Strap in, bitches, cause we’re about to get into a story that covers two hugely emotional issues for me: my love of dogs, and my loathing of working in an office. More companies are allowing dogs in the office. Be it a small start-up, or big players like Google and Ben & Jerry’s, companies are opening their cubicles to canines, in part as a way to tilt the scales towards in-office work days for hybrid schedules. JLL has some reporting on the benefits of bring-your-doggo-to-work days, factors to consider, and tips for making the system work:
A lure back to the office: Household names like Salesforce, Uber, Ben & Jerry’s and Google (Alphabet) are welcoming pets — mainly dogs — into their offices. The flexibility is one of the perks more companies are using among hybrid work models and efforts to get people back in the workplace. On average, JLL estimates employees now spend 3.1 days of the week in the office. … “More companies are opening their doors to dogs, and that’s coming at a time of serious discussion about the workplace, its appeal to hybrid employees and occupancy levels,” says Emma Hendry, People Experience Managing Director for JLL Consulting. “Being dog-friendly offers companies a big opportunity to engage employees and potentially boost that days-per-week average,” says Hendry.
Dogs reduce stress levels! There are practical benefits for dog owners, like not having to check the dog camera to see if things are ok back home, or pay a dog sitter. But it’s not just about convenience for dog-owners themselves. There are wellbeing benefits. A study by the Harvard Business Review, University College London and the National University of Singapore found that pets contribute to a more pleasant and social work environment. “A dog under a desk may go unnoticed, but equally it can spark new conversation between colleagues and greater interaction. It’s a great icebreaker,” says Hendry. “Stress levels have been proven to lower.”
Considering all factors: Many large employers have blanket no-dog policies, often due to feasibility, given the scale of their workforce and size of their workplace. “There’s of course a valid point that for some: it could affect focus and concentration,” says Hendry. “Impact on colleagues who aren’t dog lovers, or who may even be allergic, should also be considered.”
Dogs & offices of all sizes: In Seattle, around 10,000 dogs are registered to come to the office at a major e-commerce firm, which also offers dog-friendly features such as paw wash stations. Tech giant Google has also long been a “dog company,” putting its policies into its code of conduct well before the pandemic ushered in a new wave of dog owners. But Hendry says smaller companies may find it easier to welcome dogs into the workplace. “At start-ups, it’s often the founder who has a dog, which then becomes a de facto office mascot,” she says. “There’s a nimbleness to smaller firms and that may mean less formal structure is needed.”
Do it right: “Many companies already use trial days to assess behavior in advance of giving employees permission to bring their dog to work,” Hendry says. “I’ve even heard of a three-strikes and you’re out rule, while one major European corporate uses a professional dog trainer to initially assess dogs’ behavior before giving the green light office attendance.” Workplace booking systems, where companies can avoid an overcrowded office on, typically, a Wednesday, are already in place. “Factoring dogs into such booking systems could be an option if companies need to avoid their workplaces becoming pooch heavy,” Hendry says.
Returning readers will know that I am truly, madly, deeply gone on dogs, and have been in a committed 10-year relationship with my rescue chihuahua-dachshund mix, My Girl. That being said, the legal brain in me recognizes the potential for problems. Though I will never fathom how/why, there are those who are not dog people. And they have rights too. I guess. Overall I foresee lawsuits and/or settlements in the future, but in my heart I am all for this! I have long thought that My Girl would be a much-needed addition to our office. And I’m not the only one; many colleagues have requested her presence. I imagine her walking files back and forth to people as needed. It would be so good.
Sadly, my official day job title is assistant to a boss who, like Martha Stewart, is on a mission to destroy hybrid work. It’s for us, he says! Because everyone works better in the office, he says (despite research proving otherwise). And why must I be there full time? To get his coffee, answer the phone, operate the scanner, and hand him a folder every now and then (on top of my other projects). He actually said to me with a straight face that the terrible problem with work-from-home was that he got used to doing things on his own. He can’t let go of this old school vision of the workplace, and that certainly doesn’t include allowing our dogs to come. And so I plot my escape, with Google or Ben & Jerry’s now at the top of the list. Thank you for listening to my lament.
Photos credit: Samuel Regan Asante, Petr Magera and Clay Banks on Unsplash, Lum3n, Apunto Group Agencia and Atul Mohan on Pexels
My late father was a lawyer with his own firm, and he got a dog and started taking her to work with him every day. She was pretty well behaved, though, and luckily no one in the office was allergic.
One of his favorite stories was the time she came into the conference room, where Dad was mid-deposition, carrying her empty water bowl, and dropped it at Dad’s feet. Yes, there was a break so he could refill her water!
