Having a pet-friendly workplace can do wonders for office morale. Indeed, study after study has shown that bringing pets into the workplace can lower stress levels in employees and actually cause them to perform better in their jobs. However, many companies that are on the fence about making their office pet-friendly worry about the mess that animals can cause. If you are thinking about making your workplace pet-friendly know that this risk can be managed with planning. Here are some things to consider and some tips to make it work for everyone.
- Check with building management: Make sure that it is legal to have non-service dogs in your office building. (Of course, service dogs must be allowed in all buildings.) You may be in violation of your lease if you bring dogs into your office.
- Check with your employees: Next, you will want to run the idea past your employees to gauge their enthusiasm for the idea. You may have employees who have pet allergies or who are afraid of dogs, for example. If there are and this concern is a major one, you may wish to modify or even cancel your efforts to make your office pet-friendly.
- Create a policy: Once you have gotten the green light from the building manager and your employees are on board with the idea, you should begin to work out the practical aspects of allowing pets into your workplace. For example, you will want to make sure that office dogs are up to date on their shots and that they are housebroken.
- Designate cleaning responsibilities: This is a big one. Even a housebroken dog will occasionally have an accident. In an office, this can not only be a nuisance, it can also cost your company money on cleaning that it did not intend to spend. Therefore, you should make clear to employees that they are responsible for picking up after their pets should an accident occur. Finally, keep your office stocked with cleaning supplies such as a small vacuum cleaner, a broom and dust pan, a spot carpet cleaning solution, etc.
- Hire professional office cleaners: Pets in the office can, as we have already said, be terrific morale boosters. However, it does take some effort to make sure that they do not damage carpets, drapes, furniture, etc. By hiring day porter services in Riverside, CA, you can boost employee morale and reduce stress levels by having pets present and at the same time keep your office clean and sanitary.
At the end of the day, you may find out most of your employees don’t want pets around. That’s fine. Just make sure that once you have reached a consensus in your workplace that you plan things out carefully. If you do, then our commercial carpet cleaning in Riverside, CA and other office based services can help make this transition much easier.
