Have you ever noticed that having a pet around makes you just feel better? The staff at Mantooth Marketing is partial to dogs for pets (except for our cat-loving Queen of Finance and Lead Designer) and if you follow us on Instagram or Facebook, you know that we LOVE bringing our furry companions to the office. But bringing pets to work isn’t just for fun. Did you know that there are actually benefits to having them around?

They are natural stress reducers. If your pet is like my wee li’l Fergus, he isn’t a fan of when someone gets upset. Crying or yelling in fact really stresses him out. Knowing that, and just having a pet around, can lower your stress level. They provide a great outlet for you to take a break and it’s easy to bring your blood pressure down when you have a friend curled up next to you (or begging for a bite of that mid-day snack you are nibbling on). According to a 2012 study in the International Journal of Workplace Health Management, stress levels at work fell among a group of employees who had their dogs at their sides. Conversely, stress levels for those without a pet at home or those who left theirs at their residence grew!

Pets at work nurture productivity. Interactions between co-workers are just different when pets are around. Workplaces like Mantooth, who allow their pets to come to work, see happier employees with lower stress levels and create environments that are more flexible and comfortable. More communication = more trust = higher work production = improved morale and reduced days absent from work. That is a win-win-win-win for all workplaces.

Pets promote a better work-life balance. How many times do you look down and realize that you haven’t gotten up from your screen in…well, you can’t remember how long? Bringing a Fergus to work reminds you to take a break because they need breaks too. When someone is relying on you to get up and move often, you are more likely to do it.

While bringing a pet to work is amazing and creates a great environment, it isn’t for all organizations. As a rule of thumb, we bring a pet in only when we know that the office won’t have many outside faces coming through the door. And it isn’t an everyday occurrence. We also have upfront conversations with our co-workers so that we know everyone is ok with having a little four-legged friend around for a while.