22 Jan Pros and Cons of an Office Doggy

Introduction

Should you allow a dog into the office? It has become more common to walk into an office or workplace and see an office doggy sitting in the corner, all nicely snuggled or coming over to give you a sniff and a welcome so today we look at the pros and cons of an office doggy and look at, is it just small businesses that have an office dog ?

Pros

1. Reduces Stress – It’s a common fact that dogs can have a calm influence on people and reduce stress. They are often used in therapy and schools for help children ad even staff with stress and anxiety.

2. Increased productivity – Some reports show that employers and employees that brought their dog into work had increased productivity in their working day.

3. Can be a talking point and help encourage teamwork – A dog has a way of just being a good talking point and allowing for communication to begin, so by having a pet in the working environment it can be an ice breaker.

4. Good for the dog – People work long hours and as a pet owner this can be hard for there pets left at home. By bringing a dog into the office, long work hours mean the dog is not left alone for long periods of time, if the owner (e.g. the boss) have to work long extended hours.

Cons

1. Allergies – Unfortunately some people are allergic to animal fur, and this would mean that your employees would suffer if you brought your dog into the office, probably meaning you loose important employees to the business.

2. Some people hate animals – Some customer and employees hate animals (say it isn’t true!) but this can very much be the case and can put people off working for you or buying from you.

3. Can be distracting – Dogs are lovely, but they can also be distracting – If they decided to have a run around at a crucial point in your meeting, this can mean the deal is ended and not in the way you had hoped…

4. Health and safety fears – A lot of insurance companies may not insure you if they know you have a dog on the premises with customers and employees due to an animal biting them or causing an accident.

Conclusion

We love dogs here at DS Office, but we can understand that bringing a pet into the work environment is very much a per case situation. It can suit some businesses and not suit others. Some employers take their dog into the office but keep their dog crated whilst doing customer visits or make sure all employees are happy with a dog around it really is a very personal choice, and every situation is different.