Pets can have a positive impact in the workplace

Jul. 3—In what was poised to be an uncomfortable meeting not long ago, Lloyd was called in as a specialist tasked with breaking the tension by simply occupying space.

"He diffused it immediately," Rod Frysinger, vice president of account development for Thread Marketing Group in West Toledo, said. "Everyone just relaxed."

Lloyd is his dog, a 7-year-old maltipoo. During that particular meeting, all the canine did was sit on his human's lap and rest his head on the conference table. The effect his presence had was exactly what Mr. Frysinger had hoped for.

"I purposely made sure I brought him in that day," he said.

Dogs are nosing their way into business life as pet-friendly polices in the workplace are rising.

"It's become much more commonplace, more widely accepted," Judy McFarland, president and chief executive at Thread, said. "People's families are changing, and pets play an important role in our lives. It's important to our employees that we acknowledge that."

Hanson, Inc., a digital marketing agency in downtown Toledo, features employees' canines on its website and social media.

"One of our big core values as a company is embracing family," Mike Hirsh, managing director of account management, said. "There are a lot of folks that have dogs who really look at them as extensions of their family. Dogs are part of our company culture."

Research has previously shown that interacting with animals has measurable effects like lowering blood pressure and heart and respiration rates, while raising levels of the feel-good hormone oxytocin.

"They provide a source of stress relief and comfort, and there's the social benefit of helping connect people with other people," said Janet Hoy-Gerlach, a social work professor at the University of Toledo who studies the human-animal bond. "It helps us connect with each other and fosters a more connected organizational culture."

A peer-reviewed study published January in the journal Animals, "Dogs at the Workplace: A Multiple Case Study," found canines have "positive impact on social cohesion, a feeling of community, and an increase of the information exchange."

A 2018 study by Nationwide and the Human Animal Bond Research Institute showed people who work in pet-friendly companies reported not only having more positive relationships with their coworkers and supervisors, but feeling more engaged with their work and supported by their employers. They were also less likely to leave their jobs.

"A pet-friendly culture can improve employee wellbeing and satisfaction, as research is suggesting," Ms. Hoy-Gerlach said. "Stress and dissatisfaction are related to burnout and turnover."

And there is lots of research that shows increased employee wellbeing correlates with positive outcomes for the employer, such as increased productivity and overall performance, talent retention, and economic gains. Allowing dogs in the office can be a relatively easy part of that overall equation, Ms. Hoy-Gerlach said.

Thread has allowed dogs for about 20 years, Ms. McFarland said, through employees have taken greater advantage of the perk over the last decade. Hanson has allowed canines for about 10 years.

"There are people who walk in the door and light up when they see one of the dogs," Mr. Hirsh said. "Before they even get to their desk, they are down on the floor playing — clients and coworkers alike."

Cooper, a 5-year-old terrier mix, is a regular visitor at Hanson with his owner, Jacob Parr, a senior visual designer there.

"There are a few things that can lift the spirits of a room quite like having a good dog around," he said. "It just heightens my mood having him around."

Mr. Parr has noticed Cooper has a similar positive effect on his colleagues, not just himself, and he feels the same about his coworkers' canines.

"When another dog is here, I have to drop what I'm doing for five to 10 minutes and go give them attention," he said. "And I love to see my coworkers interacting with Cooper and the effect it has on their day."

In bringing their companions to the office, workers naturally have a built-in necessity to take breaks and take their dogs outside. And coworkers sometimes ask for the privilege of taking pets on a quick outing, too. That positive break in the day can help turn an iffy day around or keep a good day on track.

"I always feel more productive after that little reset," Mr. Parr said.

Even just pausing to pet a dog can be enough.

"Maybe I get off a phone call that didn't go the way I wanted or a problem [arose], and then to reach down and just give [Lloyd] a pet or he rolls over for a belly rub, it just makes you feel better," Mr. Frysinger said.

And after shutdowns related to the coronavirus, many pet owners have grown accustomed to working at home alongside their furry companions. Mr. Hirsh said that as more of Hanson's staff are returning to some on-site work, more are taking advantage of the ability to bring their dogs with them.

"Post-COVID, one of the things we've experienced more of is having pets as coworkers and that might be something that we want to keep," Ms. Hoy-Gerlach said. "More people have experienced the benefits for themselves while working from home."

Both Ms. McFarland and Mr. Hirsh noted that for dogs in the office to be a successful perk, companies need to have reasonable restrictions in place and be prepared to accommodate people with allergies, fear, or other objections.

"Start out slowly," Ms. McFarland said. "As long as you communicate and check with everybody, have rules in place, it's really not that complicated."