How may canine friends go to your workplace?
An IT Software Solutions company in Ringwood, Hampshire, believes that they may have the highest number of dogs who join their owners to regularly work in their open-plan offices, considering their team is no larger than 27 staff.
KFA Connect Ltd Operations Director Juliet Ward, who was one of the first to bring her dogs Kiah and Jazz to work 5 years ago, says that many clients and suppliers who visit their offices are impressed with the warm welcome offered by some of the eight dogs who daily accompany their owners to work. Other staff own an additional nine dogs who attend on special occasions!
“What is incredible is that all the dogs get on very well. The newest member Maisy, owned by Developer Emily, settled in very fast this summer. Many of the team take their four-legged friends out for walks as a group during their breaks or at lunchtime,” said Juliet. “We have never found that the dogs in the office have put off potential new recruits, and we don’t insist that all members of staff are dog owners!”
The directors at £2.5m turnover KFA Connect believe that the furry friends in the workplace have a calming effect on the staff, who can often be stressed whilst approaching tight deadlines when updating major IT systems.
“It’s very therapeutic to have them in the office and there are so many other benefits, including the fact that the dog does not get left at home all day alone and there is no need to pay for dog walkers during the day. We just find that the fun of owning a dog also works well in the workplace.”