Best friends are loyal. They make you happy no matter what mood you’re in, and are grateful for everything you do no matter how small. Best friends can help you through stressful times at home or even at work. Best friends might also have fur, four legs, a tail and a habit of panting with their tongues out.
Dogs are more than pets. As the saying goes, they’re a person’s best friend. But no matter how much you love your four-legged friend, would you allow him or her into the workplace to eat up your financial statements, employee pay slips and client invoice payments? Those are inherent risks, but consider the benefit a dog can have on workplace stress.
Workplace stress is normal. In fact, research has shown that some stress can be healthy, motivating us to work harder and get out of our comfort zones. However, when stress teeters over that fine line, it can have a detrimental effect on wellbeing and in turn job performance. There are plenty of proven methods for dealing with workplace stress, like reframing a stressor in a positive light and seeing it as a challenge, living a healthier lifestyle by exercising and getting more sleep or simply taking some leave. Then there are less obvious solutions, which brings me back to dogs.
Pyjama pioneer Peter Alexander is an interesting business, and not just because of the enormous variety of prints and designs showcased across their sleepwear. They allow dogs into their head office. Yes, four-legged, barking, smelly, slobbering animals are allowed into the offices to interact with employees. How could this possibly be productive? Put simply, dogs lower workplace stress.
You likely don’t have much experience with dogs at work, but think about your interactions with them at home. Think about the joy the simple acts of petting, playing fetch, walking them and merely being around them gives you. There’s science behind that.
Petting a dog releases a number of “feel-good” hormones, specifically serotonin, prolactin and oxytocins. These are similar to those released within a parent enjoying time with their infant. That’s right, petting a dog can have as positive an effect on your health as being with your biological child. These hormones improve cardiovascular health by reducing blood pressure and heart rate, both symptoms of workplace stress.
While research into the benefits of dogs on workplace stress is ongoing, results are overwhelmingly supportive, so much so that Take Your Dog To Work Day has been made into an official annual event in the United Kingdom and United States, with global support increasing in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. I’m not going to wholly endorse the day yet – I can’t imagine how I’d get anything done with dogs in my building – but I also don’t think it should be ruled out. After all, the tens of thousands of companies who participate internationally every year can’t be wrong. I guess what I’m saying is: if you’re looking for a way to minimise workplace stress, you’d be barking mad not to think outside the box.
Disclaimer: author will not be held responsible for disciplinary action resulting from the reader bringing their dog into the workplace without prior consent from their manager.
– Magnus