With mental health a constant focus in New Zealand's society, Friday is an opportunity to have a fun day that could also significantly boost our wellness.

Friday is 'Take Your Dog to Work Day'. Why? Because dogs are apparently good for mental health.

It puts a furry spin on BYOD, changing the D to Dog.

National Take Your Dog to Work Day 2023 encourages us to Bring Your Own Dog and see how that shifts the mood in the office.

Consider a couple of caveats first to make the most of the day, says PD Insurance Chief Operating Officer Michelle Le Long.

'Of course, Take Your Dog to Work Day isn't – yet! – an official holiday nor a workplace right, so be sure it's suitable and permissible for Fido to join the workforce for a day,” says Michelle.

'Then there's some housekeeping so your pet doesn't become a pain and instead does what dogs everywhere are famous for… making everyone happier than they were before.”

Research proves dogs make us happy
There's a ton of research confirming that dogs are indeed good for mental health.

It's part of the reason Pet Sitters International introduced Take Your Dog to Work Day back in 1996, and it's also why pet insurance specialist PD Insurance gets behind the idea.

'Most of us love dogs, even if we're not part of the one third of NZ households that own one," says Michelle.

"Their calm presence at work can be reassuring and comforting, much like a favourite work colleague who's always got your back."

Milo, busy at work lifting team morale and calming the workplace vibe while at the office with his human Suzy King. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

A National Library of Medicine study - Dogs at the Workplace: A Multiple Case Study 2021 - found ‘there is considerable evidence that dogs have a positive influence on people's well-being'.

It went on to state the ‘results of the study generally support the belief that dogs at the workplace can have a positive influence on individual and collective well-being of organisational members in an office environment'.

Closer to home, PD Insurance recently ran a survey of nearly 800 New Zealand pet parents that found they're almost universally in favour of welcoming pooches into workplaces.

A total of 99 per cent gave it an enthusiastic thumbs up as being beneficial - and they would, wouldn't they.

Respondents even quantified what they see as the benefits of dogs in the workplace, which include lifting team morale (78 per cent), making the day more entertaining (75 per cent), calming the workplace vibe (73 per cent), assisting team bonding (56 per cent), and improving team engagement (48 per cent).

'The results call for employers to consider introducing a Bring Your Own Dog policy, and not just for the element of fun our fur kids bring into work environments,” says Michelle.

However, they're not for everyone - or everywhere
Getting in on the antics of Take Your Dog to Work Day requires a dose of discretion, of course.

Hershey, pondering how to make the day more entertaining in the workplace while assisting with team bonding for his human Suzy King. Photo: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

Not every office is suitable for a dog, and not every dog is suitable for an office. In other words, taking an energetic Border Collie or grumpy Chihuahua into a corporate suite on the 23rd floor may well be frowned upon.

That's affirmed in the Dogs at the Workplace study, which rather drily states, ‘these positive effects of dogs are linked to certain prerequisites that need to be fulfilled in the company. These include flexible hours, autonomy, and open communication.'

And common sense, adds Michelle.

'Most pet parents are likely to know if their pup's temperament, toileting and training are appropriate for the workplace. Even so, be sure to get permission from the boss, then prepare appropriately by packing the essentials – food, water, a basket or bed, toys, a leash and any medications – so the visit is a rewarding one for everyone.”

Some would even sacrifice pay for BYOD
Plenty of people, especially those who work from home, are pretty accustomed to having a dog in the workplace.

Many others would go to quite some length to work alongside theirs - PD's research found almost one third of respondents (30 per cent) whose workplace doesn't allow pets are willing to take a pay cut for a BYOD policy.

'That's how strongly pet parents feel about their furry fam,” says Michelle.

'It's something New Zealand's employers should sit up and take notice of – with good workers hard to find these days, a good BYOD policy might secure you a fantastic new employee over a competitor.”

With many benefits and only slight disadvantages, which can include ‘accidents' or the pooch pinching food, she says Take Your Dog to Work Day is bound to be popular.

'There's no research here…but we're pretty sure the dogs like it too."

For further information, please visit https://pd.co.nz