Improving Workplace Collaboration Requires A Dog

[jtuck004]

Researchers at Central Michigan University wanted to know if dogs— long acknowledged as catalysts for friendship— had any workplace benefits.

To find out, they gathered groups of four people and gave them a project...

Afterwards, each group member rated colleagues. The groups with a dog "ranked their team-mates more highly on measures of trust, team cohesion and intimacy than those who had not," the Economist writes.
...
The team members with dogs around were 30% less likely to ding the others. The Economist's conclusion: more dogs in offices and fewer in police stations.


More here...

Thanks for the link from http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/

[hlthe2b]

1. I would love to work in a dog-friendly workplace....

while I'm sure it would take a bit of time to get all the pups and peoples to "play nicely," once accomplished that would be one heck of a nice environment to work. I've always trained my dogs to be quiet and calm when I am sitting down reading or doing computer work, so they would be prime candidates for workplace "visiting."

Plus the blood pressures of all the employees would drop tremendously.

[customerserviceguy]

3. What about people with allergies?

Some people simply cannot be around some animals.

[hlthe2b]

4. There is a real misunderstanding about the extent to which

people are really allergic to dogs. Yes, it can occur, but the majority of severely allergic people are triggered by dust mites and pollen, followed in frequency to cat dander after that. The problem is that doctors so often just assume that an allergic individual might be allergic to dogs, without working them up (testing in any way) nor ruling in and out what it is that they are really allergic to. Parents take this assumption at faith and then the child and later adult is convinced that they are dog allergic, when it is highly unlikely to be the case. Bottom line, though dog allergies are far less common than you would think. In fact much recent research on asthma has shown that early exposure in childhood to dogs (and a household that is not hermetically sealed) can actually reduce the incidence.

[orleans]

10. we had several cats at several points in my childhood

and it took years to figure out that was why i would cough and wheeze and have asthma attacks.

i'm still very allergic to cats. i'm okay with dogs though.

all these years and i found only one cat (who belonged to a friend) that didn't make me wheeze/sneeze/rub my eyes/make it hard to breathe.

i wish childhood exposure could have been the cure. i had to say goodbye to a beautiful momma cat and two of her kittens and it broke my heart as i leaned in the cage at the animal shelter and promised them i'd come back for them. of course i didn't--i couldn't. one of the few promises i've never kept. maybe the only one i never kept. but it certainly wasn't because i didn't care. (my mother loved those cats too--and when she learned/realized what some of these shelters did when animals didn't get adopted within a week or two she never forgave herself for taking them there--she thought she was doing the right thing.)

[hlthe2b]

11. Your story is heart breaking... I'm sorry..

It doesn't sound like there were many options. :hug:

[customerserviceguy]

12. So your answer is

"You don't really have allergies to my dog, you're just misinformed." I guess if someone had a fear of dogs, then you would say it's their problem to deal with their irrational phobia, as well.

That might work, until someone slaps the employer with an ADA lawsuit...

[hlthe2b]

13. why so combative?

I merely stated the problem is less than you presume in terms of dog allergies. Consider that if dog-related allergies were such a problem, there would be all hell breaking out in high rise apartment and condo buildings, given the often shared air exchange. In fact, that is not the case.

I realize that you dislike the idea of having dogs in the workplace. It won't work for all settings, but certainly it has in many. Generally, these businesses set up rules and have ways to isolate the "dog-friendly" areas from those that might have public visitation, or where there are employees that are either fearful or have other reasons not to be part of the dog environment. Simple. Sometimes common sense and consideration really wins out---even in this litigious and often intolerant environment. :shrug:

[customerserviceguy]

14. I object to all kind of things that are not appropriate for a workplace

Even "Bring Your Kids to Work Day". That's a lost day of productivity that has to be made up, and often by the people who don't have kids. The "Bring Your Pet to Work All Year Long" concept is more of the same, only much longer.

Your analogy about condos and high rises is not the same thing, the dogs in my condo development don't share my living quarters. And I'm not a dog hater by any means (although I do admit to suspicions about cats), it's my lady who is highly allergic to these pets. A dog is not part of her or my job description, that's why we work customer service instead of for a K-9 unit with a police organization.

Look, if your dog makes you feel that good, rush to get home to him/her, and leave the overtime pay for the rest of us. We'll all be better off for it.

[hlthe2b]

15. As stated, not all workplaces are ideal for having dogs...

but you are wrong in assuming that those that do are less productive. These are usually smaller business, but the mega statistical software giant, SAS is one whose North Carolina corporate offices have made it possible to work with dogs in the workplace. No one can say they are less than productive as they have led their niche of the software market for academia and corporate America for decades.