This is why I work from home.
I like dogs, unfortunately I am allergic to most breeds. I love cats but deathly allergic to all breeds – even the cool naked kitties. I do however have 2 rabbits (mini rexs are hypoallergenic and therefore compatible with my suspect respiratory issues) but I would never ever bring them to work. Just like I wouldn’t bring my daughter to work.
I see the pros and cons of this. Some people are genuinely afraid of dogs, some people are allergic. And they have a right to not work in a space with dogs. I mean I’m a cat person and if I brought a cat into the office some folks would love it and others would feel some kind of way about it. I know it can help morale in some ways but it can also harm morale
Sorry in advance, I feel strongly about workplaces.
I don’t want your dog in the office. I don’t want your kid in the office. I don’t want to hear your humblebrags about your awesome family/home/life/vacation. I don’t want to pretend that work is just a fun, sociable thing we do every day – it’s work, that’s why we have to be paid to do it.
All of these things are distractions from what I’m being paid to do; and by the way if you’re not doing your job (because you’re petting your dog or showing off your vacay photos) you’d better not be holding up me getting my work done. If I’m going to have to bathe and show up somewhere, I want that time to be productive, I want to work hard and get my work done and go home.
I also don’t want to “network” or go to after-hours gatherings that are actually unpaid work events disguised as something fun for me.
I respect my coworkers tremendously, but we very likely have nothing in common socially, so let’s just concentrate on the job at hand, shall we?
This, completely.
I had my dog in my office for years and never again. I recently had to have our rescue kitten in the office for a couple of weeks because he was way to small to be on his own at all, ok, but it was maddening and nothing got done. Even if he was sleeping, people would stop in and have to look and talk. Not going to happen again. He is now with my hubby, and that is working fine at his workplace.
Back at the beginning of my office career, my boss had 2 small dogs that came in to the office and when you arrived, you had to check under your desk to be sure there wasn’t dog sh*t there. If there was, she would just laugh and walk away. No thanks, I like the peace and quite of no animals (or kids) in the office space.
Ya I agree. I once worked in an office where the boss was really pushing for people to bring dogs to the office and I drew a red line: first because I’m allergic, but also, like you said, don’t bring your kids, don’t bring your dogs. This is a place of work, and yes we can socialise and get along, but enough of this already. We are not a family
My only experience with dogs at the work place was when I worked with a small clothing design company that shared office space with 3 other design start-ups. We had separate offices, but also communal spaces. All 4 companies had dogs – at one point, there were 8 big dogs roaming around all day. You couldn’t take two steps without landing in a dog bowl or water dish and the kitchen sink was encrusted in dog food. Our founder had a big galumphing puppy named Niles, who wasn’t trained in any way. He would chew things, pee everywhere and our meetings were all non-stop “No, NIles, stop it Niles, bad dog, Niles.” It was really hard to get anything done.
I´m a legal counsel in a team with 2 other legals, we have a hybrid work situation with the CEO aiming for a 50/50 work situation. One of us got a dog, Lila, some 18 months ago, my colleague took two weeks of what we internally dubbed parental leave to help Lila settle in. Pretty much everyone at HQ has accepted that Lila is the CHO, Chief Happiness Officer, coincidentally making her the only female C-level. Attendance rate has certainly gone up for the days our CHO graces the office, my own included. HR stipulated that my colleague should check beforehand with everyone using HQ if Lila being around would be okay. New joiners are introduced to Lila by their colleagues and my co-worker times her in-person attendance around those who have issues around dogs to ensure everyone is happy.
The problem with coordinating times for allergic persons is that even if the dog is not there that day, their dander and hair most likely is. They would need to thoroughly clean the office (carpeting, desks, furniture, etc.) as well as have a substantial electronic air cleaner going to make an office safe for someone with an allergy.
Mixed feelings. I like dogs, but … Some dog owners are really cool; others are annoying. Some dogs are scary; others are cute and fun. I hope the dogs don’t come to meetings. I don’t like breathing dog-perfumed air in a closed space. And it’s awful for people with allergies. I worry that in a big company, there would be lots and lots of dogs, not the one or two described above.
Yes, all dogs smell. I’m sorry, but it’s true, and for dog owners who think they don’t- I’m afraid you’re just nose blind. We don’t need the smell nor the allergens at work. There are also just a lot of poorly trained, reactive dogs now. Someone’s Luna or Bella growling and resource-guarding the office kitchen area sounds like a nightmare.
