Animals in the workspace

Editing: Fraser Anderson
Art: C.J.B

Working alongside your animal companions

How the workplace can accommodate this

In recent years the popularity of animals in the workplace has become more prevalent. Fostering schemes that work directly with companies and others allow employees to bring their own pets to work. This kind of development is a step in the right direction to making the work environment more exciting. Most office jobs come under the heading of “it pays well”, not something you overly enjoy but work you know you can do. Everyone at some point has been in that situation, working hard focused on earning their paycheck but often forgetting how it makes them feel. Mental burnout slows productivity to a slog, so how do we combat this? With a little bit of help from man’s best friend.

The most well-known office pets would be Credit and Debit from Ohio America with their Instagram having over 40k followers. All across the Uk, there are companies ranging from the obvious pet food companies to high-end Tech companies like Hug, Hubble, Charlie HR, that are pet accessible with animal-friendly work environments. Looking over their work models a few things stand out, Flexible office spaces, on and off-site work options, and amenities provided in the workplace. Though this is just the surface-level basics, how could you apply this to your own work environment?

Overall, animals in the workplace have been shown to lift up morale, increase productivity along with reducing stress in both people and animals alike. In the UK it is the employer’s choice to allow non-working animals in office spaces, GOV.UK provides the necessary guidelines to ensure everyone’s safety when making the leap to letting your pooch come to work. Though dogs are the main animal you see, they aren’t the only pets that could come to work with you, the government guidelines cover small ponies, Cats, Reptiles, pigs, and hamsters. But do keep in mind it is the company’s head or managers that choose what animals are permitted. If you want to bring your potbelly pig to work, you will have to ask very nicely.  

A different way of introducing animals into workspaces would be looking at fostering and adoption schemes run through charities. This method is a little more complex and requires certain government licences depending on how your company chooses to handle it. At the end of the day, we all can aim towards making work more fun for everyone. Having your animal companion sit by your side to spur you on through the day is sometimes just the thing we need to make the hard days easier. There’s no shame in saying we all need support, and sometimes that support comes with four legs (or more).