During the pandemic many of us had a four-legged companion to sit alongside us whilst we worked from home. But can this be replicated in a workplace environment? We look at the 5 benefits of making a dog-friendly office.
Now there’s nothing quite like a day in the office when your commute was delay-free, you have time to grab a coffee from your favourite spot and you nab the comfiest office chair because you’re on time (for once). Wondering what more could you want from a morning in the office? The answer is a dog!
It’s not just the owner that gets to benefit from having a four-legged friend around, a dog-friendly attitude in the workplace can benefit your whole team. Here are 5 reasons why!
Here at Impact, we’re lucky to be dog friendly, and our team love it. Pets make us happy, and we seem to make them happy too. Allowing pets into the workspace can increase a healthy work environment. It can bring teams together by talking to other employees you might not usually work alongside or cheering you up if you’ve had a bad day in the office!
It’s proven that pets can reduce stress and increase oxytocin levels when we interact with them. This benefit means that employees can stay calm and relaxed in a busy work environment and become more capable of reaching those pesky deadlines.
Having a dog in a workplace helps to increase staff morale and wellbeing. Not only this but they can often help defuse disagreements and improve collaboration and work relationships through the need for lots of ‘good boy’ belly rubs. Studies show that employers that take on a dog-friendly working environment have happy and long-standing employees.
Once upon a time dog-friendly offices were just a rare work perk, now it’s become an essential part of the criteria for job hunters. Not only this but utilising this perk and sharing pictures of the office pup on your social media will show that your company demonstrates a positive work environment and inviting office culture. A key factor for job seekers!
Now, this point may seem a little far-fetched (no pun intended), but studies have shown that taking short breaks throughout the day, especially with a computer-facing job, can help employees regain focus, boost energy and combat that well-known mid-afternoon slump! May this be with a walk in the park during lunch, a quick belly rub or company whilst making an afternoon cuppa in the office kitchen.
Now we know this isn’t for everyone, and there may be some obstacles in the way. So be sure to read our office hosts WeWork’s tips for owners to make sure their pup is the pawfect addition.