Bring a Dog to Work Day

Want your office to go to the dogs the way some industry titans like Google and Amazon have?  It is estimated that roughly 1.4 million dog owners bring about 2.3 million of their pets to work with them daily. Pet-friendly work environments are becoming increasingly more popular and proving to have a significant impact on companies’ bottom lines.

There are many rewards for a company to become dog-friendly.

- WARM FUZZIES:

o Improved Quality of Life for Employees

o Increases Overall Office Morale

o Produces Team Bonding

o Relieves Stress

o Greater Employee Happiness and Satisfaction

- Employees who bring their dogs to work typically work longer hours, since they don’t have to worry about getting home to their pets.

- Productivity and Efficiency are greatly increased among employees who bring their dogs into the office with them.

- Workplace distinction that will separate you from your competition.

Moving towards a dog-friendly workplace may not be embraced by all employees. Some people do not like dogs, may have an allergy and/or are afraid of animals. It will be your responsibility as the employer to accommodate these people, too. This could be as simple as having a “dog-free” area of the office to installing a top of the line filtration system to diminish the effects dander and pet hair.

If you are going to create a dog-friendly workplace, there are a few things to keep in mind.

- Some industries may be prevented from having dogs by state law and/or local regulations.

- Make sure that your building will allow dogs inside.

- Obtain proper insurance to protect your company in case of injuries or damages.

- Create workplace rules regarding dogs, put them in writing as part of your Employee Handbook.

- Will you require proof of recently vaccinations? Free of fleas? Pet training?

- Will you permit all dogs in the office or those under a certain weight?

- Will the dogs be allowed in every part of the office?

- Where and how will dogs be kept if an employee needs to leave the office during the day?

- How will you deal with an aggressive dog?

- Create rules regarding cleaning up after the dogs.

If you are interested in becoming a dog-friendly workplace environment, start with a trial run. Invite your employees to bring their dogs on a certain day every week for a set period of time. See how it goes and affects your company. For more information, please contact Lowden & Associates, Inc. at 770-248-0401.