The Travelers Companies recently had an article about distractions in the workplace, one of which was dogs. Here are some things they say you should consider when deciding whether to allow your employees to bring their dogs to work.
Pros: Dogs give your employees an opportunity to get up and stretch, walk around, and otherwise stay fit and take regular breaks which can help them be more productive. Dogs also encourage employees to be more social – who doesn’t stop to pet a dog and talk to the owner?
Cons: The dog can be a distraction, causing employees to take a few too many of those healthy breaks mentioned above. If your dog barks during conference calls or meetings, he or she may cause problems related to miscommunication. Non-dog people may not appreciate having furry co-workers whether due to allergies or fear of canines. There’s also the potential liability of dogs biting an employee, visitor, customer, or another dog.
If you’re considering allowing dogs in your workplace, make sure you develop a policy for when and where they are welcome. Maybe allow them on certain days of the week, and allow the non-dog lovers to telecommute that day. If you have busier or slower days / times of the year, consider how a dog will impact your business when deadlines are tight. You might think in terms of events where dogs would be more or less welcome. For instance, you might not want to have any dogs there when you are giving new clients a tour of your facility, or that might be the perfect time to allow them, depending on your business model. You might also consider dog-free zones or ways to keep dogs separate from each other if more than one employee wants to bring his or her dog on the same day.
Check back this evening for our Saturday Survey related to this topic.
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!