Mila, official office dog at PlexiDor pet doors. |
USA Today points out a number of benefits from having pets in the work environment. For example, reduction of stress, building relations between co-workers, and introducing some daily exercise. They also give an opportunity for human employees to get to know each other better.
It could be easy to assume pets in the workplace will lower productivity, but reality is generally the opposite. Employees feel that the company cares about them and their lives outside work. Bringing a dog reduces the worry for the pet, and increases peace of mind.
Some tips for companies thinking of implementing pet friendly policies are:
- Make sure the environment is safe.
- Take allergies into account. Some people with lighter allergies are fine as long as they're not close to the pet, but others get severe reactions even at a distance.
- Owners should keep their dogs on a leash, unless they're in the employee's office or cubicle. Some people are afraid of dogs, or allergic. (Depending on the company, structure, size, and so on, it might not be a problem at all.)
- There are pet gates and baby gates to help keep the dog from leaving the office unsupervised.
Here at PlexiDor Pet Doors, Mila generally fills the spot as office dog. She has an important role as stress reducer, and she has a play pen where she can spend the day playing, napping, or doing whatever she wants without supervision.
If you want to read more about the benefits of dogs in the workplace, this text leads to another great article!
Mila looks adorable in this pic. Just sayin'...
ReplyDeleteShe's so cute. Every day when I come to the office I squeal, "Mila!" and run up to her. After that I might remember to say Hi to the people too. LOL!
Delete~ Maria ~
Yes, Yes, Absolutely Yes! Much less office politics if folks can bond over pets...Mila looks totally sweet
ReplyDeleteMila is awesome! Today, I have my Princess Bonnie in the office too. She's a Border Collie mix, but still pretty good at chilling out when the occasion calls for it. =D
DeleteIn Germany we always went to work and we loved it, the people loved it and mom was happy. s long as the dog is well behaved, it is a great thing!
ReplyDeleteI've lived in Sweden for most of my life, and my colleagues and I would take turns bringing our doggies. It livened up the place, and if anyone needed a break they'd just borrow the dog of the day and go for a walk. =)
DeleteMy dad took his dogs with him to work for as long as we had dogs. He hasn't had a dog in 5-6 years now. He owns his own business, and both dogs were really good and well-behaved.
ReplyDeleteI like that. I think they're good for business too; something for customers and employees to look at and talk about. =D
DeleteI used to be able to take with me t work every day for a year. It was wonderful! I switched jobs and have a train commute now, don't think my fellow passengers would it that too much if she came along now.
ReplyDeleteAwww, it's a hard transition if you're used to bringing the dog, and she's used to coming along. My doggies would not be good on a train, LOL.
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