Five benefits of having an office pet

Psychologist Honey Langcaster-James provides her top benefits of having pets in the workplace

1. Psychological studies have shown the stress relieving benefits of stroking a pet, so pets at work might help stressed out employees combat the effects of a stressful day. 

2. Bringing a pet to work tends to encourage social interaction between employees as people are generally pleased to see the pet and it’s a great way to start conversations and foster great employee relations. 

3. Purina published some recent research that showed pets at work can boost employee mood without having any negative effects on productivity, so if managers want to lift mood and morale they should introduce a pet-friendly policy. 

4. Employees who have pets at home often worry about getting home quickly to let the dog out, so bringing pets to work helps to alleviate that tension and concern and people can finish their working day without having to worry about leaving at a set time. 

5. Having a pet at work is a great way of remembering to take short walks and breaks, ensuring you get up and move rather than stay glued to your desk. This is great for health and wellbeing and can also lead employees to be more productive if they take short breaks to refresh. 

Anyone looking to introduce pets at work, might be interested to see Purina’s six steps for setting up at Pets At Work Scheme