Pets in the Office Mean Greater Productivity!
Intuitively, it feels like if you have dogs allowed in the workplace, people would be in better moods, more cooperative and maybe even more productive, right? Do you know what science has to say about that? Until recently, nothing.
Sociologists are only now considering if dogs in the workplace might be good for the workplace. The Economist reports that a study out of Central Michigan University proves having your dog in the office improves relations for all:
[T]hey brought together 12 groups of four individuals and told each group to come up with a 15-second advertisement for a made-up product. Everyone was asked to contribute ideas for the ad, but ultimately the group had to decide on only one. Anyone familiar with the modern “collaborative” office environment will know that that is a challenge.
Some of the groups had a dog underfoot throughout, while the others had none. After the task, all the volunteers had to answer a questionnaire on how they felt about working with the other—human—members of the team. Mr Honts found that those who had had a dog to slobber and pounce on them ranked their team-mates more highly on measures of trust, team cohesion and intimacy than those who had not.
More cooperation, more trust, better morale, a better workplace. I don’t have a problem with you printing this out and showing it to your boss.
Source:
Sociologists are only now considering if dogs in the workplace might be good for the workplace. The Economist reports that a study out of Central Michigan University proves having your dog in the office improves relations for all:
[T]hey brought together 12 groups of four individuals and told each group to come up with a 15-second advertisement for a made-up product. Everyone was asked to contribute ideas for the ad, but ultimately the group had to decide on only one. Anyone familiar with the modern “collaborative” office environment will know that that is a challenge.
Some of the groups had a dog underfoot throughout, while the others had none. After the task, all the volunteers had to answer a questionnaire on how they felt about working with the other—human—members of the team. Mr Honts found that those who had had a dog to slobber and pounce on them ranked their team-mates more highly on measures of trust, team cohesion and intimacy than those who had not.
More cooperation, more trust, better morale, a better workplace. I don’t have a problem with you printing this out and showing it to your boss.
Source: http://www.petconnection.com/blog/2010/08/16/dogs-in-the-office-better-productivity/