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Employers realize that the benefits of being pet-friendly—from creating a better work environment to attracting talent—are smart business.
Companies plan to make offices more pet friendly when employees return
A poll of 500 C-suite executives and 1,500 pet owners found that companies are planning to be more flexible and pet-friendly after the pandemic.
Buzz60, Buzz60
DETROIT – If you go to work for Cindy Pasky, one of the city’s most influential business owners, one job requirement is a little unusual.
You must love animals. at work.
that’s right. Pasky, the founder, president and CEO of Strategic Staffing Solutions, which boasts 3,600 employees in 46 states and 14 countries, is a personal pet lover. So does her husband, Paul Huxley, who serves as chairman of the staffing and consulting firm commonly known as S3.
At the Detroit office, which occupies two floors of one of the city’s most historic buildings, each floor is home to three cats. It’s their permanent home, and they’ve lived there since Paskey adopted them as cats from Michigan Humane, the state’s largest nonprofit animal welfare organization, where he serves as executive committee chair.
At home, Pasky and Huxley have a few more cats and a dog, Dorney, a frequent visitor at S3 – and he gets along well with these furry friends.
A business case for Fido in the office
So why is this important to Paski other than giving these cats a happy life?
It is also good for business.
Paski is a pioneer in integrating pets into work life, but in recent years it has become quite a trend in the country – especially after the pandemic, when many people adopt pets for the first time and leave their homes alone when they go. He finally returned to the office.
A survey of 500 C-suite executives last year found that 60% planned to give their employees more flexibility regarding their pets when they returned to the office.
57% of the 1,500 employees surveyed said they would be happy to return to work if they took their angry pet with them.
This applies to many Americans. About 70% of American households (85 million households) own a pet. At least 37 million millennia fall into this category.
Not only is pet ownership, and consequently spending time with those pets, important to today’s workforce, but employers are also realizing the benefits of being pet-friendly—from creating a better work environment to attracting talent—to making business sense.
“The business case is simply that people in general love animals,” says Huxley. “It creates a happy work environment. It’s just a great thing.”
Office cats relieve stress and provide entertainment
S3 employees don’t normally bring their pets, if the dog daycare is closed or something else happens, it’s best if someone brings their pet to work.
And at other S3 offices, there’s one day a week where everyone can bring their pets to work.
In Detroit, office cats help create a more domestic atmosphere, among other benefits.
“They are the ultimate stress relievers,” Paxy says.
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Cats are very intelligent, as animals often are, and they know which worker needs a little extra attention on any given day.
Plus, they’re fun. One of the cats figured out how to activate the light switch that opens the office door so that someone can come to the rescue if it is locked.
In many ways, the cats have become part of the office family, and employees want to bring their children or relatives to meet the cats. New toys for cats appear frequently, and everyone takes care of them.
Customers appreciate the office culture
In addition to helping attract employees and boost office morale, a pet-friendly environment is often a selling point for customers, Pasky says.
“It’s becoming part of people’s choice criteria,” she says. “Our culture sets us apart.”
Community involvement and a culture of philanthropy are an integral part of Pasky’s vision for her company. Michigan Humane is far from the only organization Pasky is involved with, but it’s a good example of how he’s driven to make his hometown of Detroit a better place to live.
When people have pets in their lives, studies show that they are happier and healthier. So are their communities and workplaces.
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Pets make us happier, healthier
Matt Pepper, president and CEO of Michigan Humane and board chair of the Association for the Advancement of Animal Welfare, says if you have a pet, you’re more likely to be active and less likely to die of a heart attack or stroke. Only raising animals lowers blood pressure.
“People love having experiences with their pets, and they love what their pets mean to them,” Pepper said. “If you want to attract and retain young talent, you need to include pets in your city’s master plan. You have to have parking space, you have to have businesses to support it. You need to have work environments that support people with their pets.
Pasky finds this to be true at S3, where she says her company’s pet-friendly philosophy has made it competitive when it comes to recruiting.
And that changes quickly for workers starting out without a pet at home.
That’s good news for all the cats and dogs eagerly awaiting adoption in Detroit and elsewhere.
“At the end of the day, they’re best friends,” Pasky says.
Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at US TODAY. Contact her at ijacques@usatoday.com or on Twitter: @Ingrid_Jacques
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