Dog-friendly workplaces

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Dog-friendly workplaces

Postby cmsellers » Tue Aug 07, 2018 8:10 pm

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.
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Re: Dog-friendly workplaces

Postby Anglerphobe » Tue Aug 07, 2018 9:14 pm

My first thought about this is that a lot of people have badly behaved, poorly trained dogs which will be a huge annoyance and potential health hazard in a place of work, especially one which is filled with other dogs. Most dogs which are expected to deal with human situations are trained for it. Of course, sellers' complaints are valid regardless of the dogs' behaviour, but that's the main one for me. I am in the camp of not really caring if people have their dogs at work so long as they don't bother me directly, which well trained animals should not.
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Re: Dog-friendly workplaces

Postby iMURDAu » Tue Aug 07, 2018 9:16 pm

With the amount of dander generated by multiple animals I don't see why smoking and small children wouldn't also be permissible at the workplace.

I put the "and" in there right? Yes. Ok.

Smoking at the workplace is a major problem I've had at every place I've ever worked. Need multiple paid breaks? Smoke cigarettes and you join an exclusive group of people who are allowed to fuck off company time.

Bring your dog and go for a 10 minute walk. Maybe your dog wants to play, so you just need 10 minutes to do that. Your dog is hungry and thirsty, you can't be doing work related tasks when your bff needs taken care of. Who needs to be productive when you can be happy?

Pets are not people. Your dog is not your child. Your child grows into an adult (unless smoked at the workplace) that ventures out on their own into society to carry the world forward and your animal grows into an adult that still needs you to feed it, deal with it's waste, etc. and isn't expected to do anything but return loving feelings.

More to the point, not everyone is a good parent. Not everyone knows how to be a decent pet owner either. It's real cool having dogs at work until turd piles are found and nobody takes responsibility. Then what?

You can't bring food into schools to share because one percent of one peanut might kill half the human population but companies are seriously letting pets be brought to work despite pet allergies being a thing. Dog and cat hair doesn't just evaporate. It doesn't. I've done the experiments. You can try for yourself if you don't believe me.
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Re: Dog-friendly workplaces

Postby Absentia » Tue Aug 07, 2018 9:25 pm

I wouldn't personally mind other people bringing their dogs to work, but I do think it would be a bit of an unreasonable imposition on non-dog people. And the cleaning staff.

Also, the office I work in is already overcrowded. I don't think having dogs running around would be workable.
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