Aerial photo of employees with their pets at Purina Headquarters in St. Louis .
Photo courtesy of Nestle Purina.
This post is sponsored by Purina. We are being compensated for helping spread the word about Pets At Work but The Tiniest Tiger only shares information we think will be interesting to you.
Purina Leads the Pack Promoting Pets At Work
For 17 years, Purina has recognized the benefits of allowing employees to bring their pets to work and launched “Pets at Work” in 2012 with the goal of educating and helping other employers and facility managers adopt pet-friendly policies.
Purina associates believe that pets and people are better together and shouldn’t be something only experienced at home. By educating employers and pet lovers about the benefits of pets in the workplace, Purina believes that employers can create better work environments for their employees.
Purina Aims for World Record for Most Pets in Workplace in One Day
Randy Beck, Marketing Director of Cat Chow with his Boston Terrier/Border Collie Mix, Snoopy on Bring Your Dog to Work Day
Purina celebrated Take Your Dog to Work Day this year with fun-filled activities for employees at the Purina headquarters in St. Louis, highlighted by an attempt to set a recordsetter.com World Record for ‘Most Pets in the Workplace in One Day’ by inviting employees to bring their pets to work on June 26.
Pets in Workplace Reduce Stress
Studies* have shown that employees who bring their pets to work tend to have a lower stress level by the end of the day, and that having pets can help reduce blood pressure, decrease loneliness, help to lower cholesterol levels and encourage physical activity.
As an ambassador for pets in the workplace, Purina associates bring hundreds of dogs and cats to the St. Louis campus every week. Purina is encouraging employers across the nation to take the Pets at Work pledge and help advocate for pet-friendly offices.
In a recent survey ** by Purina and the Mississippi State University College of Veterinarian Medicine, we found among 750 U.S. respondents:
- Almost two out of three employees agree pets should be allowed in the workplace if there is a general consensus among employees
- 85 percent of employees of companies with pets in the office say that pets at work policies are beneficial
- 72 percent of employees said that their jobs currently do not allow pets in the workplace
Toolkits to Help Implement Pets At Work Program
To help other companies and employers adopt pet-friendly policies, Purina has developed a toolkit with tips and documents to help employers navigate and implement their own pets at work program. The toolkit includes an etiquette guide, office checklist and an authorization and release form, among other resources.
Those interested in learning more about Pets at Work can visit www.purina.com/better-with-pets/pets-at-work for more information. Employers and employees can also show support by tagging their photos on social media with the #PetsatWork hashtag.
More than half of those who want pets allowed in the office are willing to spearhead efforts to make their workplaces pet-friendly
*Randolph T. Barker, Janet S. Knisely, Sandra B. Barker, Rachel K. Cobb, Christine M. Schubert, (2012) “Preliminary investigation of employee’s dog presence on stress and organizational perceptions”, International Journal of Workplace Health Management, Vol. 5 Iss: 1, pp.15 – 30.
** Penn Schoen Berland. 2015 Purina Pet at Work Survey. 2015.