June 24th is National Take Your Pet to Work Day! Studies continue to show that there are definite benefits to having animals in the workplace. Before sending out the open invitation to all employee pets, businesses should take some time to establish a pet-friendly policy that ensures their workplace environment remains productive and that the animals continue to be welcomed.

Benefits of Pets in the Workplace

Having animals in the workplace has been noted to boost morale and increase the well-being of not only the employees, but also of the pets! For example, animals who enjoy the company of their people get lonely when left for long periods of time, and often show their unhappiness through bad behaviors such as chewing, shredding and barking. Taking them to work helps to reduce their boredom and fill their social needs!
Employee benefits to having animals in the workplace include:

• Knowing their pet has been cooped up all day creates a sense of urgency for employees to get home. Having their pet with them at work removes this stress and employees are more willing to stay longer in order to get work finished
• By creating a more relaxed environment, animals tend to boost creativity in employees
• Decreased stress means decreased number of sick days taken
• Encourages friendly employee interactions with one another and reduces the number of confrontational situations that arise.

Bringing Your Pet to Work

Before a business opens its doors to pets, certain policies need to be established. In order to keep the working environment from being disrupted, and also to keep the animal safe and other employees comfortable, the following questions will help to establish guidelines and conditions for bringing an animal in to work.

• Business considerations:
• Is the animal house broken?
• Has an area been set aside for the animal’s bathroom needs? What are the rules for cleaning up after an animal?
• If the animal is a cat or rabbit, where will the litter box be kept? Who is responsible for its cleaning? For the purchase and maintaining of supplies?
• Is the pet trained to walk on a leash?
• What is the activity level of the animal? Calm? Hyper? Does it jump on people?
• Is the animal well-behaved?
• Does the animal get along with other animals?
• Has the animal ever shown any aggressive tendencies?
• Does the animal know commands such as “no, stay, down, and come?”
• Is the animal fixed?
• Is the dog prone to barking?
• Is the animal up-to-date on vaccinations?
• Does the animal receive flea treatments?
• Is the animal appropriately licensed?
• Employee responsibilities:
• Must provide the means to safely and securely transport pet to/from workplace
• Let other employees know that an animal has been brought in to work
• For the safety of the animal, and also the safety of other employees, know that animals should not be taken into food preparation areas, the cafeteria, or in to bathrooms
• Be prepared to provide veterinary records
• Bring food, water, bowls for the pet, clean up afterwards
• Plan to take them for short walks during breaks, clean up afterwards
• Provide a place for pet to rest
• When attending meetings, provide a place where pet can stay and remain safe
• Bring a toy or a bone to keep pet from being bored.

Taking the steps to identify the expectations and the responsibilities of all involved will help to ensure that having a pet at work will be a welcoming and enriching experience!

Contact your Covetrus representative to learn more about the ways our pets fulfill our lives! Call 855.724.3461.

http://www.news.vcu.edu/article/Benefits_of_Taking_Fido_to_Work_May_Not_Be_Far_Fetched