Amazons pro-dog strategy puts other companies to shame

Amazons pro-dog strategy puts other companies to shameAmazons pro-dog strategy puts other companies to shameAmazon, while its building the future, is making the present very friendly for dog owners. There are reportedly4,000 dogs registered at Amazons Seattle headquarters- 500 report to work with their owners every day, on average, according to Yahoo Finance.The publication also reported thatamong other amenities, a 1,000 square-foot dog park opened in April next toThe Spheres.But pets are only allowed among 7% of employers, according to the SHRM 2016 Employee Benefits research report, which surveyed 3,490 HR workers and looked at more than 300 benefits. That number welches 8% in 2015 and 4% in 2014.But Amazon is going a little broader, offering use of its enormous dog park even to neighbors and the public in Seattle.Dog-filled days at AmazonOne Twitter bentzer - who apparently works at Microsoft - posted a photoat The Sphereswith his dog.Another Twitter user even tweeted a video o f dogs in action at The Spheres.A Pembroke Welsh Corgi named Waffles with a passion for tennis balls. An American Labrador retriever named Bailey who enjoys morning snuggles. A Lab named Lucy who loves grabbing the newspaper.These are some of the dogs of Amazon featured on the companys website.Rufus, the groundbreaking dogSo how did Amazon get here? It all comes down to a four-legged companion named Rufus, who got the ball rolling on dog culture at the company.A post on Amazons website details what he did before he passed away in 2009.During his tenure, Rufus could be found strolling our hallways, sitting in on meetings (he loved a meeting), or catching a few zs in his crate. He was a master of the hallway tennis ball chase, and had everyone snookered into giving him too many treats, the post says.The dog has been called Amazons shortest volunteer worker, andAmazons former editor-in-chief and principal engineer were his owners.Amazon pups are one of the highlights of a good social m edia feed, with a few on Instagram handsomely posed in front of the Spheres.The company even profiles employees dogs, with their favorite toys and things they love.Wait, but what if you cant work with dogs?But it seems like the dogscant just run wild at Amazon.JP Mangalindan, a senior correspondent for Yahoo Finance went to see the dog park and talked about how dogs are expected to act at Amazon in a video. He said the animalscant make a lot a of noise, that workers with allergies can probably have a seating arrangement that gives them some distance from the dogs, and that theres like an unofficial chief canine officer who he didnt get to meet.But not everyone is a fan of the companys approach to dogs, which in some cases are treated better than humans.But a2015 blog postby former employee Corina Zappia- who is allergic to dogs titled I Was an Amazon Chew Toy painted a different picture of what its like at Amazon in Seattlefor people who are allergic to dogs.The company did grant my request for a dog-free room?- ?the only windowless office on my floor, and unfortunately, four more poor Level 4s were picked to share the room with me. In lieu of windows, the L-shaped room had wipe boards spanning two of the walls, plus a quote painted in crimson from Dr. Seuss Oh the Places You Will Go. Seuss was misspelled. (Suess.) Short of the bookshelves crammed with textbooks and tech manuals we were promoting that year, we had given up on decorating, Zappia wrote.She later wrote thatshe signed a 2-year contract at the beginning of her time at Amazon, and would owe them her pre-tax bonus if she left before time was up, so she stuck it out for as long as possible, adding that, when I left six months later, it was not because of the dogs, but for the lack of work-life balance that the dogs were meant to cover up.Benefits of having a pet at work, for animal loversBut having a pet at work could be an advantage, if youre able to be around them for long periods of time.Dr. Ann Be rger, a physician and researcher at the NIH Clinical Center who aids patients with with sometimes fatal conditions, commented on how dogs can help patients in a 2009 NIH News in Health article.You can see the difference it makes in so many of these patients when the dog is at their bedsideOur patients are often here for a long period of time. I think the dogs add a bit of normalcy to a very difficult situation. The dog will sit calmly, and the patients dont have to talk to anyone. They can just pet. I think this helps with some of the suffering, Berger said.Having a pet around might make you feel better.A 2009 article in Veterinary Clinics of North America Small Animal Practice, said that pet ownership, or just being in the presence of a companion animal, is associated with health benefits, including improvements in mental, social, and physiologic health status.Dogs arent allowed in every office, but for those who can work with them and have the option tobring them in, they can prov ide much-needed support throughout the day.