Calgary businesses see ‘paw-tential’ in allowing pets at work
As people continue to return to in-person work at offices across Calgary, more and more employers are allowing staff to bring their pets with them.
Jordan Dobrescu is the production manager at Arbor, a data management company in Calgary, and brings her one-year-old golden doodle, Penny, to work every day.
"She’s one of us. We call her the Chief ‘Paw-sitivity’ Officer,” Dobrescu said. “I think it helps create a welcoming environment and helps people have fun. "Yes, it’s work, but we still want people to have fun while they are here."
While people might expect a dog in the office to create a distraction, Dobrescu says a pet-friendly environment has the opposite effect.
"I am just able to deep dive and focus on work more," she said. "I want to come to the office and I’m not constantly worried about Penny being at home alone.
"Everyone just loves seeing her, she’s constantly making people smile."
Jordan Dobrescu's dog Penny comes to work with her at Arbor, a data management company in Calgary.The pandemic saw a boom in pet ownership as people sought companionship during COVID-19 isolation.
According to a recent survey by Canadian market research company Léger commissioned by PetSafe, a majority of Canadians (51 per cent) believe that employers should consider making their workplaces pet-friendly.
In addition, almost three-quarters of respondents (73 per cent) said that having a dog or cat in the workplace lifts their mood and reduces stress. One third of people (33 per cent) even said they thought it increased productivity."Being home together for the whole day every day working side-by-side, I was really nervous about the idea of separating," said Crystal Phillips, who brings her 12-year-old dog Bear to work at Thin Air Labs in Calgary.
"I don’t know if he has worse anxiety or I do, but being able to bring him to the office settles all that."
Crystal Phillips' dog Bear comes to work with her at Thin Air Labs in Calgary.Phillips says Bear spends most of the day lounging beside her desk and doesn’t bother her coworkers.
"You’ll see someone having a bad day or bad meeting and they’ll come over to the corner and pet Bear a few minutes, regroup and then get back to work," she says.
ATB Financial also recently announced at the end of April that four-legged family members are welcome at the office. Prior to the pandemic, the business offered doggy daycare at its Calgary campus.
The company cites benefits from allowing certain animals in the workplace, including easing the transition for both staff and their pets.
Crystal Phillips' dog Bear comes to work with her at Thin Air Labs in Calgary.
WORKPLACE PET POLICIES A MUST: HR EXPERT
As many organizations create pet-friendly work environments, a professor of human resources at Mount Royal University says employers may want to consider creating a plan for staff who are bringing their four legged friends to work.
"I hate to sound too HR about this, but you are going to need a policy around this," said Christian Cook. "There is a few tactical things people have to consider before flinging open their door and saying 'all pets are welcome."
Cook says employers will want to consider what type of pets are allowed in the office, whether other staff have phobias or allergies, and the need to increase sanitization.
She also says while it is a unique way to entice people back to work, it shouldn’t be the only one.
"I think this is a neat and pretty innovative option. I do think you need to balance it with what else you’re doing with your employees. So, if you’re – for example – allowing people to bring pets to work but you don’t allow people to leave 30 minutes before standard hours to pick up their kids, that’s a really mixed message."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their “extremely dangerous” experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Her fiance has been in prison for 49 years. She's trying to free him before it’s too late
She was lying in bed on a Thursday morning, thinking about the man she loved, hoping to win his freedom before time ran out.