by (( Nikki ))

Created on: November 03, 2009

In today's society, work and home are fast becoming intertwined. Despite numerous work/life balance initiatives and the trend for work at home support and flexible scheduling, employees are being asked to give more and more of their time to help their company. To many of those employees, their pets are family. Being able to bring their pets to work to ensure the needs of the animal are met would be a huge perk. No more needing to rush home to let the dog out. No more pet parent guilt over leaving Fido home all day alone.

While there are certainly many businesses where pets would be an extreme nuisance, there are just as many, if not more, where they could easily fit into the structure of a well-defined pet-friendly policy.

== What are the benefits? ==

Pets can decrease blood pressure, keep people calmer, increase socialization opportunities, increase cooperation, and reduce stress levels. Therapy dogs are taken into hospitals and other places that animals are not allowed because health workers know what a huge benefit they are to patients. Dogs can help kids learn to read and cats can help the elderly communicate.

Pets in the workplace can foster a more productive work environment with less absenteeism and employees willing to work longer hours. Companies that allow pets have reported higher employee morale. Small businesses seem far more likely to allow owners this perk.

== What about allergies? ==

While every effort can be taken to ensure the environment is kept as clean as possible, there would be allergens in the air and on surfaces. This is true for any allergen. People allergic to anything are going to find it somewhere. No workplace can account for every allergen, be it pet dander from the resident cat lady to peanut exposure from someone's sandwich. Some people are allergic to perfume - does that mean no one should be allowed to wear perfume?

== What about poorly behaved animals? ==

Rules govern how people are expected to behave in the workplace. The same holds true for pets. Animals that are used to social situations are far calmer than those that are kept in a little box all day long. If an animal is acting poorly, it simply wouldn't be allowed to come in any longer. Badly behaved animals and their irresponsible owners are no reason to judge, or punish, all the well-behaved pets.

When is the last time you saw a service animal acting like an ass? Have you heard about those killer Golden Retrievers? Of course not. Training and socialization from an

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