Dogs in offices

[ApplePenPineapplePen]

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?

But every culture should have a very basic principle of "Respects human employment rights" and "Doesn't discriminate, contravening the Equality Act 2010"

Amazing that all the dog-friendly offices haven't already been shutdown.

Jesus, another "They are great!" post, completely missing the point that anything is great if you like it, shit if you don't 🤷🏻‍♀️
Hard to believe it's such a difficult concept to grasp.

Years ago I had two colleagues who both brought their dogs in. One's was elderly and incontinent (the dog not the colleague!) and more than once shat on the office carpet. The other was a massive and I think uncastrated male and used to bark a lot. This was in the days before everything was done on email, so you'd be trying to talk on the phone while this thing that she clearly didn't train or manage well bellowed away.

Now it seems to be the thing for co-working spaces to encourage dogs (my friend goes to one where dogs regularly try to grab people's lunches etc) and also pretentious trendy hair places. I don't go to those sorts of hair places on principle. I like dogs but they do make the place smell, and that's before you get on to hair/noise/shitting.

Dog friendly offices are in such a minority I’m sure people can make the choice not to accept a role in a dog friendly office.

A friend of mine applied for a tech role in a hipster type office and upon attending the interview found they had a culture of sitting in near darkness with most of them wearing headphones all day. She likes to chat at work and didn’t fancy sitting in a dimly lit room so declined the role and applied elsewhere. My DAunt declined a job as there were only two people that worked in the office and the rest WFH. She didn’t like the idea of not being able to collaborate. There are all sorts of reasons why a particular office might not fit your idea of a suitable working environment.

If it’s something new being introduced where you already work surely you just make your feelings known. If you told your boss you enjoy your job but really feel strongly about them proposing to bring Fido to work it’s likely they would offer a solution if they value you as an employee. I used to work in an office where the boss brought his two dogs in and one employee was scared of them. It was arranged that he move to an office away from the dogs and would phone down to make sure the dogs were shut in the boss’ office before going out for his lunch. He didn’t have an issue with that as his view was that he was in the minority not liking the dogs. The rest of the staff used to take it in turns to walk the dogs at lunchtime as it gave them a reason to get some fresh air.

I agree with PPs about non well behaved dogs not being suitable but most adult dogs would be quite happy to snooze under the owner’s desk providing they’ve had a good walk before work and at lunchtime.

As to the question of whether dogs are “needed” to allow an office to function, then in the vast majority of cases, obviously not. But a benefits package is not designed to execute the necessary work of an office but rather to attract and retain the people needed to execute the work.
There is a really long list of workplace benefits that I’ve never used, such as being able to drop off my laundry and have it returned to me washed and folded at the end of the day. Even though this service wasn’t useful to me or “needed” by anyone, we had it because enough people voted for it in the previous year’s benefits survey. Being responsive to not just the needs, but also the wants of employees can build loyalty to a workplace, which saves a lot of recruiting and training money.
If a company has instituted a dog-friendly policy, they will have done it in a way that takes into account local legislation and in the full knowledge that this, like any policy, will attract some and not others. And they will have made the calculation that attracting and retaining people for whom this policy would be attractive is worth more to their business than losing as potential employees those who don’t like it.
Not sure why some people are so offended at not being consulted by companies making perfectly legal business decisions.

There is a really long list of workplace benefits that I’ve never used, such as being able to drop off my laundry and have it returned to me washed and folded at the end of the day. Even though this service wasn’t useful to me or “needed” by anyone, we had it because enough people voted
Perks that you can opt out of, and that other people opting into have no effect on you whatsoever are not remotely comparable.
You must see that?

@Ylvamoon I don't know why you feel sorry for 'dog hating' (in other words didn't adore your dog) colleague's 'missing out on adventures' - they probably all longed for lunchtime when they could get an noir free of smelly slathering creatures

@Serpenta

But every culture should have a very basic principle of "Respects human employment rights" and "Doesn't discriminate, contravening the Equality Act 2010"

Amazing that all the dog-friendly offices haven't already been shutdown.

Do you actually think there's people knocking on office doors shutting them down 🤣? I strongly suspect there's been a few employment tribunals over dog issues though

'Expecting all office cultures to suit all people doesn't seem very sensible.'

That's what they used to say about offices with sexist cultures.

Many still have that- I've worked in some.

Yes you generally put up with it or you go. Irrespective of what the law says.

My Xmas drink the conversation with me and s bunch of men was football, strippers and sharing a snap of a woman someone knew with no clothes on. Didn't show me obv. Sometimes I say something sometimes I don't. I mean that's the culture so like it or get out.

Good to see that others on the thread are in favour of this- not everyone will fit in with all office cultures.

Ditto ones that are homophobic racist etc.

Like it or lump it obviously!

I know people might say oh I didn't mean that! But the statement not all people fit all workplaces in the context of we do this if you don't like it then leave. Same difference.

Do you actually think there's people knocking on office doors shutting them down

No. Obviously I don't. I was poking fun at your suggestion that a dog in an office is gravely offensive thing that contravenes laws.

being able to drop off my laundry and have it returned to me washed and folded at the end of the day.
Hardly the same as being obliged to shout down the phone, or leave the room/building due to the stink of dogshit, is it?

Not sure why some people are so offended at not being consulted by companies making perfectly legal business decisions.

It's baffling.

@Serpenta

Do you actually think there's people knocking on office doors shutting them down

No. Obviously I don't. I was poking fun at your suggestion that a dog in an office is gravely offensive thing that contravenes laws.

Well no need for the faux "lol you didn't get it" considering this wasn't what I said at all.

I clearly have to spell it out to you - disregarding an employee's or potential employee's phobia or allergies because you want to something in the workplace that isn't reasonable for that workplace to function (ie have a dog come in every day) contravenes the Equality Act 2010.

Do you need me to break it down further for you?

Do you need some camomile tea?

@Serpenta

Do you need some camomile tea?

Typical "I have no logical answer" response. Bless.

Do you need an enema?

@FrangipaniDeLaSqueegeeMop

Do you need an enema?

Potentially.

I used to take my dog to work. Everyone who was interviewed was made aware that there was an office dog, he ignored everyone apart from me though cause he was an old grump.

I wouldn't do it in now because I've got a different dog who would want to lick everyone's face and climb on their knee despite being 30kg.

"I strongly suspect there's been a few employment tribunals over dog issues though"

Really?
I asked that earlier.

Typical "I have no logical answer" response. Bless.

Please furnish me with the stats on people who brought a discrimination case against an organisation they think did not employ them due to said candidate disagreeing with said organisation's dog-friendly policy.

@Serpenta

Typical "I have no logical answer" response. Bless.

Please furnish me with the stats on people who brought a discrimination case against an organisation they think did not employ them due to said candidate disagreeing with said organisation's dog-friendly policy.

No. Find it yourself

simply unamazed that is your response.

@Serpenta if you want to find out information then it's up to you to do that. I didn't make any claims, hence my "strongly suspect". And given employment tribunal information isn't terribly easy to research unless it's already presented by organisation and information bodies, I will not waste my time trying to convince someone whose opinion I couldn't give two hoots about

How can you be so cruel as to not care about my opinion?

Wounding words indeed.

I've decided that I only care for the feelings and opinions of parrots. I believe they should have equal rights and if people don't like a smelly squawking shitting bird repeating everything they say when they're at work well then hard cheese to them.