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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Dogs in offices

721 replies

ApplePenPineapplePen · 19/05/2021 22:26

RANT: I do not understand how or why it became acceptable for people in office jobs to take dogs to work. A workplace is no place for pets. Get a dogsitter or don't have a pet or change job. I don't want their hounds near me i don't want their hairs on my office chair. Am I being unreasonable to think the starting position should be no animals in offices? Rant over.

More calmly, I have 2 reasons that I want to avoid dogs - a severe allergy plus a previous dog attack leaving me generally nervous and stressed around dogs. Work is aware of my allergy and now office returns are being discussed, some measures are in place to minimise my exposure.

But what if that weren't the case though and I just didn't like them? Is it for the individual to check if there are animals in the office before they accept the job? Or should employers disclose in job ads?

Of course I exclude guide dogs/hearing dogs or similar.

AIBU to think the default position should be no dogs in offices?

OP posts:
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5
GreyhoundG1rl · 21/05/2021 10:10

@PaperbackRider

Not because it doesn't suit me, because its inane and irrelevent. Sorry you didn't get that.
Round and round, with each Gotcha! even more inane than the last 😂
PaperbackRider · 21/05/2021 10:12

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PaperbackRider · 21/05/2021 10:13

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LadyWhistledownsQuill · 21/05/2021 10:18

@PaperbackRider

And another thing...has anyone considered the potential for racist discrimination? There are cultures where contact with dogs are religiously not allowed, for example. Are we all ok with telling people from particular cultures or religions that they are not welcome in the workplace because your dogs are more important?
Which religion is that? Because I know a family of observant Muslims (eat halal, wear the hijab, though I don't know about finer details of their lives) with a pet dog.

But then - on the same note - would you expect staff socials to be held with zero alcohol allowed for anyone in case it offended a Seventh Day Adventist?

If you applied for a job as a waiter you'd be expected to serve wine and meat just like everyone else regardless of your personal beliefs. If you had a peanut allergy you couldn't take a job as a chef and then demand all peanuts were taken off the menu.

You can't expect other people to change their lifestyles because of your own beliefs. For example, I'm a vegetarian, but I don't expect DP to stop eating meat - I just don't cook it for him because I never learned how to. I'm allergic to cats so I wouldn't apply to live in a house share, or apply for a job, with one.

Fundamentally, I don't think the world revolves around me.

When you choose to live and work in a country where your culture is not the dominant one, a certain amount of fitting in is required. If I moved to the Middle East I would be a twat if I started demanding bacon, booze, fags, and imposed a Monday to Friday working week on my staff.

PaperbackRider · 21/05/2021 10:29

How are staff socials the same as every single day in work? You can just not attend the social if you have a problem with alcohol.

Fundamentally, I don't think the world revolves around me

But you're ok with people thinking it revlves around their dogs, to the point that people are meant to just quit their jobs if they don't like it?

ginghamstarfish · 21/05/2021 10:39

Sounds like a terrible idea, but surely the possibility of someone having allergies should have occurred to HR or whoever is responsible for Health and Safety?

seensome · 21/05/2021 10:42

I have heard of it but hopefully it's not too common. Dogs are allowed in shops where I live, clothes shops which I think is risky, what if they decide to cock their leg up over brand new stock, are they going to clean it and pay for it, seems crazy to me. In the hairdressers too, I was sitting waiting on my foils and had someone's dog sniffing around me, I'm not a dog person so I had to sit somewhere else, I shouldn't of had to though.
Keep pets in the home.

GreyhoundG1rl · 21/05/2021 10:54

Fundamentally, I don't think the world revolves around me

But you're ok with people thinking it revlves around their dogs, to the point that people are meant to just quit their jobs if they don't like it?

😂😂😂. Unbelievable.

Boood · 21/05/2021 11:18

No. It’s a nice idea, but some people are frightened of dogs to the extent that they can’t function around them. It’s not fair to make their working environment so uncomfortable. Even if the policy is that everyone has to agree, it puts unfair pressure on people who might be really unhappy about it, but don’t want to be the spoilsport who says so.

Stompythedinosaur · 21/05/2021 11:36

I adore dogs, absolutely love them - I'm not a dog hater at all. I just have enough empathy that I think it's unfair to implement a dog friendly policy at a workplace where existing employees may have allergies or fear of dogs, making those employees have to change job if the business pushes through the policy.

I think youvegotten makes a lot of sense here. It would be unfair to bring in a new dog friendly policy where current employees aren't in support.

I think that's different than offices where there has been a dog-friendly policy for a long time and this is clear at the point of employment.

Londonmummy66 · 21/05/2021 12:12

I worked at a firm where someone had rehomed an elderly retired guidedog. It used to lie on the floor of his office all day and everyone went in for strokes and cuddles. Lots of tears in the office the day he died.

looptheloopinahulahoop · 21/05/2021 12:39

Fundamentally, I don't think the world revolves around me

I don't, but if you have a dog, it's up to you to ensure that it does not inconvenience the rest of the world.

It is less of an inconvenience for someone who works in an office to find doggy day care for their dog, than it is for me to lose my job if I cannot or don't work with dogs that I did not expect to be in the office when I took the job.

Just as it is less inconvenient for someone to wear headphones than it is for the rest of a train carriage to have loud music imposed on them.

Nobody has to have a dog, they choose to. Therefore you don't take them to work, you find a solution if you don't want to leave them at home all day.

