A recent survey among 2,000 pet owners who also work, brought forth some surprising facts about how these workers feel about their pets post pandemic. During the global pandemic when more people were working from home, pet owners became used to working with their pets around them all day. It seems that while many are now working from the office again, they do not want to give up on having their pets around.
The survey was carried out by OnePoll and was commissioned by Vetster, which has also launched a National Pet Day initiative to take place on April 11th. This would involve employers giving their employees a day off to spend with their beloved pets and to raise awareness of the importance of having pet-friendly workplaces. According to the result of the survey, pet owners who work are prepared to take drastic action in a bid to try and get to work with their pets present.
Some of the Responses
Many were surprised by the responses to the survey, but it comes as no surprise to many others given how reliant people have become on their pets over the past couple of years. Many have spent more time than ever before with their pets because of the pandemic, being around them around the clock rather than being at work while their pets are at home.
The return to the workplace has come as a shock to many after such a long period, particularly pet owners who have been forced to go back to leaving their pets behind all day and being without them for long periods each day. The survey showed that:
- Around 70 percent of workers would take a pay cut to be in a pet-friendly workplace
- Nearly two-thirds of pet owners have already left a job because they were not pet-friendly
- 46 percent of those polled said that their pets helped to break the ice at work and enabled them to forge closer bonds with colleagues
- Nearly half of those polled said that they were more productive when they had their pets around
- Close to 40 percent said that they were able to avoid burnout by having their pets around
The importance of having pets around for working pet-owners has become abundantly clear from the survey results. In addition, officials from Vetster pointed out that there were many crucial benefits that pets could bring including reducing anxiety in the workplace, encouraging teamwork through closer bonds among employees, and creating a healthier workplace culture.
It was further pointed out that different pets seem to being different benefits. For instance, cats and dogs were found to provide more comfort to employees while rabbits and ferrets were found to boost productivity. Rodents were found to be great for breaking the ice at work environment, which can help employees to bond.
These were some of the key finding that came from the study.