Dogs and mail carriers haven't always been archenemies, it
seems. Back in 1888 one homeless mutt named Owney actually
accompanied the postal workers on their routes in Albany, New
York, in gratitude for taking him in and nursing him back to
health when he'd fallen on hard times. With nine years of
service under his collar, toting up more than 140,000 miles in
Albany and later across the country as the U.S. Postal Service
mascot, Owney is a pioneer and role model for pets in the
workplace.
Unfortunately, Owney wasn't much of a trendsetter since
American pets didn't see their first official Bring Your Dog
to Work day until June 25, 1999. Pets longing to join their
humans at offices and job sites have the Pet Sitters of
America and the ASPCA to thank for promoting their cause, but
the real beneficiaries of the campaign may be the workers and
the businesses that open their doors to animal companions.
In fact, with the shortage of good skilled technical and
computer-savvy workers, a growing number of high-tech
companies are offering pets in the workplace as an employee
benefit. Some are even providing veterinary health care
coverage to pet-owning employees as an incentive to attract
and retain top talent. Studies show that the policy pays off
not only in lower worker turnover rates but also with happier,
more productive employees. The average worker in a
pet-friendly company also, according to a recent study, makes
an average base salary of $7500 more than employees in
businesses that don't allow pets.
Another benefit may well be lower health care costs and less
worktime lost in sick days. For the employees, having pets at
work has been found to reduce stress - particularly important
for high-tech professionals. They can also improve their
health by getting out of the office to walk their dogs during
the day. It's also been found that pets act as a great "social
lubricant," facilitating employee interaction and breaking
down awkward social barriers.
Of course, the social benefit of animals in work situations
has been well known for many years. Sigmund Freud's faithful
chow chow used to sit in on analytical sessions, putting
nervous patients at ease and sometimes alerting Freud to those
subtle psychological points his less sensitive observational
skills may have missed. Today, we're well aware of the wonders
therapy pets can perform with seriously ill children, nursing
home residents, autistic patients, emotionally disturbed or
traumatized individuals and people with physical disabilities.
In an article by Julie Marshall on the second annual Bring
Your Dog to Work Day (on June 23), paralegal Janet McLachlan
claims it was the presence of a 12-year-old pit bull named
Sophie that made her decide to take a job at the firm of
Withers, Seidman & Rice. In fact, the animals - all rescued
from abandonment and abuse - outnumber the human employees in
the small law office, and they make life less stressful not
only for the workers but also for the clients. One client,
Bill Alexander, who says he's not an animal lover, also finds
that the office animals "have a calming effect" on him
when he
goes in to sign papers, making him feel "a helluva lot better
than when I came in."
Well, nothing in life is perfect, and as you might suspect
the
utopia of animals and humans working blissfully and
productively side by side has a few glitches. Coworkers may
have allergies to animals, and pets tracking in dirt or
shedding fur can be a problem in laboratory, hospital, and
clinical environments. Most human coworkers have learned to
stab their rivals in the back through subtle office politics,
but doggie disputes can take an unpleasantly physical form.
And, of course, liability for dogs biting human coworkers can
be costly.
Marshall's article provides some useful tips for making a
smooth transition to a pets at work policy:
Today only about 3 percent of all businesses have formal pets
at work policies, but hopefully by the time we celebrate Bring
Your Pets to Work 2001, petless workplaces will be in the
minority.
Return to Creature Features Library