So, it was recently brought to my attention that as someone looking for jobs in the tech industry, there is another issue I have not even thought of. That issue is dog-friendly workplaces, which allow people to bring their dogs to work. Time has an obnoxious article which tries to present allowing workplace dogs as an low-cost way to provide benefits to Millennials, and that pisses me off.
I am only really scared of large dogs, but even small dogs tend to run around and get in the way. It is one thing to deal with that when I am visiting people at their houses, but quite another to deal with it in a place of work. And then there are people who are allergic to dogs. Even the Time article, in its one paragraph addressing drawbacks, quotes a sociologist who notes that bringing your dog to work is a benefit to the owner, at a cost to the rest of the workplace.
To me, dog-friendly workplaces remind me of smoking-friendly workplaces a generation ago. It is great if you are a smoker, because you can smoke indoors, and it fosters a culture of camaraderie with your fellow smokers. It is true that bringing dogs to work will not literally kill you, but it is still a case where companies are allowing some employees to do something which makes them happy, but which has a definitely negative impact on other employees.
Now, obviously companies are free to do what they want within reason, and I have decided that if I get to an interview and they ask about dog-friendly workplaces, I will be completely honest about my dislike for dogs, and if I get a job offer at a dog-friendly workplace I will take it (unless I have another offer on the table), because I need to get a job. However this idea that dog-friendly workplaces are a win-win situation all around pisses me off.