The Rise Of Pet Friendly Workplaces

Posted By: Melissa Kennedy In: Business Professional

This week brings the annual "Take Your Dog to Work Day", which an increasing number of employers are participating in. What's more, many companies have been actively looking for ways to turn the traditional workplace into a pet-friendly environment.



At first, this sounded a little crazy to me. I will confess to not being much of a "dog person", and the idea of having to deal with annoying dogs and annoying co-workers seems like too much to ask. In addition, many people have pet allergies and the introduction of several large dogs in an office would send many people running for the tissues.



That being said, as I looked into it, I found out that it wasn't just a few tech companies that are making a push for including pets in the workplace. Many offices say that having dogs in the office reduces stress and makes employees more productive. When employees need a break, they can pet their dog, take them for a walk or, if they aren't pet owners, they can stop by and visit a nearby dog.

Even in fields where there is more public interaction, some companies have begun to embrace the presence of dogs. For example, there are several health care companies who routinely use service dogs and encourage patients to spend some time with animals. For these companies, having an employee bring their dog to work can be a benefit.



According to a recent poll, more than 2.3 million dogs are being brought to work every day. In addition, one in five businesses are pet-friendly. Of course, this number counts one-person offices, work-at-home pet owners and retail shops. However, even large employers like Google, Inc and Amazon are pet-friendly. In fact, if this photo is any indication, even the White House is a pet-friendly workplace.



Would you want to work for a company that allowed employees to bring their dogs to work? Why or why not?