Did you know that from June 22–28 of 2020 is: take your pet to work week?
In this COVID-19 pandemic crisis and the lockdown period, a lot of people are already working from home with their pets. Some are starting to see the benefits of having your pets' presence while working from home (WFH). Let's hope that takes your pet to work trends will become more pervasively when we return to the real-world in the office after the lockdown.
Here's a summary of some of these benefits, by Petco:
1) Improve health - The presence of your pet in the workplace can reduce heart rate and blood pressure. Simply petting your pet during work can increase salivary immunoglobulin A(IgA), an indicator of healthy immune system functioning.
2) Reduce stress - A pet-friendly office can reduce stress, anxiety, and improve calmness. Research shows that interaction with a friendly companion animal, specifically a dog, positively affects endocrine response. These hormones include the levels of cortisol, norepinephrine, epinephrine, and serotonin.
3) Increase productivity and promote creativity - Dogs remind us to get up and take breaks, which have been shown to improve morale, productivity, and focus. A break with your dog to go outside for a walk can increase creative ideation in real time and shortly after.
4) Enhance socialization among co-workers - bringing your pet to work can act as a catalyst for human social interactions. A series of workplace experiments showed that employees are more likely to trust each other and collaborate more effectively when dogs were present in a group.