The impact of a dog-friendly office on staff productivity and well being..

A research suggests that a dog-friendly office could have a real impact on employee well-being and productivity, and it’s no wonder more companies are welcoming furry friends into the workplace. Virginia Commonwealth University Center for Human-Animal Interaction found that having dogs around the office produced a wide array of benefits for both pet owners and their pet-less co-workers.The study, which was published in a 2012 edition of International Journal of Workplace Health Management, examined Replacements Ltd., a manufacturing services company in Greensboro, N.C,where several dozen dogs are present on a typical day. The study found that employees who brought their dogs to work experienced significantly lower stress levels during the workday and that a sizable portion of pet-free co-workers viewed the dogs’ presence as having a positive impact on their productivity as well.Further studies also support the notion that pets are natural stress relievers. These results were consistent across a wide range of departments, from traditional white-collar fields such as sales and marketing to blue-collar sectors such as manufacturing. Exposure to dogs could also increase the release of the hormone oxytocin, new research suggests. Although oxytocin is best known for its role in human and animal bonding, it has a wide range of effects related to overall health, sociability, trust, and how we generally get along. “With so much of our work depending on team dynamics and interactions in the workplace, these effects can be critical for well-being and productivity. Animals reduce activity in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, which is our primary stress response system,” said Evan MacLean, Ph.D., an assistant professor of anthropology at the University of Arizona who studies the relationship between humans and dogs. Stress has a wide range of negative effects on cognition, mood, and our interpersonal interactions. Keeping this system in check is critical for keeping us in the best shape to be creative, interactive, and productive.continue