Increase Productivity by Bringing Dogs Into the Office

For those of us who remember a time before streaming became the norm for watching TV, the basic sales pitch of an infomercial should be quite familiar – especially the “But WAIT, there’s more!” portion.

I previously wrote a piece about the benefits of bringing your dog to work, and I feel as though I’m channeling my inner Billy Mays when I tell you: But WAIT, there’s more! Not only do dogs in the office help stress relief, communication, creativity/brainstorming, and improved work/life balance, they’ve also been proven to aid productivity overall.

As our in-house veterinarian for Crum & Forster Pet Insurance Group?, Dr. Wendy Hauser, relayed to me:

Dogs in the office have been a benefit to our team in numerous ways, from team cohesion and stress relief to creativity and productivity. I honestly cannot name a downside to having our four-legged friends by our sides throughout the day!

How to Welcome Dogs [Safely] Into the Office

Have I sold you on all the benefits of bringing your best pal with you to work? Do you want to now present a well-rounded case to your senior leadership and HR for why you should be allowed? Well, here’s the part of the infomercial where I give something away for free – our own Office Dog Policy/Rules Document and Training Video for C&F Pet.

As is the case with change management (whether it be a positive or negative change), gradual is better. Here are my top 5 tips for incorporating pups in the office in a way that will leave everyone (two- and four-legged alike) begging for more.

1. Consult your insurance. To be blunt, if you’re not covered for the liability, don’t do it. You should also ask your landlord if you’re renting your office space.
2. Check with the team. The last thing you want is to bring a pack of dogs into the office only to find out someone has an intense phobia or is severely allergic.
3. Host a try-out. Take a day to test having dogs in the office, gather feedback on how it went, and then decide if you’d like to move forward with it full-time.
4. Set clear expectations. This is precisely why we have standing policies and training materials in place. Without clear communication, your office could quickly go to the dogs – literally!
5. Make some areas pet-free. We love our pals, but we still have these spots sprinkled around the office. They include our kitchen and eating areas and bathrooms.

We’ve given all our office dogs the title of Happiness Coordinators, and we go even one more step further to make them feel like part of the crew – they get their own health insurance offering as part of our voluntary benefits. Want to offer pet health insurance to your four-legged team members as well? Learn more here.