The phrase "the dog is man's best friend" is no longer just a slogan. It is relevant in many countries, cultures, religions and people nowadays, but beyond being the most beloved pet, in recent years the status of the dog in high-tech offices has become unique. You can see affection and consideration for dogs and their owners, which increases from year to year in various fields of employment - from offices that are defined as "friendly dog" and dogs that receive sweets of all good in the company's "Happy Hour", through dogs celebrating birthdays with employees, WhatsApp groups for dogs or screensavers of Dogs and other animals for company employees, and up to pampering packages for dog and dog owners.
In honor of International Dog Day tomorrow (Thursday), we will explain why dogs in the work environment may be better with the employee, and present some examples of high-tech dogs - a new generation of dogs that live (perhaps) a little better than us.
"Studies over the years indicate the contribution of contact with animals to human mental well-being," says Prof. Liat Kulik, an expert in the world of work and gender from the School of Social Work at Bar Ilan University.
One of the 'employees' in the Atera offices, PR
Proximity to animals
To illustrate the dog-human relationship and its benefits, she talks about "animal treatment methods that have become popular in recent years, along with other treatment methods that are known and accepted by professionals. It has been found that animals, including dogs, can provide comfort, warn of danger and even carry out direct actions of help. And improving mood and overall well-being. "
Kulik adds that "as for the contribution of bringing dogs to work, studies conducted on the subject abroad generally indicate positive effects on employees.
Employees who bring their dogs to work are calmer, probably for two reasons: they work in peace knowing that even though they are at work, they do not abandon their pet for long hours at home;
And the connection with the dog provides a kind of anti-stress factor.
"However, in order for the beneficial effect of the dog to exist, it is very important the degree of good will of the organization to allow dogs to be brought in, and to take care of appropriate conditions for them while in the organization. And to get a more balanced picture, "Dogs to work such as allergies, phobia of other employees from contact with dogs, distraction of employees due to the focus on the dog, and of course - also working conditions that are not safe for dogs."
High-tech dogs with custom packages of "Cogenta", PR
From food to games: the companies that pamper dogs
An interesting example of the high-tech dog phenomenon is "Cogenta" - an auto-tech start-up from the Rehovot Science Park, which employs 50 people and works with a variety of customers from Asia to Europe.
One of the coolest benefits of this type of start-up is the initiative of one of the facts about a quarterly treat that the company calls a "dog allowance": once a quarter, employees with dogs receive a pampering package.
Meanwhile, we found that 45% of the company's employees own a pet, and next year it is planned to add the cats (and their owners) to those entitled to the quarterly treat.
Another company, "Anime" - which has developed technology that turns design into code, and provides a solution to huge customers such as Facebook, Google and Amazon - takes care of pampering not only its employees but also their dogs: each employee who owns a dog receives a special Care Package that includes toys and food.
At eko, founded by Yoni Bloch, employees are encouraged to bring their dogs to the office - and they enjoy food, snacks and special snacks that the company provides.
Also, all the TV screens and computers in the office are filled with screensavers with pictures of the workers' dogs, and the company has even opened a dedicated Slack channel for dog owners where they share pictures and moments of their best friends.
Quarterly package for dog for 2021 Cogenta company, PR
Placer, which is based in Ramat Gan with more than 100 employees and specializes in developing business information systems, prides itself on being completely Dog Friendly - so much so that those who pass by the big offices during the work day do not know what else is there: dogs or employees.
Startup Atera, which develops systems for managing, predicting and preventing failures in companies' computer systems, encourages their employees to physically bring the dogs to the office.
Dogs are an integral part of the work experience and visibly celebrate birthdays for office dogs just as they celebrate for employees - collect them all, bring a cake (special for dogs of course) and along with play balloons and also birthday songs raise for dogs a real celebration.
There are many more examples of such companies, and this is happening not only in high-tech, in recent years you can see more and more jobs that are friendly doggie, and also public spaces like some malls that were until recently closed to pets, and now some respect the entry of our best friends. on all fours.
We only have to ask: when will it be allowed to bring dogs to the "Israel Today" system as well ?!