We’ve recently inherited a new team member.
Meet Tweetie-Pie, a very talkative, 14 year old, cockatiel. So far he’s had a shining reception with tenants and visitors alike charmed by his presence and tuneful singing (Laurel and Hardy seems to be a favourite of his at the moment. We’re hoping he’ll pick up something a little more modern soon).
Tweetie fits right in with us at The Lofts, but there’s a lot of conjecture about keeping pets at work. We know having Tweetie around certainly improves our morale, but is that the case with other companies and other pets?
Taking your animals to work is so popular that there is even an official day for it (it was June 21st this year, fyi), now so popular that the entire week has been dedicated to bringing your dog to work. The Take Your Dog program is about bringing a bit of fun to the workplace and promoting adoption, too.
Recent studies carried out by Central Michigan University suggest that in companies allowing employees to bring their dogs to work, staff collaborate and communicate more effectively with one another.
Jannier Fearing, co-author of Dogs at Work: A Practical Guide to Creating Dog-Friendly Workplaces and California senior state director for The Humane Society of the United States, commented, “It’s heartening when research confirms our instincts and our practices. We heartily agree with the positive impact that dogs can have on workplace morale, collaboration and productivity. The more than 50 dogs that ‘work’ in The HSUS offices every day have been a huge boost that more companies should be enjoying.”
Hopefully next year we can get involved in the Take Your Dog week by bringing one of our furry friends in.
What are your thoughts on pets in the workplace and have any of you had any negative experiences?