A new report from Purina has revealed that employees who often take their dog to work report 22% higher satisfaction with their working conditions
The report, ‘Taking Dogs into the Office’, was sponsored by Purina to celebrate ‘Bring your dog to work day’ (Friday, 21 June 2019).
It is the first study of its kind to quantify the impact of dogs in the office on work-related and dog-related outcomes.
It found that dogs in the office are not distracting, but in fact, when present, workers report increased absorption in their work by a significant 33.4% and in their dedication to work by 16.5% compared to normal shifts.
Purina Pets At Work Programme
Professor Daniel Mills, Professor of Veterinary Behavioural Medicine, and one of the authors of the report, called on “forward-thinking companies” to seriously consider welcoming pets.
“Our results show that far from being a distraction, (a fear expressed by some in our earlier work) allowing dogs in the workplace has the potential to improve employees’ focus and probably productivity too,” Mills said.
“Forward-thinking companies should consider very seriously if they can accommodate dogs in the workplace and the Purina Pets at Work programme can enable them to do this efficiently.”
Nestlé UK & Ireland, Purina’s sister company, has been welcoming dogs into many of its offices since 2015. Currently, 22 countries have established Pets at Work programmes in Purina and Nestlé offices.
Life & Work Satisfaction
The findings also show that employees who often take their dog to work report 14.9% higher satisfaction with their home-work interface, which is the accommodating of family and work commitments.
In addition, they report 16.9% higher scores in their overall work quality of life and 16.6% feel like they have more control over decisions at work.
Overall, employees scored 13.1% higher for their job-career satisfaction and 4.7% higher for their general well-being, with greater levels of happiness and life satisfaction.
It is not just the humans who benefit from this quality time, with separation-related problems being recognised as one of the most important threats to domestic dog welfare, meaning it's just as important to your furry companion as it is to you.
© 2019 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Aidan O’Sullivan. Click sign-up to subscribe to Checkout.
