Why HR should welcome pets into the workplace

Many of our colleagues in our support office don’t come to work alone. They bring with them their canine friends who (almost always) sit by their sides while they are on calls or in meetings. They greet other colleagues or visitors during the day and at lunchtime they play with other furry friends in our pet park or meet for something to eat in our pet kitchen.

Being a pet care business, dogs have been central to our working environment since the business started in 1991. As well as a dog friendly office policy, we also offer PETternity leave where colleagues can take a day off when they get a new dog, cat or horse to help their new addition to their family settle in.

On any given day, we may have up to 80 dogs in our offices. Our colleagues really love it, and it has been one of the main reasons that they have been keen to get back to the office after the Covid lockdowns. Everyone says it makes them really happy and it creates a warm and friendly atmosphere.

In fact, our dog-friendly policy is one of our core workplace benefits that attracts and retains talent, particularly in respect to millennials. We know that it’s a policy that our colleagues would strongly value if considering other employment opportunities, at Pets at Home or elsewhere, in the future. While pets are seen by some companies as an employee-only benefit, they are ignoring that the many factors that positively affect employees also correlate with improved engagement, absenteeism and a healthy work-life balance.

Pets really help us to reduce stress at work and make everyone feel happier, while increasing productivity and job satisfaction. A study from Virginia Commonwealth University in the USA looked at the effects of pet dogs in the workplace. They compared those who brought in their own pets, with those who had dogs but left them at home and employees who didn’t have pets. Over a week, the researchers compared employees’ stress levels, job satisfaction and feelings of support and commitment to the company between the three different groups.

During the morning, there was no difference in the stress levels between the groups, but as the day progressed, stress levels decreased among the employees with their dogs at work but increased among the other two groups. Fundamentally, if you are in a position where something is stressful, seeing that wagging tail and puppy smile brightens the day and it can turn around the whole environment.

Pets can also create camaraderie within the workplace and trigger interactions that may not have happened without them. Walking or even being near a dog is an excellent icebreaker. We find that colleagues are more willing to open up and engage with each other across the business when they can begin by communicating through a colleague’s dog. Pets really do help to keep the office engaging and exciting, and this in turn creates a warm and welcoming environment for colleagues.

On top of all these benefits, pets in the workplace can also improve innovation. We know how much walking can improve creativity. Spending too much time too close to a project, problem, or other work can inhibit idea creation. Pets are a great reason to get up and moving because they will inevitably need to go outside during the day. Having a pet at work is a great way for colleagues to stay active during the day as well as improving colleague morale, productivity and focus.

There are understandably some reservations about allowing dogs into the office and it’s important that the ground rules are set out early on. We have in place a PETiquette programme that ensures pets are kept healthy and safe and to help all colleagues feel comfortable around them. Our guidelines cover:

• Providing a hygienic place for every dog to feel secure and comfortable.
• Keeping the workplace place clean and tidy.
• Ensuring that dogs are vaccinated and illness free – including the need for third party insurance.
• Maintaining regular exercise and hydration levels.
• Establishing a dinner and play time that does not interrupt others.

We have seen first-hand the benefits of being a pet-friendly workplace and are now sharing our learnings and insights through the publication of our PETiquette program to help other businesses become dog friendly. By carefully implementing these guidelines and structures we are confident that many other workplaces will be able to enjoy all the benefits that come with not just allowing, but welcoming dogs into the office environment.