A Pet-Friendly Week Might Be Just What Your Business Needs
This article was provided by Chery DeSantis, Vice President of People and Organization at Mars Petcare NA as part of our Member Content program.
There’s no better icebreaker than a dog. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched someone at work go out of their way to pet a friendly pup and then stay to talk business.
Pets build social capital. Their need to move gets us up for healthy exercise. Their unconditional acceptance is a comfort and a stress reliever. Those are just a few of the benefits of having a pet-friendly workplace.
And that’s not to mention the fact that the overwhelming majority of millennial employees believe pet-friendly workplaces positively affect employees and company culture.
Piloting Pets at Work
That’s why we’re challenging local businesses to give pets at work a try during national Pet Sitters International’s Take Your Pet to Work Week® June 18 to 22. It’s a great time to pilot a program and see if it might work at your business.
It’s also a great opportunity to help the Nashville business community stand out for yet another reason. We’re already known for our creative culture, diverse economy and growth. Let’s put Nashville on the map, too, for giving local talent the innovative benefits and programs they crave, like pets at work.
Free Tools to Help
Mars Petcare’s headquarters office welcomes dogs every day of the week. In the process, we’ve learned a lot about how to make a pets-at-work program succeed for the business, for pet owners and for non-pet owners.
You can sign up here to get a free toolkit with everything you need to get started. And, if you’re already pet friendly, please sign up anyway! We’ll count you among the workplaces who participate, as we aim for an impressive total that gives Nashville pet-friendly bragging rights.
Pets Work at Work
For us at Mars Petcare, welcoming pets is a part of how we live our purpose: A Better World For Pets™. Being with our pets during the day enriches their lives and ours. I know when I bring my dog Riggins in, I meet more people and feel proud that my workplace supports this.
We’re excited to help more workplaces see the many benefits being pet-friendly can bring.
Hope you’ll join us!