Workplace perks designed to suit a millennial employee are often listed as free snacks, flexible working hours and on-site amenities, but many companies miss a huge opportunity to attract millennials in creating a dog-friendly workplace.
Banfield Pet Hospital recently conducted a Pet-Friendly Workplace PAWrometer study. In it, they asked more than 1,200 employees and HR managers about the impact of having a pet-friendly workplace. In areas such as improved employee morale, greater work-life balance, improved work relationships and ability to work longer hours, respondents agreed between 75-95% of the time.
King+Company office dog, Thor, takes part in meetings throughout the day. (Credit:... [+]
With the trend of millennials marrying later and delaying having children, there are more pets in their homes to keep them company. As a result, millennials feel more secure and happier when they are able to bring their pet to work.
Laura Yip, Co-Founder and Chief People Officer of Storm 8, a mobile game network publisher workplace comprised of 75% millennials, shared the perspective of a start-up as it relates to the pet friendly perk. “We’ve allowed dogs in the office since Storm8 was founded in 2009. Being a startup back then, it wasn’t something that we had strict rules around. Our team was fairly small, very collaborative and laid-back; bringing dogs to work just became a part of our culture.”
While some companies naturally make dogs part of their work environment, others consciously have to decide that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. Some of the benefits companies tout are improved employee morale, increased collaboration among peers, more exercise for employees, greater time dedication to work, financial perks for pet owners and attracting top talent.
Employee Morale
Dogs have the ability to lift moods, improve happiness and reduce stress. All the benefits of owning a dog at home translate to one’s work when they have their companion by their side all day.
"Stress relief. My favorite thing about coming home after a long day at the office is being smothered by my dog,” shared Austin Wagner, 26 year-old Business Systems Analyst at SpareFoot, a self-storage unit search company. “It's wonderful having my best friend at the office all day.”
Employee Collaboration
Dogs are a natural conversation starter in the office. Employees are more likely to approach each other when there is a dog nearby to break the ice. Further, some companies may find that the amount of workplace gossip can decrease when dogs are introduced, as employees would rather talk about the dogs than other employees.
Coworkers can also bond over dogs, potentially helping to pet sit for their peers or help train younger dogs in the office.
Exercise For Employees
It can be so easy to get sucked into your work first thing in the morning and rarely come up for air, then realize at the end of the day that you’ve barely moved from your desk all day. Office dogs have the added benefit of forcing the owner to bring them outside and walk them.
“The added convenience of being able to take my furry friend out for their midday walk was a relief,” said Kathleen Osborne, Senior Account Executive at King+Company PR, a small boutique PR agency in Manhattan. “The best part was that he forced me to take a break and take a ten minute walk outside. Since I started my job nine months ago, I never really spent more than five minutes outside during the day unless it was jumping into a taxi for an event, meeting, or grabbing lunch next door.”
Time Flexibility
Many employees find themselves rushing out the door at the end of their shift to get home to let their dog out. For employees that have their dog at work, they can extend their hours until their work is done, rather than restricting their time.
Kerri-Lynn McAllister, Chief Marketing Officer at Ratehub.ca, a Canadian financial comparison platform, shared her philosophy on time flexibility. “At a startup, we tend to work long hours and we want to support our employees as much as possible. If that means allowing dogs to come to work, we want to be able to make sure our employees are happy and that we provide an environment where they can be the most productive.”
As the heart of the RateHub.ca team, Kingston plays a key role in supporting and uplifting staff on... [+]
Financial Benefit For Employees
When you consider the cost of paying for benefits for each employee of a corporation, the total adds up fast. Offering the benefit of having their dog in the office saves employees money on dog daycare or dog walking services daily. It’s a major benefit for the employee that costs little for the company to provide.
Attract Top Talent
Millennials have been known to choose dog friendly companies over their competition when most other considerations are equal. This perk weighs heavy for the young adults whose dogs are treated much like children.
“For me, it easily outweighs all the free snacks and perks,” said Marcus LaRobardiere, 27 year-old Marketing Communications Manager at Bouncepad, a tablet case manufacturing company for businesses. “A lot of companies push the same company culture and employee perks messages as part of their recruiting process, but that’s not always a true differentiator. Being dog friendly gives businesses a chance to reach millennial dog owners, and in turn you get more productive and engaged employees.”
Of course there are potential drawbacks to having furry friends running around the office, such as accidents on the floor and scuffles with other dogs. Additionally there may be some noise problems with calls and meetings with clients. These can all be managed with well-trained dogs and aware employees. Perhaps the most important drawback is that dog friendly companies could miss out on top talent that does not like dogs or has allergies. Most dog friendly employers typically report that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.
