Allowing employees to bring their dogs to work could have a paw-sitive influence on morale, recruitment and retention, according to a new survey by Wellness Natural Pet Food.
Among the American pet owners surveyed, 65 per cent said they feel having pets at work would benefit company culture and 75 per cent said they’d help defuse a tense situation at the office. As well, 59 per cent said bringing pets to work could help them get to know their colleagues.
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“Studies have shown how pets can have a positive impact on our own health and well-being — from lowering resting blood pressure to reducing stress — but now people are thinking about how those benefits translate to the work environment,” said Daniel Bernal, a staff veterinarian at Wellness Natural Pet Food, in a press release.
When evaluating a job offer, nearly half of dog owners said they consider pet perks important and one in five millennial pet owners said being able to bring their dog to work is important.
The survey also reported the U.S.’s most pet-friendly companies are Amazon.com, Harpoon Brewery, Trupanion, Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Holdings Inc., Contently Inc., Procore Technologies, Ticketmaster Entertainment Inc., PetSafe, TripAdvisor Inc. and Purely Elizabeth.
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Amazon offers multiple dog parks, including a “doggie deck,” at its Seattle campus. Harpoon, a Boston-based brewery, hosts a “Dogtoberfest” event in October for pet owners in the city to enjoy an afternoon of beer tasting with their pets in tow. Trupanion, a pet medical insurance provider, has in-house dog walkers, a pet program manager and a pet emergency team, and offers a pet bereavement benefit of three days’ paid leave.
“With more companies realizing that pets can improve the working experience, more are going above and beyond to cater to our new furry officemates, and make sure they are happy and healthy from nine to five,” said Bernal.