Learn more about Pet Friendly Office Design Ideas…and our team’s favorite furry friends!

In recognition of “Hug Your Hound Day” which happens to fall on September 14th, our team decided to have some fun sharing some pet friendly office design ideas and a little more about our “furry friends” in an interactive game. 

Below, you will find a quick link to a game that we created (with the help of the Qzzr app/website). Test your knowledge of our team’s best friends, and see how you stack up against other players.

Once you have played the game, take a look at our “Pet Friendly Office Design Ideas” section to learn more about bringing your furry friends to the office and ways to make it work.

 CLICK ON THE IMAGE BELOW TO START PLAYING THE GAME…

AFTER playing the game, click here:
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We also encourage you to jump on Facebook or Twitter using the hash tag #hugyourhound2016 to share pictures of your favorite hound.

Pet-friendly office design ideas

Dogs make us smile, smiling reduces stress, reducing stress increases overall health and that helps to fight off illness, therefore reducing the amount of time taken off of work and the costs associated with employees seeking medical treatment, which sounds like a good thing to me!

As people are waiting longer to have (or choosing not to have) children, it is common for working adults to turn their attention and care on a beloved “fur baby”. Companies are learning that when a person is allowed to bring their dog(s) to work, they don’t need to rush home and they can remain at work to finish projects and meet deadlines and surprisingly, their productivity goes up and their overall feeling of job satisfaction increases. In 2015 almost one in ten workplaces is now “dog friendly” as reported in a “ survey conducted by Human Resource Management, 8 percent of workplaces in America allow employees to bring their pets to work.” (Source:  “Pooch perk…”)

 How does a place of employment make the move to being a dog-friendly work place???

 To become dog friendly, if you don’t own your building, you will need to read your lease and seek permission to have dogs on-site. Having a plan written up on how you will address the “wear and tear”, along with a “potty plan”, will help your landowner to recognize your willingness to be a responsible tenant. You may also need to consult with current employees to find out if there are any allergies or concerns with the transition and it would probably be a good idea to talk to your insurance agent as well.

 Once you make the move to become a dog-friendly environment, a few considerations are:

How will the dogs be kept in their own area? Private offices are ideal, but cubicles work great in an open concept office.  A kennel can be slipped under a desk to allow the employee’s dog a place to lay down and relax and a baby gate (the walk-through swinging kind) will limit a dog from roaming and distracting co-workers and their dogs. There are now crates designed to look like furniture, an existing desk can be altered to accommodate a crate, or a fabric crate cover can be used to conceal a pet when needed, such as during client meetings.

Where will the dogs play? IF you are fortunate enough to have a large area, use it for scheduled playtime! A dock area can work great for this, as long as the floors are clean and a fence can be put around the designated play area. There are different types of pet-friendly flooring that will reduce slipping and is easy to clean up, such as rolled rubber flooring and tiles. Artificial turf looks great in cubicles, but isn’t easy to clean up messes from.

Where is the doggy “restroom” going to be? Designate an area that employees can take their dog to get some fresh area and do their business. If possible, this area should be away from the main entrance with a trash container placed down-wind from the entrance. Adding a sprinkler system to flush the lawn nightly will help to reduce the “doggy smell” and will help keep your grass happy. Plant trees or shrubs that won’t be affected by dog urine and to add privacy to the area, if needed.

Work with an architect to create an interior build-out that will be inviting to your employees and their pets, the costs involved in making some minor (or major) changes could be recouped in the savings earned by reducing employee turnover and increased employee productivity! Changes can include installing non-slip flooring, a bowl cleaning and watering area, custom cubicles with swinging gates, a dog-friendly entry that will prevent runaways and converting an office or unused space into a sound-proofed playroom. Also, keep fabric covered furniture away from areas where dogs will be walked to avoid dog hair or the over zealous boy from using your ottoman as a fire hydrant.

The following article provides some further information on, “To Dog or Not to Dog:  What You Need to Know before Making Your Office Pet-Friendly”  

An idea of a dog friendly designed office can be seen here: Dog Friendly Office Design  

We hope you had fun getting to know our entire team a little more with our fun game and also learned how to create a pet-friendly work environment! We have a great team here at APPRO and CERRON (including our furry friends) and would appreciate the opportunity to have you meet more of our team members.

Please contact us to schedule a meeting with any of our team members to start your next commercial or industrial property solution.

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