5 Proven Benefits of Bringing Your Dog To Work

It's "bring your dog to work day"!

Thousands of us want to bring our dogs to work, but many managers are still against it for a variety of reasons. Maybe they think it would be distracting, or that the dog might make a mess. Or - the saddest reason – they’re stuck in the old-fashioned way of doing things (don’t worry, these dinosaur companies lose all the best talent, anyway).

So why should companies join the thousands of others throughout Europe and allow us this perk? Let’s take a look…

Bringing a dog to work can improve physical and emotional health and make the office a more fun place to work. There is also a multitude of financial benefits for the companies, as they can offer it as a massive perk to attract dog lovers (and, let's be real, there are so many of them).

These are proven benefits of a dog-friendly office:

1. HAVING DOGS AROUND IS PROVEN TO IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH

Did you know studies have proven that petting a dog helps to reduce stress? According to psychologist Stephen Corelli of Central Michigan University, dogs help reduce stress, heart rate, and blood pressure.

They also make people who work alone feel less lonely. A dog can also help people appear more approachable, and its presence increases cooperation and other positive behaviours in workgroups.

2. INCREASED JOB SATISFACTION

Have you ever had a rubbish day and come home to see your four-legged friend saying hello, immediately cheering you up? It happens to me all the time! 

Now, imagine being able to get this boost at work! You are sitting at your desk or coming out of a dull meeting, and there they are  - wagging their tail, happy to see you! Instant happiness and goodbye to stress! Great for the morale, which improves mental health and physical health.

You may have noticed that in recent years, people are focusing on striving for a better work-life balance. There are companies which only care about the bottom line and don’t demonstrate much interest in their employees, aside from attendance and productivity. Their offices are a revolving door for new hires and, as a result, they are limited in the talent they will attract and the success they can attain.

If a company can implement something for little to no cost that can have a great effect on the health and happiness of your employees without sacrificing productivity, why wouldn’t you do it? A happy workforce is a productive workforce, so both employees and employers benefit greatly.

3. DOGS MAKE YOUR WORKPLACE MORE FUN 

Everything is more fun with a dog - it just is. If you don’t agree with that, you’re probably just a bad person. At the very least, I'd be suspicious of you, I have to admit!

Since it is proven that dogs can sense the feelings and intentions of people around them, I would think you're probably hiding something... I'm joking, of course, I know those cute little faces or enormous bear-like dogs aren’t for everyone.

Walking to work? Uneventful, boring. Walking to work with your dog? Cool! Having a brainstorming session to come up with new ideas? Usually boring. Brainstorming session playing hot tomato with a ball for the dog to chase? Fun!

Maybe your four-legged friend can even help provide inspiration during your meetings!

Dogs are usually doing something funny or cute even if they’re just sitting there watching you, sleeping, or tilting their head adorably at the noise the water filter makes. It gets people talking, laughing and smiling. If you don’t think this could benefit your workplace, then you either work in a library or an extremely boring company.

Want an easy way to get to know your colleagues better?

Lunchtimes at the office can be dull. Everyone sits at the table, eating their sandwich and discussing the weather or bemoaning the lack of sales today and repeating how they can’t wait to get home.

Bring a dog to the office, and there is a whole new world of possibilities! Gone are the mind-numbing conversations and, instead, you and your dog-friendly colleagues can head to the park together for half an hour where you can have a great time and bond over the love of your four-legged friend!

Everyone gets back to work happy and energized, boosted to keep going for the rest of the day!

That’s a clear benefit to even the most rigid of managers, right?

4. THE COMPANY IS PERCEIVED AS A FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT 

The company becomes a more attractive environment when having a dog in the office. There are several reasons why a business is seen in a more positive light when people find out its offices are pet-friendly.

To begin with, dogs in the office can increase communication among employees. As a matter of fact, they actually promote staff interaction, as dogs are usually easy topics to start a conversation with anyone.

Furthermore, the fact that a company embraces dogs in their offices can even attract new hires and constitute an important factor in the decision-making process for applicants. It demonstrates consideration on the part of management to help make the workplace an even better place for employees. This doesn’t go unnoticed, and people go where they feel valued.

Maybe you are a start-up or just simply don’t have the resources to compete with larger companies in terms of salaries? ‘A Bring Your Dog To Work’ initiative could help you attract and retain talented employees.

