Bring Your Pet to Work Day Extended

Perhaps bring your pet to work day should be every day, that’s according to American Pet Products Manufacturers Association at least.  Currently only about 17% of American employers allow animals in the work place, however this movement, particularly in regards to dogs, is building momentum.  Industry leader such as Google, Zynga, and Amazon all have pet friendly work place policies and quickly growing start up seem to be following trend.

Our pets enter the workplace in a variety of different ways.  For Leib Lurie the story was comical, his German Shepard made a daily 1.5 mile trek to his office every day to find him.  Finally Lurie decided it would be easier to take the Shepard with him to work as opposed to having the dog search for him and changed his company’s pet policy.  For other entrepreneurs their canine companions were the other founding partner of their company and therefore the company has grown around them.  In other companies an amended pet friendly policy is a question of the culture the office wishes to portray.  For software company G5, their pet policy is definitely cultural.  They hope to foster a culture which promotes a sense of freedom for their employees and this freedom makes them thrive.

Naysayers may argue that having your canine companion under your desk would be a distraction; however advocates of the movement believe the exact opposite.  Having dogs in the office is believed to foster a safer, friendlier, more collaborative work environment.  According to the survey done by American Pet Products Manufacturers Association companies which allow pets have a lower rate of employee absences and also see a higher percentage of willingness by employees to put in longer hours.   The logic behind this, Debrah Schnackenberg, VP of Emergency Services for the American Humane Association, believes is that “People feel comfortable spending that extra hour or two at the office when they know their dog is right there with them."

Also contributing to the pro-pet office policy argument is that it may generate more employee loyalty for the company as a whole.  In the past two years One Call Now has seen a notable drop in the turnover rate.  Again, why?  Because dogs make people happy, they’re always happy to see you and eternally optimistic.  This attitude is particularly good in high stress work environments.  Our furry friends can not only get a smile on our faces, but also ease the tension in the office.

  

Obviously a pro-pet policy won’t be a good fit for every employer, however for those that have tossed the idea around or simply would like some extra time with their pets it’s something to consider.