A few decades ago, it may have been impossible to envision an office where employees’ fur babies could run free. But in the wake of a new movement to create holistically healthy office environments, more companies have started allowing pets into their headquarters.
In light of research that having dogs in the office may improve morale, relieve stress, and enhance collaboration among employees, it may be worth it for your own company to make your workplace more pet-friendly. Not only will it allow pet parents to keep an eye out on their wards in the daytime, but the presence of animal companions could also leave a surprisingly good impact on your office productivity.
If you’re planning to welcome your employees’ furry friends into the workplace, here are some tips that will make the arrangement a “paw-sitive” one for animals and humans alike. Use these suggestions to transform your office into a haven for pets and their hardworking parents.
Set the Ground Rules for Bringing Pets into the Office
First, remember that the onus is on you to oversee a safe and comfortable office environment for everyone. Part of that entails setting the ground rules for your employees and their pets.
Start with a system for registering any dogs or cats that will come onto the premises. This way, every warm body can be accounted for. Have the owners ensure that their fur babies have all the necessary vaccinations, are healthy, and are free of ticks or fleas, too.
In addition, uphold guidelines for keeping the office clean of litter, never leaving pets unsupervised, and walking dogs on a leash when they’re outside of the office playpen. This sense of order will benefit the pets, their owners, and other people who’ll be sharing the office space with them.
Have Pets Wear Unique and Highly Visible Accessories
Pets should also be easy for their owners and other employees to identify, even when they’re a distance away. To that end, encourage the use of colorful and visible accessories like ID tags, custom martingale dog collars, or dog bandanas.
Pet apparel and accessories can also serve a secondary purpose to identification: communicating a pet’s temperament. Some offices follow a colored tag or collar system that signals how friendly or approachable an animal is. For example, dogs that have warm and outgoing personalities can wear blue collars. Dogs that are on the reserved side, and whose parents should be consulted before prolonged interaction, can wear a collar that’s orange or yellow.
Cordon Off a Part of Your Office for Pet Visitors
The next thing you should do is dedicate a particular zone in the office for your employees’ furry friends. Incorporate something like this Clearly Loved Pets pen, or an enclosure where pets can roam and socialize with each other. This will also prevent them from getting in the way of regular office operations, escaping the premises, or getting lost and hurt.
It’s a good idea to locate this pet-friendly zone on the first floor of your office, and as near as possible to an outdoor space. That way, if pets need a breath of fresh air or some space to have a potty break, it will be easy for their owners to take them outside.
Provide Snacks, Water, and Other Pet Supplies
Establishing a pet-friendly office also means making the environment as hospitable as it can be to animal companions. That said, you have the option to go the extra mile by providing your employees and their fur babies with amenities like dog treats, water bowls, cat scratching posts, toilet paper, and spare poop bags.
These amenities will help animal companions feel right at home in your HQ, and it will also ease the stress on their owners as they watch over their wards in the office. If it’s a breeze for owners to feed, entertain, and clean up after their furry friends, the latter’s presence won’t be any obstruction to your office productivity.
Anticipate Problems, and Work Through Them with Your Staff
Finally, acknowledge that there may be some hitches when you introduce a pet-friendly policy in your office. Though everyone will do their best to take care of their fur babies, there’s still the off-chance that a pet could get sick or hurt, or even get into a scuffle with another pet.
Instead of scrambling to deal with these as they happen, speak to your employees about the what-ifs way in advance. Draw up plans for any pet-related emergencies that might occur in the office, and make sure that pet owners will be ready to respond to the situation. For every what-if that could happen, think of a preventive measure. For example, train your employees to watch for signs that their dog may be getting stressed around other dogs in the playpen; this can be their cue to take their dog outside for a short walk.
In time, both you and your employees will come to enjoy the calm, upbeat, and community-oriented atmosphere of a pet-friendly workplace. Do your part to ensure that your employees’ fur babies feel the same way—and that they have as much of a blast during the workweek as their parents!
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