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Take Your Dog To Work Day

Home > Brisbane > Dog Friendly | Free | Fun Things To Do | Health and Fitness | Pets
by Jenny Hatton Mahon (subscribe)
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Bring new meaning to Working Like a Dog
Looking for ways to reduce stress and improve productivity in the workplace? It's possible you've been looking in all the wrong places.

The answer is not at your fingertips - it's curled up at your feet, lying on the lounge and wagging its tail.

Research has found that allowing pets, and dogs in particular, to come to work with their owners has enormous benefits. Not only do dogs help to reduce stress during the workday for employees, they help promote a strong workplace culture, creativity, improve morale, increase collaboration, reduce absenteeism, drive efficiency and promote a healthy work life balance.

A 2012 study found that employees who were around dogs in the office reported feeling less stressed and the report also found that dogs triggered workplace interactions that would not otherwise have occurred.

Dogs also prompt owners to get up from their desks during the day and take a walk, ensuring employees get outside and get some exercise.

To inform people of the benefits of bringing your pet to work, Pet Sitters International has, since 1999, promoted Take Your Dog To Work Day which encourages employees to bring their furry friends into the office. This year, Take Your Dog to Work Day is 26 June.

Success stories supporting the benefits of bringing pets to work can be found at the crafty marketplace Etsy, Huffington Post, Google, Ben & Jerry's and Amazon.

At Etsy, pets are welcome for all the above reasons as well as their comedic antics. One employee recalled a time when a small dog walked through a rather serious staff meeting with a stolen slice of pizza in its mouth - all tension disappeared! At Huffington Post there is a pro-pet policy and an understanding that everyone will keep their teeth to themselves and will remember where the fire hydrant is!

One company which will be celebrating Take Your Dog To Work Day is Nestlè Purina Petcare. At Purina, they've found having a pet friendly office is a great draw card for attracting new talent and staff retention and having pets in the office is a great way to socialise them with new people and other pets, as well as spending all day with their owner.

If you're looking to set up a Pets at Work program, check out the list of articles and information on Purina's website to help everything run smoothly.

So, instead of working like a dog, why not bring your dog to work and enjoy the benefits that these furry friends can bring into the workplace.

For general advice and tips on how to set up your own pet-friendly office, visit this website. Further information can also be found in this helpful guide.

If you'd like to share your pets at work story, join the conversation with #PetsAtWork.
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Why? Because every dog has its day
When: 26 June 2015
Where: Everywhere
Cost: Free
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