Do you work a traditional job and wish there was the opportunity to bring your pet to work? Some people believe that having a pet at work is a prefect way to de-stress throughout the day – almost a therapeutic tool. Others say they couldn’t have their pet in the work place simply because it would be a distraction and perhaps have a negative effect on their work production level. What do you think? Do you wish you had a “bring your pet to work day”?

It’s hard not to love and miss our furry friends through the day, but there are a few things to consider before going full “pet friendly” at the office.

Here are a few things to keep in mind if you are considering bringing a pet to work or going to management with the idea:

• Not all pets want to be around other pets (or people). You might think about this fact if there are other pets that will attend on the pet friendly day or days. Could your office limit the number of animals allowed at one time? This is a good idea if your offices have wide open spaces and less enclosed work areas. If everyone had an office with a door they can close, this might not be an issue.

• Should there be a rule about what type of animals are allowed? Many people have rats, rabbits or guinea pigs as pets. Will your office allow those types of animals? Some people are scared of certain breeds of dog. Take all of this into consideration when thinking about having pets at work.

• Pets have accidents. It’s going to happen. How can you prepare your work place for when it does? Consider having doggie poop bags easily accessible and urine eliminating spray handy. Even the best trained pets can have accidents when they are in unfamiliar or stressful situations.

• Certain Pets (dogs in particular) will need to be taken for walks and let out to do their business. Does your work environment have open spaces or a park that the dogs can go to in order to take care of business?

• Does your pet make a lot of noise? Will he or she disturb meetings or co-workers throughout the day? Prepare everyone for when the pets will be in the office so they can adequately prepare for the day.

• Allergies are never fun! The sad truth is that many people are allergic to pets. It might be a good idea to have a list of those that are allergic, indicating what type of pet they have reactions to. When that type of pet is brought into the office, perhaps that particular person can be placed strategically in another area of the building.

• How many visitors do you have throughout the week? If there are a lot of people that come in and out of your office regularly, it might be a good idea to let them know about the pet policy in advance. You could also consider having one specific day where the schedule limits outside meetings and implements a pet day instead! The pets will be your guests.

There are many things to consider when considering a new plan about pets at the office. It may sound like we are pointing out a lot of the negatives, but there are so many wonderful benefits to having a pet at work as well. For one, it makes people feel more like a “family”. it gives people something to smile about and commonalities to discuss. Sometimes having a pet at the office will build moral and make people feel motivated and inspired. Don’t let the above bullet points discourage you. Take this list and build upon it with many positive ideas as well. Make sure you have a balance of positive and negative to show your boss before presenting a plan. But remember that a pets at work policy is not for everyone.

Does your office allow pets? Share a picture (or more) will us on our Essential Pet Facebook page. We’d love to see your furry friends working hard throughout the day!

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