Pets in the Workplace

Our adoptive kittens Salty and River have stolen our hearts here at Cypress, but as you see, they are handful and a half.

Did you know that petting a dog or a cat not only reduces stress but also lowers your blood pressure? Many companies in the United States have started to allow people to bring in their cats or dogs to work, some have gone as far as to allow any pet within a certain size limit. The companies that have allowed animals to have seen a better culture and an increase in the overall attitude in the workplace. They have also found that their employees are not skipping as much work and they also undergo less stress in their daily tasks. The addition of animals into these businesses have shown the multiple effects on the people in the specific offices.

Salty is the more playful of the two. He normally is the ring leader when it comes time to commit the crime.

There are some drawbacks to the addition of pets to the workplace, however, one of these being the possible distraction that comes with them. Even though they reduce stress and create a friendlier atmosphere, they are still animals and they can create disruptions or interrupt the workflow of the office. One thing that is more bittersweet when it comes to animals in the office is that one day the employee will no longer be able to bring the animal into the office. It is a sad reality that this would happen and if the animal is a staple of the office it will take some getting used to when you walk in and no longer see your buddy on the floor in the cubicle next door.

Fluffy and quiet, River is the baby of the two but he is not scared of anything.

Health professionals have done research on the subject of animals in the workplace, most of which have concluded that the pros outweigh the cons. Most of the workplaces saw an increase in staff morale which in turn affects how motivated people are to get to work and get jobs done. The addition of an animal makes the company more efficient which brings in more money for the company. Morale isn’t the only thing that pets effect in the workplace, they also affect the health of the staff. The stress relief that animals provide lowers the blood pressure and allows people to have more active breaks from their work. By assisting in the creation of workplaces that are low stress and are happier than others, these companies are not having people quit as often as they did before the pet-friendly policies were in place.

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