June 24th-30th Is Take Your Pet To Work Week
The week after Take Your Dog To Work Day is Take Your Pet To Work Week – a whole week dedicated to bringing not just your dog to work, but your other animals as well!
As with Take Your Dog To Work Day, the brainchild behind Take Your Pet To Work Week is Pet Sitter International. The year 2012 marks the 12th anniversary of this special week.
If your employer needs a little convincing on the idea of Take Your Pet To Work Week, you can site the Virginia Commonwealth University study done on the positive effects animals (namely dogs) have on the workplace.
According to the study, dogs in the workplace reduce stress and make the job more satisfying for employees. Absenteeism, burnout, and lowered morale are common results of employee stress, and they lead to significant loss of company resources and productivity.
In addition, a preliminary study published in the International Journal of Workplace Health Management states that dogs in the workplace “may buffer the impact of stress during the workday for their owners and make the job more satisfying for those with whom they come into contact.”
Researchers studied and compared the employees who bring their dogs to work to employees who do not bring their dogs to work, along with the employees without pets in the areas of stress, job satisfaction, organizational commitment and support.
“Although preliminary, this study provides the first quantitative study of the effects of employees’ pet dogs in the workplace setting on employee stress, job satisfaction, support and commitment,” said principal investigator Randolph T. Barker, Ph.D., professor of management in the VCU School of Business.
“Dogs in the workplace can make a positive difference,” he said. “The differences in perceived stress between days the dog was present and absent were significant. The employees as a whole had higher job satisfaction than industry norms.”
When deciding whether or not to bring an animal to your workplace during Take Your Pet To Work Week, keeping in mind that bringing your pet to work may be good for your health, but it’s not always good for the health of your pet – or even your co-workers if your pet is not used to people or has not been socialized.
Here are a few tips to help you have an enjoyable week with your pet at work:
– Only bring pets that are properly socialized and well-behaved.
– Be sure to have food and water bowls for your pet, as well as a quiet toy for them to play with during the day.
– A bed often provides comfort to pets so be sure to have one for them.
– Don’t forget some treats for positive reinforcement of good behavior throughout the day.
– Keep your pet confined to your work area so they are not bothersome to co-workers who may be allergic or not a fan of animals.
Will you be taking your pet to work? We’d love for you to share your experience with us in the comments section below!
