Dogs in the workplace, yes or no?

Mila, official office dog at PlexiDor pet doors.

As a pet lover, who also works in the pet industry, it's easy to say "Yes." USA Today shares the sentiment. The newspaper points out that dogs and offices can be a nice mix with the right rules, but also that most pet owners make good decisions about whether to bring their furry friends.

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!