National Pet Day: How Our Fur-Babies Are Changing The Way We Work

Who hasn’t spent hours enjoying cat videos, watching a farmer wake his animals up on TikTok, or stealing quiet moments with his bird, spider, snake, or lizard?

The lives of humans and animals have been intricately intertwined since time immemorial.

Not surprisingly, there is a growing trend to include pets at home, at work, and while shopping.

Today, customers are looking for more pet-friendly products and services.

Even workplaces are creating pet-friendly franchises to improve morale and work-life balance.

We’re doing the same in conjunction with companywide mental health day search engine journal will be participating in National Pet Day With hundreds of other companies around the world.

Target? To give pet parents more time with their loved ones and promote good mental health.

And we are not alone.

Pets control our lives and workplaces

Animals have traditionally played four important roles in a work:

• Working alongside humans: supporting animals, farms, drug control, etc.
• Focus of the organization: zoos, aquariums, pet stores, etc.
• Bring companion animals to the workplace.
• pets in the house.

appreciate it 70% of households in North America have at least one pet.

And given over the past few years, they have become an important factor in determining where we work and what we buy.

Google reports you are looking for [pet friendly restaurants] since the epidemic.

As well as other related searches such as [pet friendly hotels] And the [pet groomer].

But it goes beyond just different buying habits.

newly study It found that six out of ten people quit their jobs because their workplace was not pet-friendly.

71% of them have made major life changes because of their pets. in addition to:

• 48% of respondents said pets improved productivity at work.
• More than two-thirds of respondents said that pets have helped them make an average of seven new friends at work.
• 42% stated that their offices stocked pet supplies such as bowls and bags.

Why do pets work?

We know that pets have positive effects on employees and customers. Studies show that it increases the number of positive emotions experienced by the work team and the number of positive social behaviors during the workday.

But it’s more than just being happier.

Pets help people overcome stress and uncertainty, providing much-needed relief to stressful moments.

And anyone who got their dog out of bed at 7 a.m. on their day off will tell you that many pets thrive on (and even demand) routine, which makes them useful for getting motivated and starting the day.

Pets often require attention or need to go outside, which encourages employees to take time out. Or at least do something different.

This space offers fresh perspectives on problems and perhaps a little creative inspiration.

Pets also tend to give employees a sense of control and unconditional affection. Sometimes, that’s just what we need.

After all, it won’t bite you if your reports are late or surprise you if you make a mistake and lose some money.

Don’t forget that customers often have pets too.

Perhaps the strongest of the socio-psychological links.

Pets provide us with an easy conversation starter and point of contact. It is much easier to communicate with a person through a pet.

If they love pets, they are just like you. They are part of “your group”.

Social psychology research shows us that in-group/out-group bias can be a powerful driver of community, culture, and interdependence.

We tend to like people who we define as ourselves. And we tend to trust them more, too.

Pets are also linked to both home and work life, which can lead to increased company loyalty and better working relationships between teams and team members.

Then there is the halo effect.

If you have touching or memorable moments with your pet at work, they make you feel good while at work and in that context.

You come to associate those positive feelings and moments of affection with your work (or at least the place where you work), and to counteract the negative feelings and associations you have with work and your workplace.

In fact, people overwhelmingly report greater job satisfaction when they are allowed to bring their pets.

How to bring the benefits of pets into your business

Creating official policies around pets is just one way to become more pet-friendly.

Create spaces for them. The Google, for example, she often encourages her employees to bring their pets to work. And Doogleplex is worth a look.

Incorporate them into the company culture. Use them as team building opportunities. It wouldn’t be the first workplace to do so.

Amazon Employees can enjoy what the company estimates is up to 7,000 dogs at their Seattle headquarters on any given day.

sales force The puppy is openly licensed Its pet-friendly culture with Puppyforce.

Can’t you really have pets at your job? There are still plenty of ways to be pet friendly.

Get creative or incorporate them into your marketing.

Raising money for local animal shelters, partnering with animal training or environmental organizations, or training guide dogs.

And pet-friendly initiatives don’t always have to be customer-facing.

Consider the needs of employees who may have pets at home. This can make things like long travel more difficult, for example. Initiatives like National Pet Day It can be an excellent mental health day and opportunity to support pet owners.

You may also want to consider perks such as pet care gift cards, special gifts, or regular delivery of pet crates.

What about those who work from home?

Lizards, spiders, snakes, puppies, big cats… Creatures of all kinds can make your day better and are easy to handle. Improve your work-life balance by spending a few minutes with them throughout the day.

Here at SEJ, pets (and children) make regular appearances during meetings.

We also have an official SEJ-AnimalBros channel on Slack. It’s where we laugh at fun, spontaneous moments, sympathize with each other when one pet destroys another’s, and cheer when one of us brings home a new pet.

Those who do not have pets can join and live precariously through the pets of others.

Do you have a funky pet? Even better. An estimated 69% of those surveyed said ferrets broke more ice in meetings than other pets.

So, don’t be afraid to show off those scales, spines, or snouts.

After all, if you love your pets, someone else will, too.

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Featured image: Shutterstock / Konstantin Aksenov

Referred business:

Colarelli SM, McDonald AM, Christensen MS, Honts C (2017). A companion dog increases prosocial behavior in working groups. Anthrozoos, 30, 77-89. https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2017.1270595

Schabram, K., & Maitlis, S. (2017). Discussing advocacy challenges: Emotion and the making of senses in animal shelter work. Journal of the Academy of Management, 60, 584-609. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2013.0665