Pets In the Workplace

What’s the advantage of having pets in the workplace? Multiple studies and surveys have shown employees enjoy having their pets with them during the workday. The latest survey, Pet-Friendly Workplace Pawrometer, is from Banfield Pet Hospital.

Banfield surveyed over 1000 employees and 200 human resource personnel, and on each survey question, human resource personnel were even more enthusiastic than employees. The ten survey questions, and the percent of employees that agreed with the question, followed by the percent of human resource personnel that agreed, are listed below:

1. Improved employee morale—88%, 91%
2. Employee sense of well-being—86%, 93%
3. Reduced guilt about leaving their pets at home –86%, 92%
4. Reduced stress—86%, 92%
5. Greater work-life balance—85%, 91%
6. Greater talent retention and loyalty to the company,—82%, 91%
7. Improved work relationships—79%,95%
8. Improved personal satisfaction with work product—77%, 87%
9. Ability to work longer hours—75%, 87%
10. Increased productivity—67%, 81%

The question that wasn’t on the survey is does Banfield Pet Hospital promote the concept of  pets in the workplace.

Banfield, the largest veterinary clinic provider in the US, with 800 clinics, 14,000 employees, and three-quarters of a billion dollars in revenue, doesn’t allow clinic employees to bring pets to work. According to a Banfield spokesperson, employees at the main office may bring pets to work, but clinic employees throughout the US cannot bring pets to work. A local Banfield employee said clinic employees can use pet day care, where day care is provided, if they are willing to pay for day care.

It’s easy to wonder whether Banfield understood the results of its own survey.

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