For some people, bringing a pet to work is a privilege worth fighting for. For Jamey Erickson, a “no pets allowed” policy ended up being less of a barrier than it seemed.
Pets at Work Starter Kit
So your workplace has made the leap and decided to become pet-friendly?
Congratulations! We’re ready to help with our best suggestions. We made this kit to help you get started. Read up on these materials, print the ones that you find most useful and hang them wherever people will be able to read them.
Our Pets at Work Kit
Pets at Work programs only work if employees understand just what they’re responsible for. We gathered the most important etiquette guidelines together in a simple, printable format that you can post above the water cooler.
You’re going to want the whole world know that you’re pet-friendly. You’re also going to want to let pet owners know where their pets aren’t allowed. We created a couple signs that you can post around your workplace to get these messages across.
3. Pledge
When employees decide to bring pets to work, it’s important that they promise to follow the guidelines your workplace sets out for them. We created an example pledge that you can have employees sign so that expectations will be fully set.
Pets coming into the office soon? You’re going to want pet owners to know just what to bring. We created a short list for you to post up in the workplace so they will make sure not to forget something important.
Before you dive in, make sure you consider these factors:
1. Liability
It's important to be aware of any limitations or precautions involved with a Pets at Work program. For example, you'll definitely want to work with your company's lawyers to draft a liability waiver before you do anything else. We've added our liability waiver as an example to show your lawyers.
Please note that our example is only shown as a suggestion, and cannot serve as your company’s waiver. We suggest your company contact your legal representative to create a version that suits your company’s culture and needs.
2. Employee Enthusiasm
Make sure your employees are already excited about having pets at work. Start by checking out our tips for drumming up employee enthusiasm.
3. Allergies, Landlords, Pet Behavior and More
There's a lot to think about before making pets a part of your workplace culture.
Check out our FAQ to learn about being respectful of allergies, clearing your program with your building owners and more.