I am not sure they're such a great idea in schools, either. I would have hated it. Although the caretaker at my secondary school had a dog. It wasn't in the school buildings though.

looptheloopinahulahoop · 21/05/2021 12:40

if you had a peanut allergy you couldn't take a job as a chef and then demand all peanuts were taken off the menu

I think you probably could actually as it would be perfectly possible to operate a restaurant kitchen without using peanuts.

looptheloopinahulahoop · 21/05/2021 12:44

@NiceGerbil

Loads of companies push out employees with that sort of stuff going on.

Remember that thousands of women lose their jobs every year (pre covid) because they're pregnant.

Yes but there's a big difference between continuing the population, (whatever you think about that) and having a pet.

And only biological women have babies, whereas anyone can have a pet.

Why would you even apply for a job with an employer with a dog friendly policy

I wouldn't, and I am nearly completely home-based, but my employer will be moving offices and it is likely that they will allow dogs in the new office. If I am expected to go in even once a week that will be a massive problem for me. And it will be a massive problem on the trains if more and more people are taking their dogs to work.

GreyhoundG1rl · 21/05/2021 12:44

@looptheloopinahulahoop

if you had a peanut allergy you couldn't take a job as a chef and then demand all peanuts were taken off the menu

I think you probably could actually as it would be perfectly possible to operate a restaurant kitchen without using peanuts.

Of course you couldn't make such a demand. It would be perfectly possible to keep any food item off menu, but it's a restaurant. It's primary purpose is to sell food. You could certainly request that nobody eat nuts in your presence in an office environment, that would be perfectly reasonable. And enforceable, should it be necessary.
BellaVita · 21/05/2021 12:50

I work for a small family run company. Our boss doesn’t mind one bit our dogs coming in. Every member of the office staff have a dog, the MD has two. They are not all in at the same time. It’s lovely being able to have a fuss and a play during the working day, it really does lighten everyone’s mood.

PaperbackRider · 21/05/2021 12:57

*if you had a peanut allergy you couldn't take a job as a chef and then demand all peanuts were taken off the menu

No but you could take a job in an office and not expect peanuts to be lying under desks, walking around the office and drooling on you, couldn't you?

PaperbackRider · 21/05/2021 12:57

@BellaVita

I work for a small family run company. Our boss doesn’t mind one bit our dogs coming in. Every member of the office staff have a dog, the MD has two. They are not all in at the same time. It’s lovely being able to have a fuss and a play during the working day, it really does lighten everyone’s mood.
And what would you do if a new employee was allergic to or didn't like dogs?
youvegottenminuteslynn · 21/05/2021 13:02

And what would you do if a new employee was allergic to or didn't like dogs?

Or @BellaVita if you worked in a company where this (allowing dogs in the office) wasn't a policy and then a new MD joined and made it a policy. And you were allergic / scared of them...

You'd feel it was fair you then had to quit your job, work your notice period being either unwell at work or frightened at work and have to find a new job in a volatile job market?

Really?

Sloth66 · 21/05/2021 13:07

I worked part time for a small charity, there were no dogs when I applied to work there.
The situation changed when one day I was working in a small upstairs room, and starting coughing and wheezing. It was summer, and i get hay fever so I assumed it was that and started medicating myself more. Then I found out one woman had quietly started to bring her dog in several days a week.
The manager spoke to her and explained my health issues, but she repeated brought the dog in when the manager wasnt around.
Then the manager changed and some days I was told there were 3-4 dogs running all around the small office.

The point for me was that despite knowing about my allergies, my co workers demonstrated they couldn’t have cared less.
When I became more unwell, I saw a solicitor, but decided in the end I had to leave as any trust had gone and I didn’t feel safe there.

Tippytappytoes · 21/05/2021 13:07

“ And what would you do if a new employee was allergic to or didn't like dogs?”
Why would you go for an interview at a place that is so dog friendly if that was the case? Or if you didn’t know before the interview but found out when you arrived, wouldn’t you just say that you didn’t think you’d be the right fit?

PaperbackRider · 21/05/2021 13:12

@Tippytappytoes

“ And what would you do if a new employee was allergic to or didn't like dogs?” Why would you go for an interview at a place that is so dog friendly if that was the case? Or if you didn’t know before the interview but found out when you arrived, wouldn’t you just say that you didn’t think you’d be the right fit?
Why should I, is the point. Offices are for people to work in, not dogs to hang out in, and people should come first.
youvegottenminuteslynn · 21/05/2021 13:15

@Tippytappytoes

“ And what would you do if a new employee was allergic to or didn't like dogs?” Why would you go for an interview at a place that is so dog friendly if that was the case? Or if you didn’t know before the interview but found out when you arrived, wouldn’t you just say that you didn’t think you’d be the right fit?
What if you worked in a company where this (allowing dogs in the office) wasn't a policy and then a new MD joined and made it a policy. And you were allergic / scared of them...

You'd feel it was fair you then had to quit your job, work your notice period being either unwell at work or frightened at work and have to find a new job in a volatile job market?

GreyhoundG1rl · 21/05/2021 13:20

People really shouldn't have to narrow their job search by disregarding offices with resident dogs.

It's beyond ludicrous that people are still trying to argue "well, just don't apply there, then, it's simple!"
🙄

redcandlelight · 21/05/2021 13:22

allergies can also develop or get worse over time.

what if an employee who was happywith pets in the office suddenly can't be in an enclosed spacd with them anymore?