Woof!

“Many high tech companies get credit for creating dog-friendly workplaces (companies such as Google-Alphabet, Salesforce, Etsy, Autodesk and VMWare welcome employees’ dogs), but small businesses have often led the way in letting dogs accompany their human companions to work. And, recently, to help attract Millennials, some businesses have added pet-oriented employee benefits, such as company-subsidized pet insurance or ‘paw-ternity leave’ (days off when an employee adopts a new dog).

“A dog-friendly office… Helps in recruiting employees. Employees love their pets, and companies large and small that recognize the importance of pets in employees’ lives have a competitive edge in attracting talent. Rhonda lists ‘dog-friendly office’ in every help-wanted ad, helping her small business attracts quality staff who are delighted to bring their dog to work or just work in a friendly atmosphere.” USAToday.com, 6/21/17.  OK, there are a few minuses, like barking, dog-to-dog confrontations/attachments, poop and pee, crotch-sniffing and potential allergies (pet-free-zone anyone?).

It’s actually a money point as well. “Allowing owners to bring their pets to work also provides a significant financial benefit—it eliminates the additional costs of doggie daycare or dog walking services for employees who work long hours or commute a significant distance from their home each day. Daycare or walking services can be quite costly, so this can be an excellent perk for a pet-owning employee.

“Allowing pets in the office can boost a customer’s perception of the business. Most customers have a positive reaction when they are offered a chance to interact with an employee’s pet, and it can help them to relax and enjoy their visit to the business. Having pets in the office also tends to soften the company’s image and makes a business seem more progressive and forward thinking.

“[And a few negatives:] Pets can certainly be a distraction for both the owner and their neighboring coworkers. A dog will need to go outside for a few walks, and there could be noise issues from barking or whining. Pets also can draw small crowds of employees seeking entertainment, when those employees should be at their desks working…

“Pets can cause damage to office equipment by having occasional accidents on the carpet or chewing the furniture. While the office’s pet population may maintain a very high standard of good behavior, accidents do happen.

“There are always potential legal and insurance issues related to scenarios where a dog could bite or trip an employee, customer, or service provider while on company property. It is important to discuss such issues with a lawyer.” TheBalanceCareers.com. For workplaces that allow pet, having a clear written policy on the matter is a must.

While you wouldn’t expect a pet-friendly program on an assembly line, a sterile work environment, an oil rig or a coal mine, when the possibility of a pet on the premises exists, the whole work experience can change dramatically. Take the massive presence of Amazon in downtown Seattle, a maze of modern and restored buildings, as an example:

“Through it all weave hundreds of dogs, whose presence may be the ultimate workplace perk — especially in Seattle, where canines outnumber kids. More than 7,000 dogs are registered to come to work at Amazon’s offices here, compared with 6,000 a year ago.

“That amounts to a dog-person ratio of 1:7 at the mother ship, where about 49,000 people are employed. A host of dog-oriented enterprises, including doggy day-care and trendy pet-friendly bars and restaurants, contribute to the beehive of activity in the neighborhood where Facebook and other tech firms are also opening offices.

“On a recent day in Amazon’s 12-story Apollo building, a Havanese named Cooper accepted a customary snack from a receptionist at the lobby counter, his owner hurrying upstairs to teleconference with London. There was scarcely time to sniff Sparky, a Shih Tzu-Maltese trotting to an elevator, or Murphy, a goldendoodle running out on his person’s coffee break…

“Countless studies have extolled the benefits — for employees and companies — of having pets in the workplace. British researchers have even associated dogs in the office with reduced employee turnover, which is notoriously high at tech companies competing for talent. News reports have suggested Amazon has struggled with turnover, but a company spokeswoman declined to provide figures.

“‘The benefits of dog-friendly workplaces may manifest as lower rates of absenteeism and higher worker morale and productivity,’ according to a 2017 paper in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

“As lines blur between work and home, and people and pets bond in new ways, companies nationwide are finding that dog-friendly perks are relatively cheap compared with health plans and other conventional benefits — and they’re a useful recruiting tool as well. Newer West Coast businesses lead the pack among employers catering to canines, according to a recent national ranking of ‘best dog-friendly companies’ by Rover, a pet services clearinghouse that is based — not incidentally — in Seattle. (Amazon was rated No. 1 by Rover — and in an annual ‘most pet-friendly companies’ survey released by Wellness Natural Pet Food ahead of Take Your Dog to Work Day.)…

“There are, of course, a few rules for the canine-friendly workplace: Amazon policy requires employees who want to bring their dogs to work to get their managers’ approval, which could be revoked in cases of bad behavior. The company requires vaccinations and licenses to be current. Dogs must be house-trained. An employee may bring as many as two dogs to work at a time — and there is no registration fee.

“When the inevitable accident occurs involving poop, an employee can simply fill out an online ticket or email janitors known as ‘remedy gurus.’ (Amazon follows city policy for pet waste, disposing of it in plastic bags placed in trash containers to avoid contaminating lakes, streams and bays.)…

“The attention to detail is conspicuous. Sturdy plants selected by horticulturalists and landscapers populate the Amazon campus. Artfully placed ‘pee rocks,’ to use a technical term, are designed to concentrate potty activity. Water fountains feature ground-level drinking bowls. Waste-bag dispensers are ubiquitous.

“Lobby counters feature shiny metal buckets brimming with dog treats, scarfed down at the rate of 20 pounds a week in the entryway of the 37-story Day 1 Building. Receptionists are quick to intervene when unsuspecting visitors help themselves, mistaking the treats for human snacks.” Richard Read writing for the June 21^st Los Angeles Times. There are vets on site, doggy food sources, and groomers. And it’s not just dogs: “Richard Winograd, a Prime Video software engineer, pedals to work with his cockapoo, Mighty, nestled in a basket.” LA Times. Ah, different times. Today, you can not only work like a dog, you can work with one too. Wonder if litigators keep pit bulls in their offices… or perhaps pet sharks.

              I’m Peter Dekom, and when I related this tale (tail) to my cat Jasmine, she turned up her nose and responded disapprovingly with a simple Millennial “meh!”