{"id":289,"date":"2018-01-22T09:00:30","date_gmt":"2018-01-22T09:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.travall.com\/en-gb\/?p=289"},"modified":"2020-03-04T16:14:37","modified_gmt":"2020-03-04T16:14:37","slug":"chaos-in-the-cubicles-or-a-calm-company-does-a-pets-at-work-policy-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.travall.com\/en-gb\/chaos-in-the-cubicles-or-a-calm-company-does-a-pets-at-work-policy-work\/","title":{"rendered":"Chaos in the cubicles, or a calm company: does a pets at work policy work?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">One of the newest awareness days to hit the calendar is <strong>National Take Your Pet to Work Day<\/strong>. \u00a0In 2018 this will be Friday, 22nd of June in the UK. \u00a0The prime time to start preparing for this is now, if you are thinking of participating or even starting a pets at work policy full time. A pets at work policy needs to work for your business and for its employees. So, is there likely to be chaos in the cubicles on take your dog to work day or does a pets at work policy work?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Admittedly there are working situations where it is not practical to have a dog in tow, but in certain office environments, it can be feasible. An example of this is Nestl\u00e9 Purina UK who encourage pets in the workplace through their PaW programme (pets at work policy). One of the company\u2019s aims is to encourage 200 companies across Europe to embrace a similar type of policy by 2020.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Why introduce a pets at work policy?<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">A happy, relaxed employee will be motivated at work and will stay longer with a company. High employee turnover is never a good sign in any business. \u00a0Smart employers know that losing good people costs them both in time and money. \u00a0An article by \u00a0HR Review<sup>1<\/sup>\u00a0indicated that employee turnover costs a company conservatively \u00a330,000 every time\u00a0an employee leaves. Ideas for businesses to keep staff content and engaged are varied and can include the following:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Flexible working hours<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Telecommuting opportunities<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">On-site child care<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Access to exercise facilities at lunchtime or after work<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">A pets at work policy<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Any benefits that offer employees a better work-life balance tend to be well received. Blue Cross, Pets at Home, and Dogs Trust are just a few of the UK companies that are keen to get pets involved. They believe that millennials especially (currently 18 &#8211; 34 years old) are influenced positively if there are dogs in the office. It doesn&#8217;t work for all, but for some companies,\u00a0allowing staff the flexibility of having a pet at work can reap rewards.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>What are the advantages of having a pets at work policy?<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Benefits of having dogs\u00a0at work can include some of the following:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>A happier and healthier workforce<\/strong>. Employees with pets at the desk are less likely to suffer from depression. Simply petting a\u00a0dog releases endorphins, reducing anxiety in the owner. Having a dog around also encourages more physical activity.\u00a0 With a dog at your feet, you have to get active during the day. Regular comfort breaks and walking before work, at lunchtime, and after work get you moving more.\u00a0These benefits are true for the dog owners among the staff but not for those members of staff without pets.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Dogs get to spend more time with their owners and vice versa<\/strong>.\u00a0 When you add your commute time to your working day, chances are you are away from your home for a lot longer than you may realize.\u00a0 Many pet owners who work full time\u00a0will hire dog walkers\u00a0to take the dog out for a walk during the day, but even with that special attention it is usually only for a short amount of time during the day, so your dog is likely to be lonely and miss your presence.\u00a0 If your dog is with you, he may be less stressed and you can also relax knowing that he is in your care.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Increased social interaction<\/strong>.\u00a0 Having a pet around can break the ice between co-workers. It can also help to improve communication between staff at different levels. If there are other dogs in the office, your dog may get the opportunity to socialize more with other dogs.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>How can employers start a pets at work policy?<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">If you are thinking about implementing a pets-at-work policy there are several things to consider.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Check whether there is a \u201cno pets\u201d policy in your office building.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Start with a \u201cBring Your Pet to Work Day\u201d before implementing a full pet at work policy. \u00a0This allows you to see how having animals around affects your work environment without having to commit fully from the outset.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Talk to other organizations that have a pets at work policy and find out from them what works, what hasn\u2019t worked, and why. The Nestl\u00e9 Purina UK policy may be a good place to start.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #000000;\">If you do invite pets into your workplace, be prepared to make revisions to the policy as you experience different situations during a working week or month.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>How can employees make a pets at work policy work?<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">If the company gives the idea of dogs at work the go-ahead, employees who want to bring dogs should think about the best approach to ensure that they and the company can capture all the positive benefits.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Will it be OK with all staff in the office?<\/strong> \u00a0Some people are allergic to dogs, whereas others are downright fearful, so it&#8217;s important to be respectful of all employees\u2019 needs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Make your commute enjoyable for you and your dog.<\/strong> \u00a0Install a<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.travall.co.uk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">vehicle-specific dog guard<\/a> <span style=\"color: #000000;\">in your car, so that you know your dog is comfortably positioned on the journey to and from work.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>What to do when dogs don&#8217;t get along<\/strong>. Introduce the dogs to each other slowly. \u00a0Have a plan prepared for what to do if dogs don&#8217;t get on with one another.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Consider dog temperaments and how they differ with breed and training<\/strong>. Think objectively about where your dog sits in terms of temperament and level of training.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Think about grooming<\/strong>. Make sure your dog is well groomed. A muddy pooch is not a good fit in a well-presented office environment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Health and safety for dogs<\/strong>. \u00a0Make sure that any choking hazards are out of the way of the pets, and there is no chance of them chewing on cables, plants or anything else that could be dangerous. Ensure all pet vaccinations are up to date. \u00a0If your dog is ill, don&#8217;t take him to work. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Pay attention to physical needs<\/strong>. Make sure you have bowls for water and food and some (preferably non-squeaky) toys for distraction.\u00a0 Take your dog for frequent excursions outside, so that he can relieve himself and so he doesn\u2019t get overly restless. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Don\u2019t leave your dog unattended for large periods of time<\/strong>. \u00a0Do take the structure of your work day into consideration before bringing your dog to work and don&#8217;t let your dog wander.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Does your office welcome pets?\u00a0 If so, we&#8217;d love to hear your experiences.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>References<\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li>http:\/\/www.hrreview.co.uk\/hr-news\/recruitment\/it-costs-over-30k-to-replace-a-staff-member\/50677<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One of the newest awareness days to hit the calendar is National Take Your Pet to Work Day. \u00a0In 2018 this will be Friday, 22nd of June in the UK. \u00a0The prime time to start preparing for this is now, if you are thinking of participating or even starting a pets at work policy full &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.travall.com\/en-gb\/chaos-in-the-cubicles-or-a-calm-company-does-a-pets-at-work-policy-work\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Chaos in the cubicles, or a calm company: does a pets at work policy work?<\/span>Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":294,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[47],"tags":[830,831,832],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v14.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Chaos in the cubicles or a calm company: does a pets at work policy work?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"National Take Your Pet to Work Day is in June this year. 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