Dog lovers are looking forward to Friday, June 22, since it’s the 20th annual Take Your Dog to Work Day. Not only will it make employees happy, but it’s good for business according to USA Today.
Started in 1999 by Pet Sitter International to promote pet adoption, an increasing number of companies have created dog-friendly work environments.
“Take Your Dog to Work Day is an amazing annual event that gives us an opportunity to spend a little extra time with our furry family members during the work week,” Chanda Leary-Coutu, director of consumer experience for Wellness Natural Pet Food, told USA Today. “But we’re starting to see more and more offices implement pet-friendly policies year-round.”
The Tewksbury, Mass.-based company surveyed Americans and discovered a few interesting facts, including:
- Just one in five people surveyed are employed by businesses that celebrate Take Your Dog to Work Day
- 37% of Americans would sacrifice benefits like vacation days and pay increases to be able to bring their dog to work
- 44% of Americans would consider leaving their current job for a pet-friendly employer
Both employers and employees can benefit from having dogs at work.
“Not only are there proven benefits to having pets at work, like lowered blood pressure, lessened anxiety and increased physical activity, but it also helps attract and retain employees, especially among millennial workers,” states Leary-Coutu.
The Society of Human Resource Management determined that just 9% of American employers have adopted pet-friendly work environments, though that is up from 4% in 2014. A company like e-commerce giant Amazon can regularly see 6,000 dogs at their Seattle headquarters.
“Having dogs in our offices is an amazing treat,” says Lara Hirschfield, Amazon’s Woof Pack manager. “We are proud this is such a uniquely Amazonian tradition. It’s truly ingrained in our company culture.”
Does your company have a pet-friendly policy? If so, check out the animals we currently have up for adoption HERE.
Photo credit: Dave Kim