Have You Brought Your Dog To Work?

Most people will love to spend time with their fluffy animal companions, but for most of us this means having to wait until we get home from a long day of work. The 23^rd of June however is National Bring Your Dog to Work Day, so have you considered bringing your dog to work?

The day has been celebrated since 1996 in the UK and many workplaces across the country are expected to welcome dogs in honour of it. An article posted in 2016 we discussed some of the positives and negatives of bringing your pet to work and we thought we’d revisit this topic in honour of this day.

Dogs Can Produce An Active Office

Dogs are animals that require exercise in some form frequently, and usually the more active the dog breed the more activity they will need. As such, having a dog in the office will require people to be willing to move constantly to take the dog for a walk or outside to allow them to go to the toilet.

This is a great way to combat the problems that sitting down can cause in the workplace. According to the NHS, sitting down for long periods of time has been linked to multiple health issues including type 2 diabetes, obesity and some forms of cancer.

Having a dog in the office can encourage workers to become more active by getting them involved in caring for the dog. Perhaps set up a rota of who will look after the dog at certain times in the day, allowing everyone to spend some time with an animal while also encouraging them to move?

Can You Bring Your Dog To Work?

While it’s a fun idea to have a bring your dog to work day, it’s only really applicable if your workplace allows you to actually bring animals to work. A study according to Reed.co.uk found that only 8% of employees in the UK were allowed to bring their dogs, a low number for most people.

What may be happier news though is that new research from CIPD found that 42% of HR professionals in the UK would consider moving towards introducing a permanent policy that would allow dogs. This could potentially lead to the increase of our furry friends being seen in workplaces around the United Kingdom.

It’s important to consult your workplace to find out whether or not you can bring your dog to work. Some workplaces may be surprisingly open whereas others may be more resistant, particularly in areas where there could be a possibility of injury.

If it is okay for you to bring your dog, make sure to double check with your colleagues to ensure that they are also okay with the idea. There may be a chance that someone has an allergy or may be scared, and it wouldn’t be fair to make someone uncomfortable at work.