Home Business Your New Office Mates: All Those Pandemic Puppies

Your New Office Mates: All Those Pandemic Puppies

by Bioreports
53 views
your-new-office-mates:-all-those-pandemic-puppies

One of Gemma Gillingham’s favorite parts of working for Nestlé Purina PetCare is her informal second job in the London office: chief of the pet patrol.

Nestlé U.K. is one of those pet-friendly employers that allow workers to bring their furry friends with them, and it is the job of Ms. Gillingham and other members of the Pets at Work initiative, or PAW, to walk the floors, dish out advice and generally prevent canine chaos.

Now, pandemic concerns about social distancing and virus transmission have required her to add some new bark to her routine: No petting other people’s dogs.

“We’re making sure it’s public knowledge to everybody in the building that only owners can do the stroking,” she said. “We try not to be the police, but we’ve also said no long extender leads so the dogs don’t run up and touch other people.”

Planning for safe returns to the office has been a bureaucratic and ethical minefield for many companies. Those that allow pets into the workplace have an extra set of puzzles to work through: Will the lure of a cute puppy discourage social distancing? Could one pet give another Covid-19?

You may also like

Leave a Comment