At Safewell, we often have employees bring their Pooches in for the day, and they get thoroughly spoilt. It always creates a buzz around the office and gives plenty to talk about. We find it helps add to an already positive office environment.
There are many potential positives for welcoming an office dog into the workplace. Research suggests that dogs at work may reduce stress levels, boost performance and employee engagement. However, animal allergies are common, and some employees may be uncomfortable sharing their work space with a dog.
Things to consider if you’re thinking of having a doggy day in the office:
1 – The impact to employees, e.g. Dog phobias or allergies.
2 – Dog behaviour, e.g. Do dogs need to be trained, vaccinated?
3 – The Facilities, e.g. Risk assessment carried out, facilities required.
4 – Are office dogs the right fit for the company? e.g. Weigh up the pros and cons of having a dog in the office.
5 – HR Policies implementing a dog friendly Policy, e.g. Creating a policy to clearly communicate your expectations with staff.
We have worked with Safewell for many years and are retained clients, so we have developed an excellent working relationship with the team. However, this really came into its own when Covid 19 appeared.
As a Plumbing and Heating business, we were able to carry on working during the lockdown but only for responding to emergencies. We were obviously very concerned about the health and safety of our employees and before we even had chance to get in touch with Safewell, they had emailed us offering their assistance. It is hard to put down on paper how that made us feel - we like everyone else felt totally at sea, which way to turn, what to do? But Safewell were there guiding, supporting and being totally brilliant. Their attention to detail is very impressive and reassuring and we feel able to ask lots of questions without feeling silly.
During the pandemic Safewell helped us to write risk assessments, safety procedures and protocols. They kept in touch regularly, issuing new guidance as soon as it appeared and checking in with us. They held group Q&A sessions over Zoom which were helpful, and knowing other businesses were facing the same challenges and having the opportunity to discuss issues was invaluable. Their help during the preparation for a full return to work was brilliant, they enabled us to be fully prepared and feel in control, and when we had our first case of Covid within the team, because we had planned our response it felt ok.
I think our team felt very reassured by our robust approach and that our office was Covid secure. We are extremely grateful to all the team at Safewell
