Should Employers Embrace Bring Your Dog to Work Day Every Day?

17th June 2019

Calling all dog lovers and especially dog owners! This Friday, the 21^st of June is Bring Your Dog To Work Day and we expect to see employers all over the country allowing people to bring their dog in on this special day. However, why not allow them in the office any day of the year? We discuss how allowing dogs in the office can be beneficial for everyone.

 

Lower Stress

Stress contributes to reduced productivity levels and can mean that your employees aren’t working to their full potential, so eliminating it as much as possible is essential. Studies show that interactions with dogs can decrease stress in humans. Playing with dogs has shown to increase levels of the stress-reducing hormone oxytocin and decrease the stress hormone cortisol. Not only does it relieve stress being around dogs, but it is also seen that owners of dogs who leave them at home have higher stress levels throughout the day compared to those who were able to bring their dogs in.

 

Exercise

Dogs need to have regular walks in order to keep them healthy and happy and humans aren’t much different. Having dogs in the office is a good excuse for your employees to get out and get some fresh air and exercise by taking the office dogs for a walk. It doesn’t have to be just the owner that benefits from this either, it can be anyone who is willing and wanting to do it, meaning the dogs are happy and so are your employees.

 

Positive feelings towards employer

Having dogs in the office will improve work-life balance and in turn, your employees will feel more positive towards working for the company. This can mean that your employees will work harder as they are more willing to work for a company that is nice to their employees. This can also increase job satisfaction and can contribute to employee retention, saving you a lot of time and money in the future.

 

Encourages positive social interactions

Dogs are a great way to get people to be more social. Someone bringing in their dog can encourage someone from another team to come up and play with it, in turn striking a conversation up with the owner. This conversation might not have happened in an everyday setting so it can help your employees come together and get to know each other better.

 

Help with recruitment

65% of HR decision-makers say that candidates often ask about the company’s pet policy, making it a great recruitment benefit, according to a Bandfield Pet Hospital survey. Top level candidates are beginning to see the value in work benefits and they will often be the reason why they go with a certain company over another one, so it is great to introduce benefits such as being able to bring your dog into work to attract these applicants.

 

How to dog proof your office

Implementing a dog-friendly office isn’t always easy. Not all employees will be pet lovers and not all offices are suitable for pets. If you would like to make your office dog-friendly, then you will need to dog proof it.

• Keep a dog basket and bowl in the corner of the room
• Tuck away cables to avoid them being used as chew toys and make sure bins are lidded to evade temptation.
• Create pet free zones for those who are not as into dogs or in places where you might get distracted by them such as meeting rooms.
• Think about how many dogs you will allow in your office at one time and make sure everyone liaises with each other to ensure this is stuck to.

 

IRIS FMP have created our own dog bandannas to help raise money for our charity of the year, Huntington’s Disease Association.