Dogs in the Work Place?
Monday, December 15th, 2008What’s your stand? Are you for it? Are you against it? Do you have a position?
Let’s take a look at what some people are saying about our four-legged best friends joining our work force:
According to Andrew Field of the Montana-based company Printingforless.com, where every day is a “take your dog to work” day, pets in the workplace increase morale, productivity, and camaraderie. It turns out that 17% of Americans say that their companies are of the same frame of mind. More and more, it seems that employers have found a way to keep the staff happy, and to improve the products and services coming out of their shop – just let the workers have a puppy!
Now on the flip side of the coin: At least 5% of the population has allergies to dogs. That means misery for the allergic-to-dog-hair group is going to a) suffer uncontrollably, b) spend a fortune in allergy medicine, or c) demand of their employers that only hypo-allergenic breeds like poodles be allowed to join in at work.
But let’s take a look at what customers may show concern over: more and more as dogs come to work and begin to “own the space” the unassuming customer may instead of being greeted with a friendly “hello”, find himself greeted by at least a threatening-looking snarl – even if “little Polly” the poodle is sweet and harmless!
No matter the current trend, bringing “Rover” to work will only be a successful activity for the company as a whole if “Rover” and the work force can agree to a few basic rules, such as no allergy issues, no territorial issues, no domineering issues, and of course – Rover must know the ropes on the proper place to “use the facilities”.
Also, the customer issue is not as broad of a concern as one may have imagined because most of the employers that are inviting their staff to bring their dogs to work do not typically have clients or customers who come to the office. Thus the greater issue really is whether or not employee productivity and morale is improved by the practice.
Blue Cross in the UK recently conducted a study, where they also found that dogs create a positive change when they are permitted in the workplace. The study has shown that having a dog in the workplace decreases absenteeism, increases productivity and greatly improves staff morale.
Currently, the United States and Canada are the leading countries for working environments that invite dogs to join in on this continent. The UK is working towards creating that same environment in more of their working environments. On the Asian continent, however, Taiwan has almost half of their employers allowing staff to bring their dogs to work.
Finally, in the US there is even a special day, declared as, “Take Your Dog to Work Day”. It is on June 20th. It was created by Pet Sitters International (PSI) to celebrate dogs as great companions. The purpose of the day is to encourage employers to experience the value of pets in the workplace. It can also help to encourage pet adoptions from shelters, humane societies and rescue groups.
