Learn how to create a smooth transition to a more pet-inclusive workplace
If your company has decided to test out a pet-friendly office, congratulations! It’s a very exciting step and certainly one that comes with a lot of responsibility. Pets are incredible companions, but knowing how to ensure pets don’t get in the way of productivity and general office satisfaction can be tricky. That’s why we’re here to explore how to best go about setting up a pilot and test whether being pet-friendly is best for your organization.
To start, it may be worth it to decide on a time period for piloting being pet-friendly. This could be several weeks or several months, depending on how long you think you and your team will need to determine if things are working or not.
During the trial period, you should consider having regular check-ins with team members to get a sense of how they’re feeling about how the trial is going. Perhaps certain dogs are too distracting, or there isn’t enough space with all the new furry friends. Other considerations could come from employees who aren’t fans of pets and want spaces to be separate.
Beyond those set survey periods—which we recommend doing at specific times throughout the trial—you should also be prepared to share the timeline with employees. This communication is incredibly important and leads us into our next topic.
As with an apartment or another short-term rental, pet policies are a means of establishing rules and guidelines that pet lovers can follow. The first thing is to lay the groundwork for pet-specific rules. That includes things like:
It may also be worth it to have employees sign a responsible owner oath. This is less of a binding contract and more of a means to hold pet owners accountable for their pets. This can cover things like promising to clean up after pets, being responsible for their pets’ behavior, etc.
While consequences are never fun to talk about, there should be some mention of what would happen should a pet parent not follow the guidelines. This could be a simple sentence that states privileges to bring pets on site could be revoked should rules be broken. It may also be beneficial to add a point of contact that employees can reach out to if they have a specific question or issue.
Petscreening office manager quote
Transparency is necessary when piloting a pet-friendly office for several reasons. The first is that it builds trust in a time of transition. As with any big change, there will be those for and against it. Communicating rules, regulations, and ways to get in touch with management are critical.
To make sure pets and their owners have the best time while in the office, it’s good to plan ahead and make sure the space they’re using is pet-friendly.
While the dogs that come into the office should be on their best behavior and be well trained, they are, after all, still animals. So people have to do the legwork in preparing the office to be safe for the arrival of our furry friends.
Pets have to go out during the day to go potty, and if there isn’t a dedicated space for it, the landscaping may get new, unwanted additions. Once a space has been sectioned out, also consider supplying poop bags and a receptacle. Pet waste stations cost a few hundred dollars at the most on initial investment, but go a long way in keeping things clean and tidy.
Accidents can happen, but so too can rainy days or muddy walkways. You’ll want to be prepared for whatever is thrown at you and having a dedicated clean-up station with towels, wipes, and pet-safe cleaners takes the hard work out of cleaning up messes.
The entire experiment of allowing pets into the office should be looked at on a trial period basis. That’s where a group of team members, leadership, or the office management team decides what to look for during the period and how to determine if it's a worthwhile adventure going forward. This should be a moment to consider the surveys and feedback, any metrics (mood surveys can be done in the weeks prior and during the period to see how pets affect mood), as well as any other goals that you want to test against.
The idea is that you’re able to gather as much information as possible about the experience and then use it to determine whether to continue or not. Are pets making people more relaxed or more stressed? Are non-pet owners feeling okay about being around so many pets? How do those with allergies feel? Are pets too much of a distraction to day-to-day operations? After all, this is a business and pets shouldn’t hinder regular output of work.
While the trial period for the entire experience is happening, each pet should be under their own trial. Why? Well, not all pets have the same behaviors. The HR coordinator's dog might be mellow, quiet, and sleep most of the day, while the IT lead’s dog is anxious, barks a great deal, and has accidents. It’s important to determine if a specific pet’s temperament and behavior are conducive to the work environment. If they’re not, they may not be able to return to the office due to the distraction they create.
To ensure fairness, there should be a scorecard by which each pet is “graded” that looks at temperament, behavior, as well as how the animal gets along with other people and other pets. If a pet is determined not to be a fit for an office, the conversation had with the owner should be respectful and empathetic because no one wants to hear their pet isn’t cut out for corporate life.
While dogs are the most common pet to join their owners in the office, there are still some other species and breed requirements to think about.
When talking about dogs, you may want to restrict certain breeds either due to insurance or legal requirements. You may also want to err on the side of caution and restrict the most popular “banned breeds” like Pit Bull Terriers or Rottweilers. All dog breeds have the capacity to be gentle and loving, but as a company, the risk may be too high to welcome these breeds.
But dogs aren’t the only species of pet people have. Felines, reptiles, rodents, and arachnids are other popular companions; you’ll want to determine what is and isn’t allowed. When it comes to cats, will you have space for their litter boxes? For reptiles, what are the size restrictions and are they allowed out of their tanks? Will you allow spiders, ferrets, or rabbits?
It can be a slippery slope when welcoming one type of pet because others might want theirs to be included as well. No matter what you decide, take into consideration the potential liability as well as what most people in the office will be comfortable with.
Pets are an integral part of many people’s lives, and working full-time in the office can make pet ownership even harder. But allowing pets to join their owners at the office can boost morale, encourage company loyalty, and be one of many workplace amenities to draw in new talent.
That’s where the trial run comes in. You should set a period of time to test out how it's going and be open to feedback from employees. An anonymous survey halfway through the period and also at the end of the trial run may also be helpful to gather insights and opinions.
