Does Your Office Need a Dog? 3 Surprising Study-Based Benefits of Office Pets

Over 66% of households own a pet according to the American Pet Products Association, with Millennials taking the largest share of pet ownership at 33%. Compare that to Team Stage data which states that millennials make up 35% (or 1/3) of the current workforce, which means that a good portion of the workforce probably consider themselves to be pet parents.

Since the pandemic, a lot of the benefits of home pet ownership have come to light, and for the workplace the same applies. A few different studies have explored what kind of effect having an office pet (or a few) has had on workers, with a multitude of positive results. Here are the 3 most surprising insights from those studies.

1. Stress Down, Attitude Up

Pets, particularly dogs, have the power to reduce stress. They produce a calming effect in the environments where they are present, and help to reduce blood pressure. 57% of pet parents said that having their pet at work helped reduce their stress.

They also boost positive attitudes in the workplace by serving as an icebreaker between employees. Similarly, it proves difficult for negativity to remain among colleagues when office pets are present. This leads to greater communication and a more positive atmosphere.

2. Live Long and Prosper

Also, according to another study pet owners spend less money on medicines and visit the doctor less often. Compare the stats about pets and heart attack victims for example. Pet owners who have serious heart attacks have a survival rate at 94% while the same victims without pets survive at a 72% rate.

While this may not seem to have much bearing on having an office pet, it stands to reason that even a small improvement in health could positively benefits things like how much a company spends on insurance. Not only that, but office pets bring in a level of physical activity from needing time outside to walking, that can often be overlooked as a necessity during an 8-hour work day. All physical activity, no matter how small has a seriously important impact on employee health and even emotional well-being.

3. Getting Stuff Done

If you've ever been on a walk or jog and stopped for the sole purpose of petting a cute dog, then you know pets can be a bit distracting. Yet contrary to how you might think this translates to the workplace, office pets actually improve productivity. Here's how.

Short breaks help you to refocus and fuel your creativity. Oftentimes, we break only at regularly scheduled times, such as lunch, and often don't give our minds the rest they need between period of deep work. Having an office pet for example would create these naturally occurring instances of movement, mental rest and even time outdoors. The biggest boosts to our productivity come when we allow ourselves not to work harder but smarter. Office pets help us to do that.

Conclusion

If you've been considering getting a pet at home or negotiating with your boss to create an office pet-friendly workplace, there are plenty of reasons why, even with the added costs of having an animal, it can benefit your work environment, productivity and personal well-being in the long-run.

Is having an office pet just a little too much for you right now? How about a plant instead? Check out the benefits of having an office plant.