'Take Your Dog To Work Day': Why Is Having Dogs In The Office Better For Work Performance?

"Take Your Dog To Work Day" is an unofficial pet holiday held on the first Friday after Father's day. This event was created by Pet Sitters International and first celebrated in 1999. The holiday recognizes the man's best friend and aims to encourage their adoption from humane societies, animal shelters and breed rescue clubs.

Although many companies only allow our furry friends this particular day, dogs are becoming a common presence in many workplaces. Nearly one in five companies in the United States now allows pets in the workplace, according to a survey by the American Pet Products Association.

Another poll by that group revealed that on any given day, 1.4 million owners take some 2.3 million dogs to work at firms including Google, Zynga and Amazon, and everyone seems to be taking their pets a lot more often: an average of 22 times in 2012 versus 17 times in 2008, a 29 percent increase.

Researchers have found that having dogs in work environments can lead to better teamwork, boosted morale, lower stress, and higher employee retention.

"Dogs in the workplace can make a positive difference," says Randolph T. Barker, a professor of management at the VCU School of Business, who has studied the effects of the presence of pets on worker stress levels. "The differences in perceived stress between days the dog was present and absent were significant. The employees as a whole had higher job satisfaction than industry norms."

"Dogs can greatly reduce the stress people often feel at work," self-described pet psychic Barbara Reed says, "because of their own quietude. When we observe them sitting there and accepting whatever happens around them, that helps keep us humans calm. And then when the dog gets goofy, that helps lighten things up."

Dogs can also help lighten up the mood between co-workers and create stronger bonds.

Zynga senior producer Sora Bai adopted her dog Itsy, and word went around the office that there was a new puppy, bringing visitors to Bai's desk that she'd never met before. "She knows more people than I do," Bai says about the dog, who has helped her owner become more social in the hallways and at the dog run. "I talk more to people than I knew previously because we have the dogs in common."

Addis Creason, a brand-strategy firm in the Bay Area has been welcoming the four-legged friends for years now. CEO Steve Addis talks about how the work environment is better with dogs. "Dogs have such a wonderful optimism. We'll have a staff meeting and just having the spirit of the dogs in the room has an intangible effect on people's attitudes, and that drives their creativity and loyalty to the company."

"Pet presence may serve as a low-cost wellness intervention readily available to many organizations and may enhance organizational satisfaction and perceptions of support," said professor Barker. "Of course, it is important to have policies in place to ensure only friendly, clean, and well-behaved pets are present in the workplace."