I like all animals, but I am allergic to dogs, especially the big hairy ones. I am retired, but I would NOT like dogs in an office, especially if they were running around “visiting” people, which usually involves licking legs, feet, or hands of other employees. Plus, dog danger floats around in the air everywhere. Even if your dog stays under your desk, it is going to get to me.
I also get very upset at people bringing their dogs into supermarkets, putting them in the baskets of the carts the rest of us are supposed to put our food in. I have complained to stores, and they say it is against the rules, but they don’t enforce it because they don’t want to make customers angry!!
I used to sit next to a man who was allergic to fragrances, and I was happy to use a non-fragrant hand and body cream because this bothered him. I think assuming everyone else wants to be around your pet is really irritating.
I love dogs and I wish I could get one, but I’m allergic to everything with fur. Fortunately I work in surgery so I don’t have to worry about dogs at my job, but it’s a problem on every other flight I take too. I carry benadryl with me now in a little pill case, but what are people with allergies supposed to do surrounded by furry pets at work? Go outside all day??
I worked in management at a company in an office that historically allowed dogs, but then transitioned into a large space where the landlord did not allow them.
It’s a nice idea in theory but I can tell you that it definitely resulted in a loss of productivity because we would have like 8 dogs in a single open-concept room, and people would play with them all day
And then when we transitioned to the new office, one employee apparently explicitly bought her puppy because she assumed she could bring her indefinitely, and tried EVERYTHING, including claiming her puppy was an “emotional support dog” (even though it lacked appropriate credentials) to keep bringing her dog in. It caused a lot of bitterness with employees who felt it was their right to bring their dogs in.
Anyways, I love dogs but based on my experience, I just think there are too many cons to having them in the office.
Anyone who reads “ask a manager “ knows why this is a terrible idea.
Not even owner is careful. Not every owner trained properly. Not every owner respects other’s boundaries. Not every owner bathes & attends their dog’s personal hygiene. Not every owner will know when to play, when to work, when to call their dog back.
Then allergies, real fear of dogs.
My office used to allow dogs and we loved it, just loved having the furry cuties around. But I’ll admit, productivity did drop – how could we concentrate when we just wanted to play with dogs? It was a happy time but I understood why eventually the top dogs said “no more dogs at work.”
It’s all cute and fuzzy till someone gets attacked. My view on this kind of thing has radically changed since my son got viciously attacked as a 2 year old by an unleashed dog in a park (NOT a dog park).
I don’t really get it. I have a cat and I leave him at home when I go to work. He certainly doesn’t belong in an white-collar office for twelve hours every day, while I work with my colleagues in a professional setting. Why do people bring dogs to work on a regular basis now? Do younger people understand that this wasn’t always accepted or expected? What about people with allergies or co-workers who don’t want to be bothered with animals during the day? I’m not hating on dogs or whatever, I just truly find it odd and strange that this is where we landed as a society. Even during the summer and holiday breaks, people very rarely bring their children into the office for full days, so why did we decide that dogs are a good idea?
I loooove my rescue pup (3-years old now). Even if I could bring him to work with me, I wouldn’t. In no way would I impose him on my colleagues – they might be allergic to, afraid of or simply not like dogs. And worried about speaking up. Also factor in lower work productivity. We just need to be considerate of other people.
As I type this, I just put my two boisterous Labrador retrievers outside because they are ridiculously distracting. I do have a job where I can finish charting at home and honestly, sometimes I just go to the branch office to finish the work I could theoretically do at home. I need peace and quiet. I have no idea how people get anything work related done with children or pets around. I have a co-worker who works strictly from home and she has a one-year old I thought was going to daycare, but can hear in the background during zoom calls and cannot believe she is as productive as she claims to be. Shrug.
I love dogs, but I’m also HR so I vetoed this at my last company. Besides the allergies and people with dog fear (I had one employee who had been severely injured as a child and couldn’t be in a room with even a small dog), there is the workers comp insurance to consider. Animals aren’t covered under a standard policy, so who is paying for dog bites or if an employee trips over a dog?
I love dogs. I don’t own one myself but love my friend’s dogs. I’ve worked in offices with dogs before. It depends on the dog owner honestly. Some are amazing, some need to be trained along with their dogs. I remember working in an office with a dog – a huge poodle mix. Cute as hell but smelled. Like, the co-worker bathed him but still smelled. Like it got on your clothes – not cool. On the other side of this, I grew up with a mother that was deathly afraid of dogs much to my young chagrin, and I have plenty of friends that have serious allergies. While I love making accommodations for dog owners, a person’s love of animals doesn’t trump other people’s valid issues with it.
A hard no to dogs in the office. Work is not an extension of people’s homes.