The top dog friendly companies leading the way across the UK
8 May 2021
Do I need a dogs in the workplace policy?
16 June 2021
2020 may have been a year many of us wish to forget but as far as our dogs are concerned, it was the best year EVER! Having their humans around 24/7, pandering to their every need and even having the opportunity to become Zoom famous was like a dream come true for our four legged friends. But as with all good things, these days have to come to an end….or do they?!
What is Bring Your Dog To Work Day?
Bring You Dog To Work Day is an annual nationwide event, raising money for the amazing work our charities do for the welfare of dogs. Established in 2014 by ethical pet product company HOWND, the nationally recognised day encourages businesses to open their office doors to dogs while raising money for animal welfare charities.
This year, Bring Your Dog To Work Day will take place on Friday 25th June 2021.
Why get involved in Bring Your Dog To Work Day?
Alongside raising much needed funds for animal charities, Bring Your Dog To Work Day is a brilliant opportunity to engage your employees and boost morale. Plus, if you’ve been thinking about allowing dogs into your office but haven’t yet taken the plunge, now is the ‘pawfect’ time to ‘test the waters’ ahead of making the arrangement more permanent.
The benefits of allowing dogs in your office are now widely reported and include:
- Reducing levels of stress in the workplace
- Supporting employees mental, physical and emotional health
- Increasing levels of cohesion across your teams
- Encouraging employees to network across the business
- Increasing levels of creativity within the organisation
- Forcing people to take breaks during the day leading to increased clarity and productivity
What should you think about before allowing dogs in the office?
The benefits of having four legged coworkers speak for themselves but you may still be wondering about how it will work in practice. If so, we have you covered! We have compiled the ultimate dog friendly office toolkit containing everything you need to easily and safely introduce dogs into your workplace. The toolkit provides detail on what you need to think about before and during the introduction of office dogs, including editable templates, artwork and process guidance.
The full contents include:
11 x Editable templates
- Dogs in the workplace policy
- Code of conduct
- Liability statement
- Risk assessment
- Behaviour questionnaire
- Behaviour assessment
- 3 x internal communication emails
- Employee survey
- Record of registered office dogs
4 x Helpful guides
- Dog proofing your office
- Safely introducing dogs to each other in the workplace
- Basic first aid for dogs
- Signs of stress in dogs
4 x Editable posters
- 2 x Dog free zone
- Temporary Passpawt
- Permanent Passpawt
- Introduction to dogs in the workplace
- Handy checklist
- Process for employees to follow before bringing their dog into the workplace
In support of Bring Your Dog To Work Day, the complete toolkit is available for just £20.21 (RRP £99) PLUS we will donate 50% of all sales between now and 25th June 2021 to Pets As Therapy.
Pets As Therapy are a charity very close to our hearts, allowing those in organisations such as care homes, hospitals and schools access to therapy animals. We are delighted to be able to support their fantastic work.
We’re working from home, can we still get involved?
Yes absolutely! Why not use this as an opportunity to encourage people to share photos of the furry friends who have been keeping them company during lockdown? Not only will this encourage team bonding, recent research by Leeds University and Western Australia Tourism found that simply looking at images and videos of cute pets can reduce stress levels by up to 50%!
Encourage your staff to submit photos of their pooch to the official Bring Your Dog To Work Day website (https://www.bringyourdogtoworkday.co.uk/join-the-fun/) for the chance to win some pawesome prizes! How about holding an internal competition too for further encouragement to get involved (although we doubt people will need asking twice..!).
For further information about Bring Your Dog To Work Day and donate directly, please visit https://www.bringyourdogtoworkday.co.uk.
