Survey: We’d Rather Have Pet-Related Perks Than Pets in the Workplac

Lori Ennis
by Lori Ennis
Job perks like paid pet bereavement and time off to care for pets are more important than allowing pets to come to the workplace, according to Banfield Pet Hospital survey results.


Banfield Pet Hospital took a look at pet-friendly workplaces and pet-related policies in their second annual PAWrometer (PAW meaning Pets At Work) survey. It looked at the responses of 1,000 employees and 200 Human Resource decision makers across the country who were asked about pet-related job benefits and impact on employees and company culture.


Related: Study Says Millennials Pick Furbabies Over Human Babies


Not surprisingly, according to over two-thirds of those surveyed, it turns out that pet-related benefits and pet-friendly workplaces have an increasingly positive impact on employees and job satisfaction. In particular, Millennials, who make up a quarter of pet owners in the United States are the most happy with and receptive to pet-friendly workplaces. According to the survey, 73% of Millennials surveyed believe the positive impacts pets at work have are of value, compared to non-Millennials who are much less likely to feel that way. In addition 43% of Millennials who worked non-pet friendly places believe that their workplaces should allow for pets at work, compared to only 24% of non-Millennials who believed the same.

The PAWrometer survey found that people consider pet-friendly work policies better places to work and stay, with half of those surveyed who worked at non-pet-friendly places saying they’d be more likely to stay in their current places of employment if pets were allowed at their offices. In fact, 35 percent of those surveyed said that when looking at new jobs, the ability to bring their pets to work with them is important.


Interestingly, though, as bringing one’s pet to work is important, most employees surveyed said they’d prefer other pet-related benefits over the allowance of pets in the workplace. Of other pet-related benefits, general pet-related paid time off (PTO) was the most preferred benefit by both surveyed employees and HR decision makers. In fact, 73 percent of the surveyed employees said they’d choose a job offer from a company that had pet-related benefits over a job that just allowed pets at work.

Related: Survey Says Pet Parents Celebrate Their Pets More Than Ever


The HR decision makers surveyed said that pet-friendly workplaces and workplaces with other pet-related policies seemed to have higher employee morale and increased loyalty from employees. Additionally, HR decision makers said that pet-related benefits were not only incentives for new highers, but for retention of valued employees as well.


The survey also showed results that were not necessarily work related, but surprisingly beneficial to pet adoption rates. The survey revealed that when employees had more opportunities to care for pets during work hours, or bring them to work, more people were likely to adopt pets. In fact, the survey showed that over a third of surveyed employees and about half of surveyed HR decision makers at non-pet friendly places of employment would either get a pet or add to their pet family if they were able to bring their pets to work.

Lori Ennis
Lori Ennis

More by Lori Ennis

Next