was a little boy. So I really never thought about it other than where I go, my dog goes as much as possible.
How does your dog contribute to the work environment?
Osha is very laid back. She says hello to everyone and hangs around those who give her treats. Osha also greets the package delivery people and generally just makes everyone smile.
What benefits has bringing your dog to the office provided?
She creates a healthy distraction and delivers smiles.
How do you ensure your dog is well-behaved and not disruptive?
My family prides itself on knowing our animals and training them in good behaviors.
Tell us something special about your pet.
Her favorite toy is a silver dog bowl. In fact, we have to use a green one when feeding her so she doesn’t dump the food out to play with the bowl.
Cowoofers
Lacey Smith recently joined the Aegis 360 family as CCD (Chief Cuteness Dog). She and her cowoofer, Osha Parks, CHD (Chief Happiness Dog), collaborate at begging for snacks and generally disturbing their coworkers’ concentration. Both excel at their jobs.
Lacey: Mini Labradoodle, Age: 10.5 / Owner: Jill Smith, Chaplain, Serenity Hospice
What inspired you to bring your dog to the office?
I adopted Lacey when she was 5 or 6 years old. She had spent her early life in a cage as a breeding mama having puppies. I was determined to give her a better life. She loves being around people so much and was so sweet-natured that I thought taking her with me to visit hospice patients would be great for her and the patients.
How does your dog contribute to the work environment?
Lacey gets to visit the office and people in nursing homes. At the office, she visits everyone, mostly looking for treats. There is something stress-relieving about petting a dog. In nursing homes, I have seen her put smiles on people’s faces so many times.
My favorite experience was the time someone saw us in a nursing home and asked if we could visit her friend. The woman was so happy to see Lacey. Turns out the patient used to be a county dog warden and loved dogs so much. Her friend later told me it was the first time she had seen her smile in six months.
What benefits has bringing your dog to the office provided?
The benefits for Lacey are lots of treats. The benefits for others are her licks and tail wags.
How do you ensure your dog is well-behaved and not disruptive?
Lacey and I went to obedience training. Well, it was mostly for me. Lacey was already a good girl. She loves people so much. When there is a meeting, she just lays down and rests. With patients, it’s like she knows she needs to be still and lay down beside them.
Tell us something special about your pet.
Lacey never learned to play with toys because of having so many puppies. To this day she doesn’t play with toys unless they have treats inside them. When we celebrated Lacey’s 10th birthday last September on her “Gotcha Day,” we offered free toys to all of the dogs in the neighborhood.
Daisy: Lab/Golden Retriever, Age: 2 / Owner: David McKeen, President, Western Reserve Window Cleaning
What inspired you to bring your dogs to the office?
My dogs bring so much joy to my life that it doesn’t make any sense not to spend as much time with them as possible. And since I own the company, I can bring them.
How do your dogs contribute to the work environment?
When the window cleaners come to the office in the morning, the dogs greet them at the door, cuddle with them while they prepare for their day, and generally help everyone to feel better. When I go to customers’ homes for estimates, they often see the dogs in the car, comment about them, and sometimes request a cuddle.
What benefits has bringing your dogs to the office provided?
Dogs are funny. I get so much joy from laughing at the things they do. They’re also a great interview tool. Even if you’re a cat person, you must be happy to have a calm, tail-wagging dog greet you. It’s an additional insight into an applicant’s personality.
How do you ensure your dogs are well-behaved and not disruptive?
My dogs are very well trained. I started bringing them to work when they were puppies, so they learned the rules early on.
Tell us something special about your pet.
Daisy enjoys holding hands with people when they pet her.
Cowoofers
Max, a twelve-year-old Lab/Golden Retriever, loves pushing his head between people’s thighs for a head hug. He and Daisy are amazing mentors to intern Bella, a three-month-old Golden Retriever/English Setter. Bella enjoys napping and cuddling with her cowoofers.
Izzy: Tortoiseshell, Age: 8. Owner: Carla Heisa, CFO & Co-Owner, The Final Coat
What inspired you to bring your cats to the office?
They belonged to one of my employees whose new baby was allergic to cats. Since Izzy and Hank are older cats, I was afraid they wouldn’t find a home, so I adopted them. Bringing them to the office allows the former owner to still see and enjoy them.
How does your cats contribute to the work environment?
All of the employees love coming in to visit and pet the cats.
What benefits has bringing your cats to the office provided?
Companionship. I’m often in the office alone, so it’s nice having them around.
How do you ensure your cats are well-behaved and not disruptive?
Izzy loves attention. She constantly jumps on my desk when guests are in the office. I use a laser light to distract her and keep her out of people’s faces.
Tell us something special about your pet.
