With lockdown restrictions finally easing, more and more of us are returning to the office, but what about our dogs?
It’s estimated that 3.2 million homes welcomed a new pet during lockdown, most of which will have spent hardly any time home alone. In fact, a recent survey by the Kennel Club has shown that 63% of owners are worried about how their dog will cope with post lockdown life, especially when they go back to long days in the office.
Thankfully, more and more workplaces are changing their office policies to allow workers to bring their dogs in with them, as bosses realises that their workers’ priorities and lifestyles have changed since the start of the pandemic.
If you’re lucky enough to have a dog friendly office, here’s a few reasons why you should consider bringing your dog to work once it’s time to go back to the office:
- Reduce separation anxiety for your dog
- Get away from your desk and enjoy the outdoors on lunch break by taking your dog for a walk
- Allows your dog to get used to different environments, noises and people
- Reduce workplace stress – 70% of people think dogs can alleviate stress in the workplace
- No additional pet care costs
If your employers still need a little convincing to become adopt a dog friendly policy, here’s a few recent statistics you can use to convince them:
- 67% of people say that dogs make the atmosphere more friendly
- 51% of people say that dogs improve morale and job satisfaction
- 51% of people say that dogs encourage employees to take breaks from the screen
- 45% of people say that dogs make the company/org more attractive for job seekers with dogs
- 33% of people say that dogs improve productivity
- 25% of people say that dogs make the company/organisation more attractive for job seekers without a dog
Before you take your dog into the workplace, here are a few things you’ll need to consider:
- How will you and your dog travel to work? If you usually get public transport, is this something your dog is already experienced with, especially during rush hour, or will you need to practice
- Check your pet insurance as some plans don’t allow you take your dog into your workplace
- Will there be other dogs in the office and if so, how will your dog get along with them? Are they happy and confident or do they get wary about new dogs?
- Does you workload allow you to take regular small breaks to take your dog outside when they need to go to the bathroom or for a walk?
- Will your be able to settle well in an office environment or will they be disruptive to other workers?
- It’s important to be aware that some people might find it very distracting to have a dog in the office and not want to interact with them, especially if they’ve got a lot of work on.
- If you have a young dog, are the toilet trained?
- Is anyone in your office allergic to dogs?
Is your workplace dog friendly and will you be taking your fury friend with you when you return to the office? Or are you worried about how they’ll coping by themselves? Let us know by emailing PawfitPals@Pawfit.com