Comparing it to "bring your kids to work day" is a totally non-working analogy. Those workplaces that incorporate dogs, do so with rules that ensure that they are not disruptive and enable productivity, while kids coming in on that day is acknowledged to be more for the kids than about worker productivity on that day.

As to your concern for those who do not wish to work in such an environment, they certainly do not have to. But, there is a choice for those businesses (and their lucky employees) who believe it to be a means to both retain good employees and to maximize productivity. And YOU do not get to tell these employees to "rush home to him/her, and leave the overtime pay for the rest of us." In fact, without the worry of getting home to let their dog out and tend to their needs, these employees are typically the ones staying late--happily. And for that fact, we who are far more tolerant of others choices, are all the better off for it.

[customerserviceguy]

17. Well, it wouldn't be the first place I'd ever worked

that "went to the dogs". Also, it's a fallacy to equate market position with productivity. Some extremely wealthy companies have terribly bad management practices.

Hopefully, I'll be retired before they allow people to routinely bring their pets to my job. I pick up enough slack from my co-workers who need to go to the bathroom every half hour.

[hlthe2b]

18. Well, I have to say...

you sort of have a "Mr. Wilson, 'get off of my grass'" attitude going there. So, your coworkers disturb you by going to the bathroom, bringing their kids once a year to work, and even contemplating making part of the workplace dog-friendly? I think you are driving yourself crazy focusing on your annoyances, so I hope you can retire before going over the deep end. :shrug:

[customerserviceguy]

19. Yeah, maybe I do

I guess it comes from thirty-five years of working my ass off while watching people around me become slackers who want to goof off. I'm sorry that the folks who want to take their dogs to work remind me of that trend.

And I hope I can retire soon enough, too, but as a practical matter, it's going to be about fifteen years, considering that the Social Security commision is probably about to extend the date for my retirement with full benefits to 2025.

[david13]

2. There was a show on tv some time ago, maybe a few years,

where they visited dog friendly, dog allowed work places. Where the people all had dogs, and would bring their dogs to work with them.
I suppose some of those places would be vet offices. With a resident dog, or cat.
I remember the Either/Or Bookstore in Hermosa Beach. They always had at least one resident cat there, and I think I have seen the same thing in Berkeley and Ann Arbor, as well. Resident cat in a bookstore.
I have a newspaper article (remember those things?) on my bulletin board about a resident cat in a theater (play, not cinema) in ... let me go see ... Thousand Oaks, Civic Arts Plaza.
I've also been in small town offices thru out California. Government offices, either state or local. Which have had resident animals. I love it.
dc

[Faryn Balyncd]

5. arf !

[shireen]

6. that would be so much fun!

Doggie co-workers would be awesome!

I have a micro-reef (20 gallon) on my desk at work. Not quite the same effect, but because of it, i've had conversations with people that I would otherwise have passed by in the hall with just a nod or smile (if they make eye contact).

[Catshrink]

7. Once in a while I bring my dog to school.

The kids go nuts over him and he loves the attention. Once they get to work, he settles down and sleeps. Even the most obnoxious kids melt and show a tender side. Maybe it's because my dog is the most handsome dog in the world. (And I am unanimous in this.)

[Fleshdancer]

8. My office was very pet friendly until the location moved...

The move is very recent, we've been in the new place for one week now. The good news is that we needed more space, but the new office building has a very strict 'no pets' policy. Since we're on the 4th floor, it's pretty much impossible to sneak our critters in. :(

I suspect there are a lot of small business owners who would LOVE to allow their employees to bring their dogs, but simply can't because their building management company won't allow it. I see it from their angle too though...what if the pets destroy the property? Needing to clean the carpets is one thing, but chewed wires is a safety issue.

[david13]

20. You remind me of my office in Torrance. I always brought my cat.

One day one of the other tenants was complaining to the landlord about the cat. A real laugh, as it was the landlord and his wife who had ... given me the cat. They always brought their dog.
I think the landlords exact words were "I'll evict him if he complains any more."
dc

[blaze]

9. My local bird food store has a resident cat!

I've always thought that was a bit ironic... but she's usually just sleeping on top of the computer monitor. :)

[Stinky The Clown]

16. Our office welcomes pets any time they want to come

[guitar man]

21. Can't go wrong with a dog or two around

They just have a way of bringing out the best in people, well, most people anyway. :)

[boppers]

22. I've been working in an office with 3-4 dogs running around for about a year.

Biggest "downside" seems to be that people stop working and play with the doggies, but this is for a company that stresses making sure we work, and play.