By Maria Goodavage, for LiveCareer
Heading off to work and leaving your canine best friend behind – with his hang-dog look and pleading eyes -- can be enough to make you want to stay home and play fetch all day.
But thanks to a growing trend, you may soon be able to leave your guilt at the door: More dogs than ever are accompanying their people to work.
A recent survey by the American Pet Products Association found that 20 percent of companies now have pet-friendly policies. Even if your dog isn’t permitted to set paw in your office on a regular basis, you may be able to convince your company to participate in Take Your Dog to Work Day, on June 26, 2009. Or you can create your own dog-friendly workplace by starting your own business. (Take the free entrepreneur test to see if you have what it takes.)
Here’s some ammo that will help you bark up the right tree with your boss so that every dog can have his (work)day:
- Dog-friendly companies attract hard workers. In a recent survey, 66 percent of dog owners said they’d work longer hours if their dogs could join them at work. Almost half would switch jobs, and 44 percent would take a salary cut for the perk
Dorrie Krueger, who has been bringing her 100-pound dog, Milford, to work with her almost daily for 9 years at Build-a-Bear Workshop, based in St. Louis, is deeply grateful for this popular company perk. "I don’t have the terrible guilt of leaving Milford behind, and I can – and do – stay extra long at work and not have to worry about going home and letting him out, "she says.
- Dog-friendly companies hang onto their employees. Since the vast majority of businesses, especially larger ones, don’t permit pooches, those who land jobs with dog-friendly companies tend to stay on. "It’s a great retention tool," says Stephen Fukuhara, director of facilities operations at Autodesk, in San Rafael, California.
- Dogs at work are stress-busting teambuilders. Petting a dog has been shown to lower blood pressure and reduce stress. When dogs show up at work, they tend to be social lubricants who bring people together and attract lots of pats. "When someone is stressed, they pet Roman or another dog," says Fiona Nolan, an Autodesk project manager of her rescued mutt. "Everyone feels better afterward."
- Dogs rarely cause problems at work. Some companies have strict policies, others are more laissez faire. But tales of problems are few. (At Build-a-Bear, for instance, no dog has ever ripped apart a stuffed bear!)
It’s a given that dogs who go to work have to be well behaved. But Liz Palika, author of Dogs at Work, suggests a few other qualities that are helpful for a dog who goes to work: "Dogs should not be food thieves, or have lots of flatulence, drooling, constant scratching, or barking."
Is a dog-loving office where you should be working? Take the free career interest test to find out the best work environments for you.