For pet owners, one of the best parts of their day is when they come home from work and see their home companions welcome them with unbound love and affection. This short exchange releases oxytocin, a hormone which induces social bonding, trust, relaxation and, more important at the end of the day: releasing stress. What if you can have oxytocin bursts all throughout the day?
In an article from the Washington Post by Marlene Cimons, interactions between pet-owners and their feline or canine partners are excellent stress relievers, for both parties involved. This has provided a new avenue for pets to find their way into people's workplaces.
"Dogs make people feel good,'' says Brian Hare, an associate professor of cognitive neuroscience at Duke University. These days, dogs are now found in some courtrooms, hospitals, exam study halls, hospice care settings, nursing homes, airports, classrooms and elsewhere. "Their only job is to help people in stressful situations feel better. Many people seem to respond to dogs in a positive way.''
There are multiple benefits for workers who are allowed to bring their furry friends to work, and it isn't just for a specific industry: from sales floors to manufacturing belts, bringing pets to work provides certain advantages. These advantages include lower stress levels, increased productivity, and a better working atmosphere.
From Dog Time's article about dogs in the office, Dr. Randolph Barker, Ph.D., a Professor of Management at the VCU School of Business, says that dogs become "a social lubricant. Employees who normally didn't talk to each other suddenly felt a connection and became part of a team." Pet-friendly workplaces also have less absenteeism, and employees are willing to work longer hours and logging overtime since they have their companions with them.
It seems to be the way of the future, where dogs provide a certain type of treatment, very much like what therapy dogs do for children, who have experienced improved reading when dogs are with them during the learning process, according to a Stillwater News Press article.
