Dogs at the Workplace: A Multiple Case Study
As the work environment is increasing in competitiveness and stressfulness, more and more companies try to increase employee well-being. One option is allowing employees to bring their dogs to work, building on the considerable evidence that dogs have a positive influence on people’s well-being. How...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-01-01
|
| Series: | Animals |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/1/89 |
| _version_ | 1797542254127087616 |
|---|---|
| author | Elisa Wagner Miguel Pina e Cunha |
| author_facet | Elisa Wagner Miguel Pina e Cunha |
| author_sort | Elisa Wagner |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | As the work environment is increasing in competitiveness and stressfulness, more and more companies try to increase employee well-being. One option is allowing employees to bring their dogs to work, building on the considerable evidence that dogs have a positive influence on people’s well-being. However, little is known about how a dog’s presence influences the employees and the companies in offices. Therefore, we empirically scrutinize the presence of dogs in organizations and the impact of pet-friendly organizational policies, with multiple case studies with semi-structured interviews as their foundation. Based on an inductive approach for the data analysis, we found that organizational members consider that dogs can lower their stress, improve communication, and foster social cohesion when a flexible organizational culture is in place. This includes the following: Problems in the company are openly addressed; employees have job autonomy, with flexibility to take breaks; and mistakes and errors are allowed to be made by employees and their companions alike, and room to find solutions is given. The inflexible permission of pets at work can, on the contrary, create pressure and stress in employees. For the business world, this implicates that this kind of incentive only leads to success if the right framework and culture is in place, and it cannot only be seen as an instrument to increase employee well-being. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T13:28:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-6a94179f265c4c39a2f4576a43053aed |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T13:28:03Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-6a94179f265c4c39a2f4576a43053aed2023-11-21T08:32:36ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152021-01-011118910.3390/ani11010089Dogs at the Workplace: A Multiple Case StudyElisa Wagner0Miguel Pina e Cunha1Nova School of Business and Economics, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 1099-085 Lisboa, PortugalNova School of Business and Economics, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 1099-085 Lisboa, PortugalAs the work environment is increasing in competitiveness and stressfulness, more and more companies try to increase employee well-being. One option is allowing employees to bring their dogs to work, building on the considerable evidence that dogs have a positive influence on people’s well-being. However, little is known about how a dog’s presence influences the employees and the companies in offices. Therefore, we empirically scrutinize the presence of dogs in organizations and the impact of pet-friendly organizational policies, with multiple case studies with semi-structured interviews as their foundation. Based on an inductive approach for the data analysis, we found that organizational members consider that dogs can lower their stress, improve communication, and foster social cohesion when a flexible organizational culture is in place. This includes the following: Problems in the company are openly addressed; employees have job autonomy, with flexibility to take breaks; and mistakes and errors are allowed to be made by employees and their companions alike, and room to find solutions is given. The inflexible permission of pets at work can, on the contrary, create pressure and stress in employees. For the business world, this implicates that this kind of incentive only leads to success if the right framework and culture is in place, and it cannot only be seen as an instrument to increase employee well-being.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/1/89human–dog relationshipdogs in organizationspet-friendly policies |
| spellingShingle | Elisa Wagner Miguel Pina e Cunha Dogs at the Workplace: A Multiple Case Study Animals human–dog relationship dogs in organizations pet-friendly policies |
| title | Dogs at the Workplace: A Multiple Case Study |
| title_full | Dogs at the Workplace: A Multiple Case Study |
| title_fullStr | Dogs at the Workplace: A Multiple Case Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dogs at the Workplace: A Multiple Case Study |
| title_short | Dogs at the Workplace: A Multiple Case Study |
| title_sort | dogs at the workplace a multiple case study |
| topic | human–dog relationship dogs in organizations pet-friendly policies |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/1/89 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT elisawagner dogsattheworkplaceamultiplecasestudy AT miguelpinaecunha dogsattheworkplaceamultiplecasestudy |