Do you have a dog friendly workplace?

At Banksia Park Puppies we are lucky to be able to have some of our Banksia Park dogs following us around all day, but not every workplace is the same. Do you hate leaving your dog at home to go to the office? Most of us go to work for 5 days a week, leaving early and returning late. In today’s society, employees are away from home to the point where some people are using doggy day care for their pooches while they’re at work. We’ve all heard about Google being the best place in the world to work for humans, but where is the best place to work for dog lovers? And why would a company let you bring your dog into work?

Why would an organisation offer this?

According to research done by Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant (source: The Economist) employees work more effectively and better in groups when there is a pooch in the office. When working in groups, those who had a dog in their team just playing on the floor reported higher levels of cohesion, like, and trust in their team members, than the teams without dogs. This leads to higher employee productivity and lower amounts of workplace stress.

In addition to this, owning a pet has been shown to decrease stress levels and improve mental health. It seems there are lots of reason to have your dog at work with you!

Which organisations?

Before you go quitting your job and heading online to search for dog friendly places, it seems there are still low numbers of workplaces willing to offer this. Mother Nature Network reports that America is way in front of Australia though, with the nearly one in five workplaces allowing pets in the workplace. Here are some of the businesses offering this.

Australia: Vet Shop Australia, Cotton On, Mars Petcare, Melbourne Theatre Company

Worldwide: Google, Amazon, Proctor and Gamble’s Pet Care division, Ben and Jerry’s

Can I just bring any dog in any day?

No, you need to have registered the dog with the company first, and in most cases have pet and liability insurance. The dog of course also needs to be within a pen or area, or on a leash. There are also usually basic guidelines for interacting with other staff and which areas of the business you need to keep puppy out of: bathrooms, cafes etc.

Do you bring your dog to work with you? Do you know of any more dog-friendly workplaces? Let us know!