Making the office fur-friendly
On the question of bringing dogs to work
Quartz is moving to a new office in New York. We’re documenting it here because many of our questions apply to other startups. Our introduction explains more about what we’re up to. Follow our publication for updates.
When my husband and I work from home, our dog Stewie is a wonderful coworker. While he may ignore us for most of the day, preferring to focus on his blanket and bone, he will happily allow us to scratch his ears, take him for a walk, express our thoughts, or spontaneously envelop him in a huge hug. Just having him there is good for us: Pets are associated with a range of benefits, from stress-relief to improved health.
Put me anywhere near a cat, however, and it’s a different story. While I love the furry felines, I’m also highly allergic. A few minutes in a space where a cat has been (they don’t even have to be in the room!) quickly results in watering eyes, difficulty breathing, and an intense feeling of claustrophobia.
My extreme reactions illustrate some of the challenges of introducing pets into the office.
Amazon, Google, Etsy, Ben and Jerry’s, Clif Bar, and Zynga are well-known pet-loving workplaces, but more and more companies across the US are letting it reign cats and dogs. A 2015 Society for Human Resource Management survey found 8% of American workplaces allow employees to bring their furry loved ones to work, up from 5% in 2013.
Quartz was initially a pet-friendly office when it was still a team of less than 50 in a office in SoHo. In 2013, the office instituted “Dog Fridays,” where people would sign up on a calendar to have their dogs come in, says Megan Wright, an associate marketing manager and the proud owner of a seven-year-old Leonberger called Kira. (You can find pics of those early days on our QZ Life Tumblr.)
Quartz developer Sam Williams would bring his 13-year-old lap/pit mix Aeon into the office once or twice a month, where she would get plenty of attention and exercise. She also helped him focus, providing “a nice, quick distraction to pet her … and a good excuse to force myself to get up and take her for a walk,” he says. “I’ve had her her whole life and we’ve both gotten pretty good at knowing how to make the other happy.”
Our current office has a strict no-dog policy. Our next office may allow dogs, if everyone who works there is comfortable with them and wouldn’t suffer an allergic reaction. But how best to make sure that’s the case?
Not everyone loves animals. Some people simply aren’t fans or have had bad experiences in the past. Gallup reported in 2006 that 10% of Americans are afraid of dogs (I continue to be nervous around large dogs, having been bitten twice in the past.) And up to three in ten Americans are allergic to cats and dogs, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Some companies may be put off by the potential distraction, expense or even litigation that might be associated with having pets around.
I reached out to a few companies to ask about some of the challenges of implementing this type of office policy. Minneapolis digital marketing agency Ideapark has 22 employees and hosts at least four or five dogs in their office a day. Owner Brian Brown says the benefits of having animals outweigh logistical challenges like messes, over-energetic animals, or occasional barking.
The dogs provide comic-relief, making the environment “feel more relaxed and home-like” and “usually kind of blend in with the office furniture until we need to pet something warm and furry,” Brown says.
Brown advises making sure visiting animals have good temperaments. “When doing employee reviews, we also review the dogs,” he says. “Some are better at chilling out and fitting in than others. We’ve had to ask those with dogs who are too jumpy or overly barky to keep them at home.”
Pet medical insurance provider Trupanion hosts over 260 dogs, cats, and fish in its Seattle office. It also has a “pet director,” Dani Kahn, who is responsible for making sure pets are integrated into the work environment. Employees submit an application for their pets, including a vaccination history, sign a liability release and pet-policy acknowledgement form, undergo an evaluation with Kahn, and have a two-week test period in the office to make sure they’re comfortable.
Kahn says the policy has helped lower employee stress levels — from the presence of their pet on daily commutes, to having a non-judgmental support in the midst of a tough day or following a difficult decision. “So many of us consider our pets our kids and having them with us safe and sound brings us joy,” she says.
Kahn recommends planning ahead to make sure the company knows how to respond to the unexpected—pets can sometimes be unpredictable, after all. “Having protocols for situations creates peace of mind,” Kahn says. “Everyone knows their role in any emergency should we have one.”
Luckily, Quartz is a very open work environment — this blog being one example — and it’s unlikely that a policy would be put in place without surveying employees and taking into account everyone’s concerns.
Quartz product designer Elan Kiderman enjoyed being around dogs at previous workplaces before joining Quartz fulltime.
“It’s good for office morale/mental health,” says Kiderman, who says having a dogs around the office made up for not having one at home. He’s thinking of getting a dog, and being able to bring it to the office is a factor in that decision.
“I understand that all dogs, all the time could be distracting,” acknowledges Quartz growth editor Jennifer Chang. “But given that dogs have various therapeutic and stress-fighting qualities, it would be nice to designate one day a week or every two weeks as ‘Dog Day,’ or to allow a rotating list of sign-ups.”
Fashion reporter Marc Bain would love to have pets in the office, but says that his five-year-old Morkie Lucy, while personally a great stress-reliever, wouldn’t be a good candidate. “I would always be worrying about whether she’s getting into trouble and if she’s doing ok,” he says. “And she LOVES to sleep on my lap. Whenever I’m home that’s where she spends about 90% of her time. I suspect she would want to do that in the office.”
Several folks at Quartz responded positively to the idea of having animals return, and with a little organization, that might be possible. Until then, we’ll have to settle on getting our animal kicks from pet-related Slack channels and cat videos — which are energy-boosting, after all.
