(Office) Dog Days of Summer

Our team is enjoying extra quality time with our pets while we continue to work remotely through the summer. A proud pillar of our company culture is our dog-friendly office, a trend which quickly gained popularity in recent years. While there are circumstances to consider when deciding whether every day will be bring your pet to work day, the benefits are definitely tangible. Our Associate Art Director, Phil, brings his dog Pete in to work every day. Since they’re always together, he can get a in few short walks throughout the day and run errands after work without rushing home to let the dog out. Other dogs have visited FourthIdea because someone was pet-sitting, had a vet appointment, or just wanted to brighten up the office for the day.

It’s imperative that other dogs are well behaved and get along with Pete–there’s no guarantee that meetings won’t be punctuated with the occasional bark or growl, but well trained dogs are great icebreakers and improve engagement between both colleagues and clients. Pete is even tempered and a little shy, and he’s a big fan of sitting on Phil’s lap or napping the day away. All he needs is a bed, food and water dishes, and some treats–he’s not big on toys, but he loves when friendly dogs come in to play with him. He has all the qualities of a great office dog, which makes it easy for the team to stay focused with minimal distractions.

Anything natural in an office helps to reduce stress and improves the social atmosphere. If a colleague is allergic to dogs, consider building your own urban jungle with trendy houseplants–or even think about picking out an office fish to watch when you need some inspiration. A dog-friendly office is a comfortable environment to work in and always keeps things interesting. We’re all looking forward to seeing Pete model his collection of bandanas when we return to the office.