Is it possible to bring a pet to the office to work — the pros and cons

"Who feeds a hungry animal feeds his own soul." 

(Charlie Chaplin)

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Pets have nowhere prescribed responsibilities — to pump up their owners with emotions and load them with physical activity — to bring happiness to people's lives. 

If you are a business owner, then surely your employees bring their young children to work from time to time, and whose children have already grown up — their pets. Bringing contact animals to work has become a popular policy in Western companies. Quite a few companies are already introducing the practice of friendly attitude to animals in Ukraine. But since this phenomenon is still debatable, we (Animal Park) turned to our employee — an expert behaviorist — Mikhail for advice. The question is — should employees be allowed to take pets with them to work?

Short answers:

1. Pro — pets help relieve stress.
2. Cons — the presence of animals distracts employees from work.
3. For — pets at work save employees time and money.
4. Against — animals at work — discrimination against those who do not like animals.
5. For — office animals are a privilege for employees.
6. Cons — disorder and pets are synonymous.

Extended Answers

Plus: animals help relieve stress.

Stroking an animal has been shown to reduce stress. Thanks to this ability, animals serve as a stimulating factor that contributes to the productive work of employees. If your office is experiencing stressful situations, such as a large (or too few) client base, consider bringing your pet to work and letting company staff do the same. You will be amazed at how the presence of pets improves the mood of the employees. And customers!

Cons: the presence of animals distracts employees from work.

The presence of tireless lumps of enthusiasm and curiosity at work can be a distraction for employees from their job duties. For example, in order to calm down, collect papers in a folder, feed and take them out in the toilet.

Plus: pets at work save employees time and money.

Another major benefit that employees can bring their pets to work is that it saves time and money. If employees can bring their pet to the office, they don't have to pay a nanny to care for the pet or run home to check on it during the day. Employees will appreciate the opportunity to save money, which, in turn, will allow them at work to not worry about what their pets are doing at home.

Cons: animals at work discriminate against those who don't like animals.

Some people don't like animals. The reasons can be different — a difficult childhood, zoophobia or allergies. Before implementing an animal-friendly policy in a company, you should discuss the innovation with your employees. If anyone has an objection, figure out how to resolve it.

Plus: office animals are a privilege for employees.

Employees want to work for companies where employees have advantages. If your company does not provide benefits to employees, they will look for alternative job opportunities. You will succeed to avoid staff turnover by allowing employees to bring their pets to the office.

According to a recent study, 83 percent of employees say they feel more loyal to the company they adhere to pet friendly policies. The ability to take care of their pet during the working hours is an advantage for which employees value the companies they work for.

If you decide to allow your employees to take pets to work, encourage them to share it on social media. When you want to hire additional employees, jobseekers will be more interested in your proposed position if they have the advantage of bringing their four-legged pet with them to work.

Cons: clutter and pets are synonyms

Keeping your company hygienic can be critical. Adding animals to the equation for cleanliness and order in your office can increase the cost of maintaining and tidying up your office space.

You can work in an industry that has rules to follow, but having pets can break those rules. For example, you cannot bring pets with you to work at the petting zoo. This is due to the mandatory quarantine rules for animals.

This is an incomplete list of pros and cons for bringing pets to work. From your own experience, you may have your own arguments — share them in the comments to this post!