Working Like A Dog?

As the owner wrote, Burley works like a dog. In case you didn't get the memo, today is the 8th annual TAKE YOUR DOG TO WORK DAY. The organizers say that thousands of companies are participating.

While those of us who have home offices celebrate Take Your Dog To Work Day, every day, I'm curious. Just how many canines are doing the 8-5 today ?

To try to find out, I've created a very brief survey. Click here to take survey I'll share the results next week.

Meanwhile,Lisa Haneberg, who blogs about management issues at Management Craft, was promoting the day back in February in a post where she shared lots of photos and excerpts from an article published in Management Issues

Finally real evidence of what we know to be true! "Allowing staff to bring their dogs to work can be a huge competitive advantage for employers, so much so that most dog owners would work longer or even take a pay cut if they could share the office with their pets."

The pros are numerous!     * Your dog will make you take breaks and walks - lowering your stress.     * Your dog will remind you when it is time to go home.     * Your dog will listen to you practice your presentation.     * Your dog will offer a way to vent your feelings without making a fool out of yourself.

Not surprisingly, the folks at Pup Life,an online pet store with a sister blog have a post about the benefits of the day.

According to a recent SimplyHired.com poll, 49% of all dog owners polled said that they would switch their jobs if they could bring their dogs to work. 32% said they would take a 5% pay cut. And 70% said that they considered a dog-friendly company allowing them to bring their dog to work one day a week an important employee benefit. Wow. Companies of the world, are you listening? By simply allowing dogs to the office one day out of the week, you can offer your staff a huge benefit and best of all, it costs nothing! If you are looking to attract and retain quality employees, this is a great difference maker.

To celebrate the day, the folks at MainToday.com are asking readers to share how their dogs stack up against coworkers.They are invited to share a photo and a dog resume.

Burley works like a dog. His deliverables are sticks, tennis balls and socks from the hamper. And he is eager to make an impact at the office.

In the spirit of transparency, I am a dog owner. Meet Uma Thurman.She's eight months old and does spend a portion of her day in my office. I've just had her a month and am learning when she can and can't be in the office. Let's just say conference calls are not a good idea unless you can quickly get to the mute button.

Have a wonderful Dog Day Afternoon.

Image Credit: MaineToday.com

This is cross-posted at Blogher.