Izzy is very friendly and affectionate. She can almost say “hello” when I come in. She always greets me at the door.
Fellow Felines
Hank is a six-year-old Blue Russian and former feral cat. He is really shy and usually stays away from people. Occasionally he’ll approach employees for some love. He gets along well with his coworker Izzy and sometimes follows her when guests arrive.
Myles: English Lab, Age: 3 / Owners: Nancy and Chris Larker, Owners, S3 Technologies
What inspired you to bring your dog to the office?
My parents owned a company when I was growing up, and our family dog went to work with them. So it was normal for me to have a dog in the office. When we brought Myles into our family, we committed to bringing him to work with us so he could be with people more often than not.
How does your dog contribute to the work environment?
Myles is a true team player and contributor to our office. He greets our employees daily with pure enthusiasm. Myles has a committed work ethic and always shows up with a great attitude and eagerness to help. He alerts us when guests arrive and ensures they feel welcome. Since Myles is fond of healthy snacks, he designed and implemented our Snack Sharing program, which encourages employees to bring his favorites—bananas, apples, carrots, and cheese—and share them with him. The sharing also contributes to portion control since Myles uses his puppy dog eyes to beg for the biggest piece.
What benefits has bringing your dog to the office provided?
Myles brings lightheartedness and fun to the office. We work in a fast-paced environment and have a hard-working team. Sometimes taking a quick break to play fetch in the hallway or a game of hide and seek is a good reset for people. When he’s not watching the door, cleaning the floors, or playing in the halls, he visits employees individually and gently nudges them to request belly and ear rubs.
How do you ensure your dog is well-behaved and not disruptive?
Before bringing Myles to the office for the first time, we made sure he was properly trained and socialized. Our awesome team helps us maintain consistency by using the same commands and rules he is expected to follow at home. It really works out well for us.
Tell us something special about your pet.
Myles has a middle name, “Crumb.” He lives up to it as the Crumb Cleanup Team Lead, keeping the floors clean of crumbs and spills.
Zoey: Labrador Mix, Age: 4 / Owner: Jim Laber, President & Co-Founder, AtNetPlus
What inspired you to bring your dog to the office?
COVID is the excuse I used. I have always been a dog lover. When our staff started working remotely, I decided to bring her in. She became a part of our culture. Even when people started coming back into the office, I continued to bring her in.
How does your dog contribute to the work environment?
Zoey’s title is Chief Barketing Officer. Her job is to bring smiles and joy to people. She was even instrumental in helping a shy employee become more relaxed and sociable.
What benefits has bringing your dog to the office provided?
We have stressful jobs. When she visits people, her presence instantly relieves stress. It provides a momentary break, shifting focus for a second or two as people greet and respond to her. Employees always have treats ready and sometimes leave gifts for her on my desk. She has had a huge impact on everyone. In fact, we now ask potential employees if they are dog lovers to ensure they are a good culture fit. Most people like dogs and don’t mind them in the office.
How do you ensure your dog is well-behaved and not disruptive?
For the most part, Zoey is in charge. I only get involved if she barks at someone new visiting the office. I call her name, and she comes running. We have never had an issue with her disrupting the office.
Tell us something special about your pet.
Zoey was adopted through Paws and Prayers, a nonprofit animal rescue, which we continue to support. She fit in right away. She spends a lot of time walking around or sleeping on my couch. She often doesn’t even wake up during meetings. She brings a calm to the office that is hard to describe. She makes people smile.
Cowoofers
Oakley, Milkyway, and Chloe are members of the Barketing team. Ellie is Paw-lity Assurance Analyst.
Kluber: Frenchton, Age: 4 / Owner: Darrin Semick, Mortgage Advisor, Union Home Mortgage
What inspired you to bring your dog to the office?
Wherever I go, he goes. It’s just that simple.
How does your dog contribute to the work environment?
Imagine walking into your office everyday and being greeted with a high-energy ball of fun who acts like he hasn’t seen you in years, even if it’s only been a day or two.
What benefits has bringing your dog to the office provided?
He spreads positivity. His energy is quite contagious. If you’re having a bad day, he knows and will snap you out of it. Having him in my office everyday has helped sculpt a better culture. He’s just one more thing to look forward to when walking in the front door. Dogs are also a great topic that resonates with clients.
How do you ensure your dog is well-behaved and not disruptive?
It comes down to good parenting. I can honestly say in the four years he’s been coming to the office, he’s never once been disruptive.
Tell us something special about your pet.
Instead of howling, he lowers his jaw and belts out a high-pitched super-extended scream. It’s hilarious.
Frenchton Scream
https://www.tiktok.com/@exoticfiredogs/video/7182250746795150638?lang=en
Story & Photos by Jillian Harman
