How our pets have been helping us through difficult times, and what this means for the workplace

As humans we have been domesticating animals for tens of thousands of years, taming wolves for protection, horses for transportation and livestock for food. Our relationship with domesticated animals began for these kinds of practical reasons, however when we consider the definition and purpose of the pets we know and love today, it is drastically different.

The Cambridge Dictionary defines a pet as “any animal that is kept in the home as a companion and treated kindly”. These days you’re likely to find people talking very affectionately about their pets, describing strong feelings and bonds and even considering them part of the family. In 2018 it was estimated that 44% of UK households owned at least one pet and the total number of pets owned was roughly 51 million (PFMA).  Dogs and cats continue to be the most common pet in UK households.

However, the variety of animals people keep are pets has expanded considerably to include more exotic and unexpected species such as reptiles, rodents, fish, and birds. While not as obviously affectionate as dogs, some of these, such as bearded dragons and budgies, can, with enough time, be trained to bond with humans, reflecting one of the key features of pet ownership that we value: they cuddle us back.

During the recent pandemic with all but essential workers forced to stay at home, whether working or on furlough, many people found themselves with a lot more time on their hands, at the same time a lot of us felt more isolated, cut off from family, friends and missing the social interaction we typically experienced by going in to work. Pets seemed like an obvious choice to fill the hole of missing social interaction and indeed animal charities saw the volume of enquiries for rescue animals increasing by 253% across the lockdown period. By 2021 the number of UK households that owned a pet had risen by over 10% to 59%, with 3.2 million households acquiring a pet since the start of the pandemic. 

This increase reflects the benefits animal contact or pet ownership holds against many of the challenges posed by lockdown, such as increased isolation, poorer mental health. Animals can help:

·       Reduce our stress levels, non-human touch can reduce cortisol levels and lower blood pressure. This in turn increases our resilience.

·       Encourage organisation and routine, pets require feeding and cleaning and dogs require daily walks. This can give pet owners a sense of purpose and keep them motivated, which can help alleviate some symptoms of depression and anxiety which can help boost self-esteem and wellbeing.

·       Provide companionship, pets provide company, which reduces feelings of loneliness and isolation.

·       Increase social interaction, having a pet can increase the amount of social interaction owners have through attending clubs and pet shows and making conversations on walks.

·       Increase exercise, daily walks can have physical health benefits as well as helping with stress and depression and dog owners typically live longer and are less likely to suffer from heart disease.

Implications for the workplace

There has always been a small presence of animals in the workplace, assistance dogs for people with disabilities for instance, or companion cats in care homes. More recently though, a trend has emerged for more general pet-friendly attitudes or policies as organisations recognise the possible benefits of animal company to people and work. For example, a survey study conducted revealed pet-friendly organisations benefit from lower stress levels in the workplace (Naumann, 2016). The pressure to accommodate pets at work may increase as ‘pandemic pet owners’ push to be able to bring their animals back to work with them. Already we are seeing what might happen if workplaces can’t accommodate this, with The Dogs Trust reporting a 39% increase in calls from people wanting to hand in their pets and the RSPCA reporting that abandonment figures are up 20% in 2021 from 2020.

However, we need to bear in mind that the workplace needs to work for everyone. While some people love dogs and cats, and maybe even bearded dragons, and will gain great satisfaction and peace of mind from having their pets close at hand or from being able to interact with others’ pets about the workplace, there are many people who have animal phobias, or have experienced animal trauma, resulting in a dislike or fear of animals. While in others they may set off annoying or even life threatening allergy or asthma attacks. All of which means that pets at work might work for some but not others. Much as we would all prefer pets not to have to be given up as the world moves into yet another work phase, we also need, as ever, to balance the needs of different working groups and devise cultures, policies and ways of behaving that work for everyone to reap the benefits of pets at work.

 Other Resources

Sarah Lewis is the owner and principal psychologist of Appreciating Change. She is author of ‘Co-Creating Planning Teams For Dialogic OD’, ‘Positive Psychology in Business’ ‘Positive Psychology at Work’ and ‘Positive Psychology and Change’ both published by Wiley. She is also the lead author of 'Appreciative Inquiry for Change Management'.

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