During the pandemic’s height, many people found that their remote work situations lend themselves to parenting dogs. For some, buying or adopting a dog was unfeasible beforehand.
Now, VOA reports that as companies open back up into hybrid work schedules, many employees are bringing their four-legged friends back into the office with them.
Dogs in the Office Are Becoming a Common Sight
According to Steve Weinrauch, chief veterinarian at Seattle-based pet insurance provider Trupanion, “Our pets are becoming our families, and it makes sense they should come to work with us”. Notably, Trupanion allows well-behaved dogs to join their parents at work. Amazingly, Trupanion was doing this even before the pandemic. Now, however, having a furry friend nearby is helping people adjust back to normalcy. “It’s really important to me to be able to bring my dogs to the office,” said Diana Cross, partner support manager at Trupanion. “I love having both of them here, so I can pet them and play with them.”
Surprisingly, one of the first companies to let dogs come to work with their parents was Amazon. Over 25 years ago, the online retailer began its Dogs at Work program at its Seattle headquarters. Today, over 10,000 dogs are represented in over 140 buildings.
Dog-Friendly Offices Are Beneficial for Workers and Pets
There are immensely good reasons to bring your dogs to the office. Firstly, they will become socialized very easily. In fact, having a dog around helps humans get more socialized as well. Logan Cunningham, a recent hire at Amazon, said her Labrador Pistachio has helped her “meet a ton of new people since dogs are usually a great conversation starter”.
Aside from that, dogs are a great boon to our mental and emotional health. Even colleges and universities will bring therapy dogs on campus to help students alleviate end-of-semester stress. However, for anxious dogs, being close to their parents during the workday can be soothing.
Finally, companies that open their doors to dogs are more attractive to workers. Bridger McGaw, an executive at Athenahealth said a dog-friendly office “helps with the recruitment and retention of employees and provides a valuable benefit for employees with the care of their pets”. Hopefully, as more companies end their remote work policies, they keep in mind people’s dogs.
