Dog News

Man’s Best Colleague: Study Reveals Ideology on Pets in the Workplace

by Amy Drew

Life With Dogs is reader-supported. We may earn a small commission through products purchased using links on this page.
Photo: ABC/Emma Younger -----------------------------------
Photo: ABC/Emma Younger
———————————–

How many of us would find greater enjoyment in going to the office if we could bring our dogs along with? We’d bet the farm the bulk of our followers would answer with a resounding “YES!” regardless of their age, but a new Pet-Friendly Workplace PAWrometer stufy by Banfield Pet Hospital has determined that the general population isn’t far off that mark.

“The survey was developed,” per a statement on Banfield’s website, “to explore the large-scale prevalence, impact and perceptions of pets in the workplace as it relates to employees and company culture. Until this research, there have been no comprehensive studies on the perceptions of employees and HR decision makers at both pet-friendly and non-pet-friendly workplaces on the topic of pets in the office.”

The survey polled 1,006 employees and 200 human resources decision makers at U.S. companies. Seven out of 10 agreed that pets at work make a positive impact on office dynamics and workplace morale. Interestingly, while the employees surveyed had high numbers regarding the specifics of this impact, the human resources professionals’ numbers were even higher.

image (61)

Some of the fun findings?

– 86 percent of employee respondents agreed that a pet-friendly workplace would reduce their guilt about leaving their pets at home.

– 82 percent agreed they’d feel more loyalty toward their company.

– 67 percent believed there would be increased productivity.

– 75 percent agreed a pet-friendly workplace would give employees the ability to work longer hours.

What’s more: 53 percent of employees from non-pet-friendly companies say they’d be more likely to stay in their current jobs if their company allowed pets in the office.

Check out this Banfield infographic for more interesting data about what the survey revealed.