Another perk for dog owners is that we don’t have to pay for someone to come walk our dog and even more importantly, we don’t have to worry about our dog being lonely all day long. 

Jobseekers choose companies that offer cool perks. We naturally tend to choose interesting jobs over boring ones - for example, picking companies which offer remote work over ones that don’t, and a dog-friendly office over one that isn’t.

That is why also the food giant Nestlé says that having a dog around is AMAZING for PR and the atmosphere in the office is warmer and more sociable. Moreover, this positive image can lead to an advantageous position when retaining new clients compared to competitors. 

It's a win-win! 

5. IMPROVED TEAM COOPERATION     

Having a dog around has been proven to promote team cohesion and this has been proven time and again.

Bring Your Dog To Work Day 2023

Why am I writing about this now? Mainly because I’ve been looking for an excuse to write about this, but secondly - unless you’ve had your head stuck in the sand, you will know that June 23rd is Bring Your Dog To Work Day!

Bring Your Dog To Work Day is not just another fun holiday, like popcorn day (January 19th) or Origami Day (November 11th). It is an annual event that raises money for charities dedicated to making a difference in the welfare of dogs.

This year, all the money raised will go to 3 charities:

•  All Dogs Matter - focused on rescuing, rehabilitating, and rehoming dogs in the UK (particularly in the Greater London area).
• Animals Asia - focused on finding new homes for pets and saving dogs from the meat trade in China and Vietnam, as well as stopping the cruel practice of bear bile farming which is still, unfortunately, very popular in Asia. 
• Surge Sanctuary - focused on offering a safe haven for farm animals on a rural site which is free of killing.  

We thought this was a perfect time to spread awareness about the event and outline the benefits that can be reaped by both employees and companies by bringing a dog to the office.

Something to consider: bring your dog to work etiquette

Now, as great as the idea of bringing a dog to the office is, there are some general rules everyone needs to obey when pursuing this concept.

We mustn’t forget that not everyone loves dogs and, whatever the reason, you each must respect the other's opinion - even if you don’t agree with it. If someone is afraid of dogs and you work in a small space, then maybe this isn’t the best place for this practice.

If there is space to accommodate, then bear in mind that you, as the dog's owner, will need to make an effort to keep your dog away from the person or people who are scared of it.

The main reason to allow people to bring dogs to the office is to make work more enjoyable and productive for everyone, but if you don’t take your colleagues' opinions into consideration, then it will cause more harm than good.

It’s obvious your dog has to be house-trained, right? We don’t even need to mention that, right?

Something interesting that one of my friends often brings up is that my dog Bella is a huge German Shepherd and while she’s got a nicer personality than 99% of people and a cuter face, some people are scared when they see her.

The part my friend loves to mention (usually at a bar or when we’re on a hike) is that Bella has helped countless people overcome their fear of dogs. It’s not essential to get through life in the workplace, but it’s pretty cool.

By the way, yes, I will include a picture of her and before you light up the comments section, yes, I know she’s cuter than me.

A few ground rules  to remember when bringing your dog to work:

1. Bring a dog bed, blanket, or a cushion to act as somewhere your dog can go for quiet time/to feel safe. Remember that while the office is a familiar environment for you, that won't necessarily be the case for your dog. They will need something with their home's scent on it to feel comfortable. 
2. Make sure your dog is well-behaved and remember that you are responsible for your dog.
3. You must supervise your dog at all times. Many people will be eager to look after your pooch if you have a meeting to attend, but it must be someone responsible whom you trust.
4. Exercise – before work, at lunchtime, and after work. Your dog will be more relaxed and well-behaved if they are happy and have exercised. Boredom is the cause of so much trouble, so take this easy step to avoid problems.
5. Bring a puzzle toy like a kong or a chew toy to give your dog something to do while you’re working (just not a squeaky toy, for obvious reasons!). 
6. Clean up after your dog (hair, spilt drinking water, food crumbles, etc.). If you leave a mess, then the bring your dog to work policy won’t last long…
7. Make the most of it! Enjoy this extra time with your pooch and get to know your colleagues'!

Examples of dog-friendly companies

As we’ve already mentioned, Nestlé has a dog-friendly culture. You may be aware of several other great companies that do this, such as:

• Google
• Amazon,
• Ben & Jerry's,
• Build-A-Bear,
• Etsy,
• Hubspot,
• Mars,
• Zynga

Here’s the pic I promised, look at those big ears!