The Interior Department’s "Doggy Days" kicked off in May with hopes of making the agency charged with overseeing the nation’s public lands a happier work place, The Washington Post reports. This is the first time any government agency has encouraged its employees to bring in their dogs.
The idea came from Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, whose dog was one of 85 canines to join their human companions at work on a Doggy Day in May. Zinke had already been bringing his dog to work most days and now hopes it catches on in D.C. and in the other agency’s offices nationwide.
"We’ve become so polar on political issues," Zinke said. "This should not be a political issue."
Before dogs are allowed into Interior Department buildings they need an all-clear on vaccinations, behavior issues and on being housebroken. Tracy Baetz, who works as the curator for the department's museum, said she was surprised at how having her own dog, and meeting other dogs, spurred first time conversations with many other agency employees.
Of the largest government agencies, the Interior Department ranked 11th best place to work out of 18 agencies, according to an employee survey.
Meanwhile, more and more private companies have encouraged their employees to bring in their dogs to work. Mars Petcare North America, a global pet care business, has allowed its employees to bring their dogs to work since 2007, according to Cheryl DeSantis, vice president of people and organization for the firm in Franklin, Tenn. So reports the Society For Human Resource Management (SHRM). The pet-friendly policy has been valuable for recruitment and retention.
"What we hear is people will pick Mars over another employer because they can bring their dogs to work," DeSantis said. "We also hear that it is hard for associates to leave Mars because not every business allows pets in the office."
Bill Page, human resources director for Arkansas Business Publishing Group based in Little Rock, Ark., notes that having dogs around has helped to forge tighter bonds among employees. The 72-worker firm has about four to five dogs visit daily. "They create unity among staff and opportunities for interaction among departments that might not otherwise have interacted," Page said.
But employers should not just assume a pet-friendly workplace will jive with everyone. It’s important to gather all employees' input before implementing such a policy, says Patti Perez, an employment attorney with Ogletree Deakins. "Everyone’s opinion must be heard," Perez said. "Are you willing to lose good employees because some don’t want to work in a pet-friendly office? If the feedback is mixed, one way to gauge the potential impact on your culture is to try allowing pets one day per week or month."
A Banfield Pet-Friendly Workplace PAWrometer survey (PDF) from Jan. 19 to Feb. 02, 2016, of 1,006 employees and 200 human resources leaders from a range of companies and industries, found overwhelming support for pets in the workplace. Morale and workplace dynamic were seen as positive by 70% of this group in such workplaces and 90% of the HR leaders said employers and employees endorsed pet-friendly policies.
The reality is, however, that only 7% of employers allowed pets in the workplace, according to SHRM’s 2016 Employee Benefits research. That compared with 8% and 5% from a 2015 and a 2014 survey, respectively.
Some firms have found other ways to please pet-owning employees. San Francisco-based pharmaceutical, Genentech, built an employee resource group, gDOGs, for its dog owners in 2014. The firm has 11,000 employees and more than 200 have joined gDOGs, where members go online to set up play dates for their dogs after work and on weekends.
Investment media firm, The Motley Fool, sponsors an "animal therapy day," where an employee who lives on a farm brings puppies or ducklings to work. "I try to schedule them when the staff seems stressed-out," says Samantha Whiteside, chief wellness officer. Other firms allow for occasional pet visits, volunteer opportunities, provide bereavement leave and offer pet insurance.