Benefits of a pet-friendly coworking environment
At Rume2 we love meeting all of your furry friends and incorporating an element of your personal life into the working environment. However, the benefits of having your furry companions by your side while working has proven to have a multitude of benefits!
Promotes Coworking
Amongst all the huge benefits of having a collaborative workspace, having a dog by your side is a great way to encourage coworking! Pets are a natural conversation starter in getting to know the breed, age and name of the dogs you are sharing a working space with and this sparks great conversation between coworkers. Having a shared love and interest in animals can help to amplify a sense of the community-oriented nature and belongingness in the environment.
Furthermore, you never know who you could start speaking to and this can be a great business opportunity. They may be a potential client, customer or have great business connections. Finally, it ends up with your fur baby getting lots of love and attention, it’s a win-win!
Mental Health and Motivation
Pets are known to be able to relieve stress and create a positive atmosphere in the environment, this is particularly important in the work-place. Scientists have found that dogs release oxytocin, a hormone associated with happiness and relaxation. Who doesn’t get happy when seeing a pup? In an environment that can sometimes be fast-paced or stressful, being able to naturally relieve stress and boost morale is a huge benefit for an individual’s mental health and their efficiency within the business. According to HABRI, 74% of pet owners have claimed to have improved mental health since owning a pet, alongside lower blood pressure and decreased stress rates.
Pets also improve our mental health through promoting a healthy lifestyle. The encouragement to get outside, go on a walk and engage in play-time with them increases activity. Studies show that participating in daily physical activity is proven to decrease the risk of depression by up to 30% and lower stress levels!
Balances Work-Life and Home-Life
We all know the stress of leaving your pup at home for extended periods of time and worrying about their well-being, however having the option to take your pet to work can eradicate this stress helping you to focus more on work! Not only this, but bringing a piece of your personal life into work can help make it feel more like a ‘home away from home’ and gives you a piece of mind that you always have a stress-reliever by your side.
In 2019, a news report by the University of Lincoln stated that job satisfaction was increased by 22% on ‘Bring your Dog to Work Day’, so why not bring your furry companion along with you? You wont need to worry about rushing home to feed them, walk them or spend time with them, so appreciate taking your time to get home!
Improved focus
Taking short breaks to interact with a pet can help to refresh your mind to later return to your task with better concentration and renewed energy. A dog will never turn down some attention and so they are perfect for a mental refresher! Productivity and efficiency levels will rise due to individuals feeling like an asset to the business as their well-being and personal needs are being taken into consideration. Dogs are also known to be great at sensing negative emotions, therefore providing comfort, reducing loneliness and who knows, your dog might have some great business ideas!
The presence of a pet helps to reduce the levels of stress hormone cortisol in the body which also improves memory and the ability to recall information, this is vital in certain businesses to increase productivity.
In summary, there are SO many benefits of bringing your pet to work and at Rume2 our facilities are all pet-friendly. Bring your dog to work day is everyday at Rume2!
Make sure to check out our ‘Woofs’ highlight on Instagram (@rume2uk) to see what furry friends visit us!
Written by Eve Jenkins-Draper, work experience.