Paws at work

We’ve all heard about ‘Bring your spouse to work day’ or ‘Bring your parents to work day’, but if you are a pet owner, you know how important it is to hear the golden words ‘Bring your pet to the office’. Bengaluru is known to be one of the most pet-friendly cities in the country, and that’s probably because many companies are allowing their employees to bring their pets to work.

Creative agency ‘The Bold Creative’ have a pet dog in the office called Laila. “Laila just appeared in front of our office one day and the founder of the company Vanshaj Kapur adopted her. We’ve been taking care of her since then,” says Pragnya Venkatesh, the creative director. The office boy takes care of her at night even though she is mostly roaming the streets with her other four-legged friends.

“Laila lost one of her legs last year but that doesn’t stop her from moving around. I love how she greets me every morning and I look forward to that positive welcome from her. It’s a great start to a hectic day,” she adds.

Studies have shown that having a pet in the office can reduce stress level and help build a positive relationship with co-workers.

According to Nandini Swaminathan, a community manager at ‘Chumbak’, this arrangement does not hinder the workflow but boost productivity among employees. “The in-house Labrador Hugo is our stressbuster. He usually hangs out in the office and joins us during lunch to steal a bite or two. But he knows when we are busy and do not want to be disturbed. He stays away from those who are scared of him as well,” she explains.

When work seems to be stressful, Nandini takes time off her schedule for Hugo. “My colleagues also bring their pets to the office and it’s fun to see the fur babies play with each other. Our clients also bring their pets along for meetings,” she adds.

And for those who don’t own a pet, spending some quality time with the office pets is something they look forward to.

Yashaswini Somashekar, a digital marketing manager at ‘YourStory’, often looks forward to her co-workers bringing their pets to work. “I usually head to ‘The Teal Door Cafe’ or wait for someone to bring their pet to play with them. The place I worked at earlier had a stray cat and I enjoyed spending time with him. Pets definitely help beat stress and refreshes your mind.”

Employees at ‘Alicia Souza’ eagerly wait for Alicia’s pets Charlie (dog) and Henry (guinea pig) to visit them. Saurabh Sharma, business partner at ‘Alicia Souza’, says, “They usually come in once or twice a week and the energy level in the office completely changes. We all love pets, so we look forward to having them around. They easily pump up the energy. And of course, the pets also look forward the extra food and attention they get.”