It’s True – Dogs Are Officially Good For Your Workforce

You don’t work your way into the title of ‘Man’s Best Friend’ by accident. Dogs have been stapled to the human hip for millennia; protecting, assisting and offering companionship to generation after generation.

‘Man’s Best Friend’ actually began as ‘Man’s Best Work Colleague’. The domestication of dogs started, it’s believed, as a mutually beneficial working relationship. Subservient dogs got fed if they protected those that fed them, and hunter-gatherers eventually got them to assist with bringing down other, more delicious animals.

But as the world has worked its way from agricultural to industrial, the inclination to search for canine assistance in our 9-to-5s has waned. With their entire lack of opposable thumbs, dogs aren’t often seen as the most valuable of assets in fast-paced tech start-ups.

But are pup-less professionals missing a trick?

The tangible perks of the office pooch

With the collars of modern-day professionals getting ever-whiter, the benefits of having some canine companionship are less immediately obvious. But according to research conducted by the Virginia Commonwealth University, they are no less there.

VCU found that employees who brought their dogs to work experienced lower stress levels, higher job satisfaction levels, and had a far more positive perception of their employer. The study took saliva samples to measure participants’ cortisol levels – a hormone that indicates how stressed an individual is – at four different times during the work day. Dog owners who brought their dogs to work were consistently less stressed than the two other groups tested – dog owners who didn’t bring their dogs to work, and those who didn’t own dogs at all. The longer the day dragged on, the greater the difference between the groups.

Jessi Salonen of Appster has experienced this stress-mitigation first hand. Her pup, Jake, has worked his way up to the role of Chief Cuddle Officer at the company, and has now become a vital cog in the team.

“If he misses a work day, I’ll have everyone asking ‘where’s Jake? When is he coming in?!’ When he is in he tends to get a bigger hello and a hug than I do… clearly we know who’s more popular!”

Salonen says that Jake is far more than just a novelty. He brings a terrifically calming influence to the office. “On one occasion I was in a heated discussion at work with an individual. It was at that point that Jake walked in, and just by patting Jake through our serious talk this person calmed down, relaxed, and an otherwise stressful situation was mellowed down simply by Jake’s presence. It brought perspective to the meeting – an aura of calm – and everything was solved soon after”.

A wealth of less obvious benefits

But the benefits of having a dog on the job stretch far beyond the mitigation of stress.

Allowing your employees to bring their pets into work is seen as a key employment benefit, improving your organisation’s employer brand. It’s the sort of perk that allows you to attract the very top talent to your company.

Dog-friendly workplaces enjoy reduced rates of employee absenteeism, and lower rates of stress-related ailments such as heart-disease and diabetes. They tend to be more active, as a pup bounding around will inevitably have an employee chasing after it. This exercise can help to boost creativity, as The Journal of Experimental Psychology has recently suggested that a walk can boost creative thinking by up to 60% when compared to sitting.

Having a four-legged friend running around the office can also prove to be a hit with guests. Whether they’re clients, suppliers or investors, dogs can (rather ironically) help to humanise a business; to make it seem more relatable and approachable. Salonen says that this is one of Appster CCO Jake’s greatest talents. “Some clients love him even more than the team do! This was a surprise, as I know not all people like animals, so I was cautious to ensure he was initially only around the internal team. Clients soon got word of the pooch in the office however, and wanted to meet him, give him a pat or take a selfie!”

While modern day professional pooches may not exactly be protecting a flock of sheep or hunting us down dinner, the relationship that they’ve formed with humans over the ages has developed to the point that they need only be around for a fast-paced organisation to enjoy a wealth of benefits. Their presence is our present.

Many forward-thinking organisations have already gone to the dogs , and any workplace looking to get the most out of their employees would be barking mad not to follow suit. Here are a few working away in Australia:

Biscuit, Office Pupervisor at Canva

Biscuit is a real up-and-comer at Aussie firm Canva. Despite being just 2 years old, in a short but eventful professional career he’s already worked his way up to the role of Office Pupervisor.

The role revolves heavily around food – Biscuit is charged with ensuring no scraps fall on the office floor, and if they do it’s his responsibility to clean them up in a timely manner.

Levi, Head Recruiter at HubSpot

Levi’s networking game is strong – it’s fair to say that if you don’t know Levi, you may not be worth knowing. More recently Levi has turned his paw to recruiting.

Milo, Director of Cuddles, Deepend

Director of Cuddles Milo is based in the Melbourne HQ daily. He’s been hanging out with the team at Deepend every day since he was eight weeks old. Milo loves working with our Head of People and Culture to make sure everyone in the office is happy.

Crumpet, Houzz

Crumpet is essentially a cat in a dogs body. She works on her Public Relationship skills daily, enticing people to give her a pat, but then swiftly dodging to avoid human interaction at all costs.

Jake, COO, Appster

Jake (CCO – Chief Cuddle Officer), is highly experienced in the provision of unlimited cuddles. Jake’s wiggly tale and cuteness factor, guarantees satisfaction for both staff and clients alike.

‍