Benefits of bringing your pet to work

In recent years, more and more private companies, nursing homes, schools and prisons have been allowing animals on their premises, as it has been proven that pets at work help to reduce anxiety and increase workers’ levels of well-being.

 

Pet-friendly offices

Pet owners are well aware of how important pets can be in their lives. Obviously the relationship will depend on the type of pet (dogs, cats, fish, birds, rodents…) but, in general terms, the benefits that pets bring to our lives are many: they improve our mental health, help us to combat loneliness, regulate our mood…

As we said, these benefits are not new to anyone, but what has been discovered in recent years is a positive relationship between the presence of our pets at work and the well-being of employees.

According to the study “Taking Dogs into the Office” by the University of Lincoln (Lincoln, Great Britain), people who come to work with their pets are 22% more satisfied with their work situation.

Perhaps because of data like this, more and more companies around the world are including programmes that allow their employees to bring their pets to work.

In Spain, for example, many companies in different sectors already allow pets. It is worth noting that most of these companies are advertising and marketing agencies:

 

• WDi (Madrid)
• Google Campus (Madrid)
• Utopucis (Madrid)
• The Cocktail (Madrid)
• Distrito Agencia (Madrid)
• Rastreator (Madrid)
• The Blitz (Barcelona)
• Affinity (Barcerlona)
• LOLA MullenLowe (Barcelona y Madrid)

 

Benefits of bringing our pets to work

Interacting with our pets at work has multiple benefits. As we have already mentioned, numerous studies have been carried out on this subject (and all agree on the benefits of this initiative):

• Reduces stress: helps to reduce employees’ stress and anxiety levels. This decrease is much higher for owners who bring their pet to work, although other workers also benefit.
• Improves the working environment: having pets in the office helps to improve the working environment and encourage collaboration between colleagues, strengthening relationships and facilitating communication. The presence of our pets at work increases cooperation, encourages conversations and facilitates communication between people.
• Increases productivity: the company of our pet makes our brain work better, thus improving our satisfaction and improving our productivity.
• More creativity: having our furry companion by our side helps us to take short breaks to pay attention to them. This helps us to refresh our minds, making us perform better and giving us new ideas. In addition, it also invites other employees to get out of their routine.
• More joy: Pets are able to transmit their way of being and their energy to brighten up our office day. The atmosphere is much more relaxed.
• Less worries: bringing our pet to the office means we don’t have to worry about what they are doing at home (is it missing something? Is it destroying my precious sofa?…).
• It contributes to savings: in addition to the benefits for our health and our emotions, bringing our pet to the office has benefits for our pocket, as we will not have to spend money on hiring dog walkers or childcare services.
• Benefits for our pet: we cannot ignore the innumerable benefits that accompanying us has for our pet. Our furry friends will be able to enjoy our company, which will strengthen their bond with us and they will be much happier not feeling alone.

 

Tips for bringing pets to work:

If you are lucky enough to be able to bring your pet to work, here are some tips that you may find useful. We must not forget that we are not alone in the office and we have to take into account a series of points and aspects to ensure that the experience of taking the dog to work is a pleasant one for everyone.

Here are our tips!

• Get the necessary authorisation to bring your pet to work and give prior notice of your decision.
• It will be necessary for our dog to have his vaccinations up to date in order to avoid contracting diseases.
• We should try to make sure that our furry friend does all his business before arriving at the office.
• Bring water, food, treats and a favourite toy. This ensures that you have what you need for a good day out.
• Keep an eye on your pet and don’t leave it alone.
• If your pet is not friendly you should consider whether it is really best to bring it to your workplace, perhaps not at all, to avoid inconvenience.

Take Your Dog to Work Day Today

Every 21st June is celebrated as “World Take Your Dog to Work Day”.

This day has been supported by the International Pet Sitters Organisation, with the aim of raising awareness among companies to allow workers to bring their dogs to the office that day, taking advantage of all the benefits mentioned above: improving productivity and creativity, reducing stress, fostering communications and relations between workers…

In addition, this day aims to promote and encourage adoptions of homeless dogs. This is a day to raise awareness of the huge number of dogs that are abandoned every year and are waiting for a family.

There is really no specific way to celebrate this day, it is simply a matter of having your dog accompany you to your workplace and enjoying each other’s company.

At MAIKAI Pets we think it’s a great initiative to allow workers to bring their pets to work… If it’s done responsibly, it’s all advantages!