Friday Funny: Is That A Dog At Your Desk?

In honor of today’s National Take Your Dog To Work Day, here’s a handy guide to welcoming pets into the workplace.

Smack dab in between Father’s Day and the Fourth of July is a lesser-known annual celebration that is gaining in popularity every year, and today is the day: Happy Take Your Dog To Work Day!

Held each year on the Friday after Father’s Day, Take Your Dog To Work Day encourages employees to bring their furry friends to work, which means pets could be roaming the halls of many organizations all over the country. Including yours!

Take Your Dog To Work Day
Mars Petcare Associate Tiffany Bednorz and her furry friend, Allie. (Photo: Mars Petcare US)

There’s good reason to have these canine companions in the office: According to the BANFIELD™ Pet Hospital’s 2017 Pet-Friendly Workplace PAWrometer™ survey, nearly 90 percent of employees at pet-friendly workplaces said having pets at work improves sense of well-being. And in today’s highly competitive employee recruiting and retention climate, the survey also found that this unique perk increases company morale, loyalty, and productivity.

Don’t know where to start when it comes to allowing pets in your workplace? Not to worry: Mars Petcare has launched a new online resource, “Pets Work at Work”, to help organizations create pet-friendly workplaces. It’s part of the company’s recently-launched initiative, BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™, which advocates for fewer pets in shelters, more pet-friendly placesincluding offices—and happier, healthier lives for both people and pets.

The comprehensive suite of tools includes tips and tricks for how to successfully welcome pets at work. Materials include:

  • A sample pet policy to help businesses and offices define what works for them.
  • Leadership and legal considerations to welcoming pets into businesses.
  • How to communicate a pet policy internally and externally.
  • Engaging signage to post within offices, including welcome posters and a pet-friendly space sign for businesses and offices to use.
Take Your Dog To Work Day
Mars Petcare Associate Tim Wingard and his pup, Sparky. (Photo: Mars Petcare US)

“We see firsthand the benefits of having pets at work with our pet-friendly office year-round,” said Casey Coke Murphy, Pet Behaviorist at Mars Petcare. “Pets lower our blood pressure, reduce social isolation, can contribute to lower stress levels, and increase communication in the workplace which can ultimately make a job more satisfying for employees.”

The goal of the BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ program is to help create more pet friendly cities in the U.S., and welcoming pets into more places is a key focus area. By making resources available for employers to download to implement pet-friendly office policies, the company shares best practices from years of welcoming pets into their corporate offices every day, combined with scientific findings around the benefits of pets in the workplace through the WALTHAM® Centre for Pet Nutrition, Mars Petcare’s research center.