Dogs Trust encourage employers to make their workplaces dog friendly
They have a new scheme starting in July to help workplaces make the transition.
This National Bring Your Dog to Work Day, Dogs Trust are encouraging employers to make the swap for good.
Britain saw a 24% rise in dog ownership during the pandemic. Dogs Trust’s inaugural National Dog Survey carried out in October 2021 - the biggest ever survey of dog owners, with over 350,000 respondents – revealed deep concerns from owners about what they would do about dog care after they returned to work.
The dog welfare charity is encouraging organisations and workforces to discuss making their place of work dog friendly long-term, not just for one day.
At the time, other a third of the respondents were working from home and 55,000 said that, ideally, they would like to take their dogs to work, but that their employers wouldn’t allow them to do so.
A quarter of respondents said that they take their dog with them everywhere they go, which Dogs Trust is aiming to extend to all workplaces across the country.
Dogs Trust has also launched their Dog Friendly Workplaces Programme, , for organisations who want to support their workforces, customers, and visitors, amidst the rise of ownership of canine companions.
Some of the charities top advice for ensuring that the workplace can be adapted, and it appropriate for four-legged friends include bringing your dog into your workplace before making firm decisions to see how they settle and interact with your co-workers, as well as thinking about the ability to take your dog on your daily commute.
Dogs Trust have also advised dog owners to ensure their dog is safe to be in the workplace, including make sure their flea, worm and tick treatments are up to date, the information on their chip is up to date and that they are wearing a collar and tag with your contact details on.
As well as this, other contributing factors to allow pets in the workplace is finding places for them to stretch their legs and go to the toilet, and somewhere to relax away from people for certain times during the day.
Katherine Creagh is a behaviour officer at Dogs Trust, who explains how having dogs in the workplace can work for everyone, "We've just launched our Dog Friendly Workplaces programme and that's aimed at helping employers become more dog friendly, and that doesn't necessarily mean it's all about the dogs.
"It also means how do we manage our workspace in a way that we keep everybody comfortable. So there could be a number of things we can do in an office to keep everybody comfortable, including people who don't necessarily want dogs their.
"So these could be things like having dog friendly and dog free areas, keeping certain areas such as kitchen areas, for example, strictly dog free.
"You could bring in HEPA filters which are really goof from removing things from the air, especially if anyone has allergies.
"And potentially as well now that we have a lot of hybrid working, you could figure something out within your office, and within your employees and your colleagues as well to see if somebody wants to bring their dog in one or two times a week, and that bothers you, maybe those could be the days you could work from home."
Dogs Trust is holding a free introduction to their Dog Friendly Workplaces programme virtually in July.
More information can be found on their website http://www.dogstrust.org.uk