So, the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association polled working Americans 18 years of age and older. According to this survey, about one in five companies allow pets in the workplace.I find that hard to believe. Although there's little doubt that having a pet reduces stress and increases longevity in humans,
However, allowing pets in the workplace is akin to allowing children in the workplace. It is a distraction that hampers productivity.
A better idea is to have a "Bring Your Pet To Work Day" once or twice a year, just like many employers have a "Bring Your Child To Work Day".
Pets at work might be good for the pet, it might be good for the employee, but it's not good for the workplace.
From the Daily O'Collegian at Oklahoma State University
1 comment:
Bravo.
And I say this as someone with four pets of my own and as someone who channels most of his/her charitable contributions and volunteer time to animal welfare organizations (serving, in fact, on the Board of one).
Many pro-pets in the workplace blogs/informal articles cite the statistic of 1 in 5 employers allowing this...which equally means 80% of employers do NOT. While they extrapolate and say this makes for a culture of camaraderie, my own data collection among my peers suggests what it breeds is a culture of resentment because the animal lovers who don't believe animals belong in a professional workplace feel intimidated and totally unable to voice their lack of support.
The health and liability issues are great, the culture implications great...and frankly, cooping a pet up all day is not, in fact, in its best interests.
Someone I know just accepted the CEO position at a small firm and found, upon starting work, 'massive dogs' wandering in and out of his office. The pets themselves and the cumbersome, makeshift 'pens' that had been created for them were nowhere in sight when he interviewed and nobody mentioned it... Staff from the C-level to admins have since expressed strong displeasure with the situation...but are held hostage by the culture of 'inclusiveness' that they perceive as repression. Very sad.
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