Dog-Friendly Office Policies May Help Lure Back Workers

Lisa Campbell, Mars Pet Nutrition North America’s Vice President of Corporate Affairs, shared this article as a companion to her podcast The Dogged Pursuit of Pet-Friendly Workplaces.

Listen to the companion interview and past episodes of Innovating Leadership: Co-Creating Our Future via Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, Stitcher, Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible, iHeartRADIO, and NPR One.

Nowadays, it’s not uncommon for a child or pet to pop up on a Zoom call during a work meeting. Usually, faces light up, and cooing ensues. Similarly, spirits can be lifted when dogs are allowed to accompany their parents to the office. And let’s be honest — after so many years of working side by side, both dogs and dog parents want to stay together during the workday.

As companies continue to work on improving office culture, the CESAR® brand, proudly part of the Mars family of brands, wants to help ensure dogs are part of the conversation.

According to a recent study [1] on pets in the workplace sponsored by the brand, dog-friendly policies can positively impact company culture, employee experience, recruitment, and retention. To help businesses achieve these culture-building benefits, the brand has launched CESAR® Workplace Grants, powered by the Mars Petcare BETTER CITIES FOR PETS™ program. These grants are designed to help businesses make simple changes to welcome dogs into their offices or further enhance dog-friendly offerings already in place.

This new research shows the powerful impact dogs can have on employee satisfaction and the return to office. In fact, 93% of dog owners in pet-friendly workplaces reported positive attitudes about going to work. Additionally, 87% of employers with dog-friendly office policies said those policies increased the likelihood of their workforce returning to the office in person. Through the grants program, the CESAR brand aims to help businesses implement or enhance dog-friendly initiatives so they can experience the benefits firsthand. More than 70% of employee dog owners in dog-friendly offices reported higher levels of satisfaction with their office environment. Employees and employers largely held positive associations with the culture of a company that allows dogs in the office, citing words like “welcoming,” “happy,” “fun,” and “flexible” most often.

The brand’s survey also showed that more than 9 in 10 dog owners (working in pet-friendly offices) and employers agreed that pet-friendly policies are a great company perk. They may help employees relieve stress, build connections, boost company morale, and aid in creating a healthy work-life balance.

Many of our associates at Mars Petcare are pet parents, and we understand that life is better with our pets by our side. That’s why the CESAR brand launched this commitment in 2022 to make the world more dog-friendly so that people and their dogs can be together as much as possible.

To learn more about the CESAR brand’s commitment, visit cesar.com/dogs-at-work or follow the CESAR brand on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

[1] Mars Petcare partnered with Weber Shandwick and KRC Research to conduct the study. KRC Research conducted an online survey among a sample of n=1500 US office workers and n=300 employers. All office workers had to work in person on average at least 2 days a week. The survey was conducted from May 2 to May 9, 2023.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Lisa Campbell is Mars Pet Nutrition North America’s Vice President of Corporate Affairs, leading the full Corporate Affairs enterprise communications strategy including internal communications, executive communications, corporate and brand reputation, crisis and issues management, media relations, consumer care, sustainability initiatives and stakeholder engagement, all in service of the company’s purpose: A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS.

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Check out the companion interview and past episodes of Innovating Leadership, Co-Creating Our Future via Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, Stitcher, Spotify, Amazon Music, Audible, iHeartRADIO, and NPR One.