Dogs in the office

There are as many as nine dogs in the Kolbeco marketing company’s office in O’Fallon, Missouri.

While office dogs can’t do graphic design, create websites, or make coffee, company founder Lauren Kolbe says dogs play a very important role in the office. They bring employees a sense of belonging to the team, relieve stress and help to establish contact with customers.

Growing trend

More and more companies are allowing and even encouraging dogs in the workplace. Moreover, according to a study conducted in 2015

The Society for Human Resource Management found that about eight percent of American businesses are willing to accept animals in their office. That figure has risen from five percent in just two years, according to CNBC.

“It works? Yes. Does it cause any difficulties in operation from time to time? Yes. But we also know that the presence of these dogs here changes both our lives and the lives of pets,” says Lauren, whose own dog Tuxedo, a Labrador and Border Collie mix, escorts her to the office every day.

It’s good for your health!

The study confirms Lauren’s idea that the presence of dogs significantly improves performance in the workplace. For example, a study conducted by Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) found that employees who bring their pets to work experience less stress, are more satisfied with their work, and perceive their employer more positively.

Other unexpected benefits were noted in the office, which allowed to bring puppies. Dogs act as a catalyst for communication and brainstorming that is simply not possible in offices without furry employees, Randolph Barker, lead author of the VCU study, said in an interview with Inc. Barker also noted that employees in pet-friendly offices seemed friendlier than employees in offices without dogs.

At Kolbeco, dogs are so important to the work culture that employees have even given them official positions as members of the “Council of Dog Breeders”. All “council members” were drawn from local rescue organizations and animal shelters. As part of the community service of the Shelter Dog Relief Officers, the office holds an annual fundraiser for the local shelter. Lunch breaks often include dog walks, Lauren notes.

The main thing is responsibility

Of course, the presence of animals in the office entails a certain set of problems, Lauren adds. She recalled a recent incident when dogs in the office started barking while she was talking to a client on the phone. She was unable to calm the dogs down and had to quickly wrap up the conversation. “Fortunately, we have amazing clients who understand that we have a lot of four-legged team members in our office every day,” she says.

Here are some tips from Lauren to keep in mind if you decide to have dogs in your office:

• Ask pet owners how best to treat their dog, and set the rules: don’t feed scraps from the table and don’t scold dogs that jump and bark.
• Understand that all dogs are different and some may not be suitable for an office setting.
• Be considerate of others. If a colleague or client is nervous around dogs, keep the animals in a fence or on a leash.
• Be aware of your dog’s shortcomings. Does she bark at the postman? Chewing shoes? Try to prevent problems by teaching her to behave properly.
• Find out from employees what they think about the idea of ​​bringing dogs into the office before implementing the idea. If at least one of your employees has a severe allergy, you probably shouldn’t do it, or you can set up areas that dogs can’t enter to reduce the amount of allergens.

Also, develop sound policies, such as a schedule for timely vaccinations and flea and tick treatments, to ensure that pets successfully integrate into the community. Of course, a dog is better at bringing a ball than coffee, but that doesn’t mean that his presence can’t be just as valuable to your workplace.

Part of the culture

Having started making pet food as a main source of income, Hill’s is strongly committed to bringing dogs into the office. This is coded into our philosophy and dogs can come to the office any day of the week. Not only do they help us reduce our stress levels, but they also provide us with much-needed inspiration for our work. Because many of the people who work at Hill’s own a dog or cat, it’s important to us that we create the very best food for our furry friends. The presence of these charming “colleagues” in the office is a great reminder of why we are dedicated to creating the best food for your pets. If you’re considering adopting a culture that allows dogs in the office, you can use our example, it’s worth it – just make sure you have enough paper towels for all sorts of annoying incidents!

About the author: Cara Murphy

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Cara Murphy is a freelance journalist from Erie, Pennsylvania who works from home for the goldendoodle at her feet.