Boost morale and productivity with help from your ‘canine colleagues’

The DSPCA’s Pets at Work Scheme (PAWS) is an initiative asking employers to welcome “canine colleagues” to the workplace.

Susanne McGovern, Corporate Relations Manager for the Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said the scheme is about helping employers transition into a pet friendly workplace.

Ms. McGovern said on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland the DSPCA provides a six-step guide on how to introduce pets into the workplace in a gradual way and that currently, Google and AirBnB have a pets at work policy and the DSPCA has helped these companies to make it work.

The benefits of pets have been known by animal lovers for a long time, but are now understood by health care providers too. Some employers are now encouraging pet owners to bring their pets to work to transfer these benefits to the workplace. Nestlé is one of the most well-known companies to have introduced a “pets at work” scheme in America back in 2015 and 2019 in the UK, citing multiple benefits to staff and the organisation as a whole. Not everyone is an animal lover so companies do need to consider all employees.

Recently there has been a large number of dogs being surrendered in Ireland as people return to work after Covid-19 restrictions have eased.

Ms. McGovern said “That’s the last thing we want for families to do. Our pets are part of our family and that’s the way they should be treated. You owe it to them to try everything possible for you to keep your pet,”