Gone to the Dogs – M3 Group’s Dog Friendly Workplace
Our office has a lot of qualities we are proud of. A freshly renovated building; full of our bright branding colors, art from talented local artists, lots of natural light and plenty of space to move about with laptops and be creative. M3 has meeting rooms on each level (one features bean bags), a kitchen and even a small work-out room.
Day to day, one of the things that make us smile most is visits from our furry friends. Our staff takes turns bringing our pups in for at least part of our workdays.
We’ve been lucky to have dogs in our midst who love to just lay at our feet while we work but are happy to play when we are. It creates a positive environment which is good for staff, good for the pets and creates an enjoyable workspace overall.
In fact, according to therapydogs.com, dogs in the workplace lower stress levels, boost morale and trigger workplace interactions that might not normally take place.
Things to know if you plan on creating a dog-friendly workplace:
- Consider surveying all staff to be sure there are no allergy issues, fear of dogs or objections.
- Take turns or limit the number of pets per day.
- Ensure your office is pet proof.
- Have rules in place, owners should supervise pets at all times.
- Bring pets who are comfortable around other people other than it’s human.
- Hyper pets should probably stay home.
- Pets should be up to date on shots, flea control, etc.
- Consider the liabilities, and it never hurts to make sure you are covered for “just in case.”