Alex Douzet is CEO of Pumpkin®, a pet insurance and wellness care provider founded to help ensure pets live their healthiest lives.
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In 2020, lockdown life led us all to reevaluate what was most important to us, both at home and at the office. We questioned the role of the corporate campus, and the new work-from-home reality made the 9-to-5 workday that kept us from our families start to seem arbitrary. Suddenly, workplace perks like free dry cleaning were meaningless.
During this turbulent time, pet ownership skyrocketed — there was a 700% increase in adoption and foster pets. Pets took on an increased significance in our lives during the pandemic, as our companions, emotional support systems and intrinsic parts of our families. More than three-quarters of pet owners consider our dogs and cats to be family members, which is why companies need to recognize them as family, too.
Post-pandemic, many companies will operate on a hybrid work model, and methods to incentivize talent have changed. It used to be about gym memberships, free lunches and dry cleaning, but in the hybrid workplace, perks like these are no longer as relevant. Instead, 83% of employees feel more loyal to pet-friendly companies that recognize the importance of pets and consider their well-being vital to corporate culture.
As the economy and hiring market continue to improve, the battle to attract talent is fiercely competitive. There’s a tremendous opportunity for companies to attract top talent and align their offerings with employee needs with these four pet-centric benefits.
1. Create a pet-friendly environment.
Pets in the office are fun, but they also help foster a culture of creativity and openness. Pets help us bond — never underestimate the ice-breaking potential of a pet in a meeting, or how quickly an executive is humanized when they clean up after their dog.
Allowing employees to bring pets to the office can lessen the burden for people who don’t want to leave an animal home alone all day, or who may not have the means to afford a pet-sitter. If having pets in the office every day isn’t manageable, consider designated “bring your pet to work” days or a sign-up sheet to manage the number of pets in the office on any given day.
For a pet-friendly office, be sure you plan ahead when renting a new space, negotiating terms and designing interiors. You don’t want employees with pets to be relegated to the freight elevator. And take it from someone who’s been there — skip the expensive carpets and learn to love concrete floors.
If pets and your line of work simply don’t mix, you can still foster a pet-friendly culture. Asking about your team’s pets and normalizing pets on camera during remote calls will go a long way to let employees know you value their pets.
2. Adopt a "pet-flex" mindset.
Arguably the biggest barrier to pet ownership is time commitment — it’s difficult to work a full-time onsite job and have a pet. Working from home allowed us to do both, and now those employees are seeking a flexible solution that will allow them to continue being responsible pet parents and effective workers.
First, you can be mindful of an employee’s pet needs by opting for a hybrid model and allowing them to choose a work-from-home/in-office schedule that makes sense for them. If this isn’t possible, allow your employees to use flexible hours for exercising their pets, veterinary visits and pet daycare pickup/dropoff. You can also consider offering PTO when employees have a new pet, when a pet is sick or when they're coping with the loss of a pet.
3. Extend health insurance benefits for pets.
Just as companies assist employees with the cost of health insurance, life insurance, legal aid, etc., offering pet insurance is another great way to help employees take care of their families. Our mission at Pumpkin is to help make the best pet care possible for all; pet health insurance can help employees afford veterinary care without the stress of worrying about the cost.
Offering pet insurance helps create a pet-positive culture. It shows that — like the employees you aim to attract — you understand that caring for pets as you would any other family member is important. If you have a younger team, this benefit may be particularly appreciated, as many millennials have pets before they have children.
4. Provide creative "pet perks."
Innovative perks have untapped potential to highlight your company’s creativity and employee-centricity. You could organize useful perks like a pet walker partnership with your office, or a mobile dog groomer to be stationed onsite for employees to book. You may even be able to secure group discounts for employees. For extra wow factor, you could offer backup pet daycare or arrange for pet training classes onsite.
To show your ongoing support, you could match contributions to pet-related charities, or create opportunities for your employees to give, such as offering PTO to volunteer at charities of their choice.
For smaller companies that don’t have the budget or space to do these things, you could include pet-themed items as corporate gifts or rewards for hard work. You could also arrange pet-centric social events — my team has had great fun with a pet picture day and a Halloween pet costume contest. Even small gestures will send the right message to your employees that you care about their pets.
What’s the takeaway?
For so many, pets have been a source of comfort during a time of isolation and stress. They're family, and there's a growing appreciation for companies that are pet-forward and value pets as much as their employees do.
I’ve found that a pet-friendly office creates a positive work environment and culture, which actively benefits the happiness and effectiveness of employees. If you're committed to improving your pet benefits, not only will you attract and retain talent in a competitive landscape, but your employees and their fur families will greatly thank you for it.
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