A third of workers believe a dog would make them happier at work

Having a dog in the office can dramatically improve employee productivity and wellbeing at work, research conducted by Workthere reveals.

Workthere conducted research to determine UK office workers attitudes towards having a canine companion at their place of work and found that 44% think having a dog in the office would be beneficial to their productivity.

What’s more, 34% believe a workplace pooch would make them happier and 25% said they think it would improve their work/life balance.

Workthere also found that it is, in fact, the younger population that are most in favour of having dogs at work, with 43% of 18-24-year olds admitting they would be more likely to apply for a job that allowed dogs in the office.

Alternatively, while the survey found that two in five (41%) of 45-54-year-old currently own a dog, the highest of any other age range, 80% have never worked somewhere that allows them to bring their dog to work.

When it comes to the gender divide, it seems dogs aren’t a man’s best friend – they’re a woman’s. The research found that 32% of women would be more attracted to a workplace that allowed dogs, compared to just 24% of men.

Commenting on the research findings, Cal Lee, head of Workthere, said: “Whilst having a dog in the office may not be for everyone, and you must understand the needs of consensus of your employees, it is clear that a canine colleague can boost overall productivity, mood and happiness, while reducing stress. It could therefore be a great consideration for employers to bear in mind looking forward.”

To find out more about the research and what other things co-workers would like in the workplace, visit https://www.workthere.com/en-gb/news-guides/research/what-coworkers-want/.