Bring your dog to work

Bringing your dog to work could bring about a whole load of mental wellbeing benefits to not only your furry friend, but indeed you.

Management up and down the UK are beginning to embrace the concept. On the surface this idea may seem a little out of the ordinary, however having dogs around may help strengthen your workplace culture.

The phrase, ‘a man’s best friend’ has been batted about for centuries now, but is still as relevant today as it was in 1786 when King Frederick of Prussia was thought to have first coined the phrase, speaking about his beloved Greyhound. There are many reasons why dogs have been given the status of ‘man (or women’s) best friend’ some of which stems from the overall demeanour of a dog, and qualities they possess. Dogs on the whole are resilient, loving, loyal and bursting with personality – is it so surprising that they create such a warm and fun environment?  

Bringing your dog to work has already been picked up by some of the biggest companies in the world and rolled out in their workplace, these include: Google, Amazon, Etsy and Ben & Jerry’s.

We’ve pulled together some more specifics around why and how dogs can create a harmonious and relaxed atmosphere maintaining good mental wellbeing for all…

Support

Dogs can be source of real social support, the unconditional love that you receive from your doe-eyed pal feels good really good.

No judgement

A dog doesn’t mind if you are feeling a bit off, or being grumpy, they aren’t judging you. They simply just love having you around which could really help if it’s a particularly stressful day at work.

Regular exercise

Dogs by their very nature encourage us to take regular exercise. It’s been researched that those who own dogs, or regularly walk dogs are 79% more likely to walk than those who don’t have a dog. In the workplace it’s healthy to have regular bouts of quick exercise to help with productivity, having a dog around will make this more likely to happen.

Cost saving

By bringing your pooch along to work with you, you might be saving on money that you ordinarily would have given to a dog minder.

Employment perks

Did you know that ‘Dogs At Work Policy’ is often viewed by employees as a valuable employment perk?  Recent research showed that over two fifths (43%) of employees would like to see pets allowed in the office, 39% felt that pets at work would increase their productivity, 50% believed it would increase their happiness. In addition to that, a significant proportion of workers would be prepared to stay at work for longer if pets were allowed to be there with them.

A friend magnet

Dogs are one of the best ice breakers anyone could ever ask for, you’ll find that people you may not know will start to speak with you, or perhaps to your dog. This interaction probably wouldn’t of happened without your furry four-legged trusty pal.  

Does your company allow dogs in the office? If so, we’d love to hear from you!