Companies allow dogs to be brought to the office

About 1.4 million owners bring about 2.3 million dogs to the office every day in the United States. According to a survey by the American Pet Products Association last year. The last time the group did its survey, one in five companies were receptive to the idea of ​​having dogs on their side. That number probably held steady if you include one-person businesses, pet owners with home offices and retail stores. Explained Len Kain, co-founder and editor of the Dog Friendly site. Which lists dog-friendly businesses in each state. Some of the largest corporations in the United States accept the company of their employees’ pets. Like Google and Amazon. One of the main reasons employers mention is that they want to keep their workers happy. “Often engineering and software companies are the kind of pet-friendly ones,” Kain said. “These companies face problems finding employees with the skills they need and they don’t want to lose these workers,” he added.

From test to practice

Extrovertic, a healthcare-focused advertising agency, has offices in New York and Cambridge, Massachusetts, with a total of 40 employees. He took the test a year ago, during the last Take Your Dog to Work Day celebration. The event, which this year falls on June 22, is promoted by the organization Pet Sitters International, with offices in North Carolina, which promotes the adoption of pets. The experiment was so successful that the company decided to permanently open its offices to dogs. Account Director Jared Shechtman’s 5-year-old rescue beagle, Sally, was chosen to appear on the Take Your Dog to Work Day poster. “We are a small agency. We want to be different. We want our employees’ quality of life to be better than what they would get in a larger agency. Having dogs in the office is another way of saying, ‘We are different and we care about you.’” Agency CEO Dorothy Wetzel said. At Authentic Entertainment, between 15 and 20 of its 120 employees or freelancers bring their dogs to work. said co-founder and executive producer Lauren Lexton. When they founded the company 11 years ago, Lexton and Tom Rogan decided to let their employees bring their dogs because “it always felt good,” he recalled. “Dogs are an element that makes daily work smoother. There is something that, having them around, makes people happy,” he added. Likewise, he explained that he has a good team and wants to keep it forever. He said that if a person has a dog that is already used to accompanying them to work, they are less likely to accept a better job offer, if it were to occur. Having the company of animals also fosters camaraderie, McCormack highlighted. “Dogs automatically break down barriers. They are automatic conversation starters and break the ice,” he added.

Exceptions

Not all businesses can afford to allow dogs, Kain clarified. Who created Dog Friendly with his wife Tara 15 years ago in Anchor Point, Alaska. There may be businesses established in buildings where dogs are prohibited. There may also be local ordinances that prevent pets from being allowed in businesses such as grocery stores, restaurants, beauty salons (in some states), and medical offices. The issue of insurance can be another barrier. For those businesses that don’t have problems, allowing pets can be a way to have fewer employees. But they can work more hours. “By allowing dogs at work, an employee doesn’t have to leave to care for their pet,” Kain said.