Despite Legal Issues, Dogs at Work Can Be a Plus; Hawk & Squirrel are Sent Home
On the theory that a happy employee is a productive employee, a number of avant-garde business owners let employees bring pets to work.
But the arrangement can present both practical and legal issues, reports the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.).
At Justia Inc., co-owner Stacy Stern admits that her two toy dogs can be a distraction, sometimes seeking to go on a walk outside her Mountain View, Calif., office when she is on the phone with clients of the legal information provider. But she has found a solution: “What I’ll do is instant message a couple of people who love the pugs like I do and one will usually take them out,” she tells the newspaper.
Where workers are concerned, attorney Jon Hyman of Kohrman Jackson & Krantz suggests that owners set advance expectations concerning such issues as what will be done with the pet if the owner needs to go to a meeting. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, employers must also accommodate employees who may be allergic to animals, he notes.
Pets at work can be a plus with clients and fellow workers, brightening everyone’s mood, proponents say. But they can also be too cute, as was the case with Tailer the squirrel, says co-founder Isaac Garcia of Central Desktop Inc. “Everybody wanted to take a picture with him or feed him a carrot,” he says of Tailer, explaining why he subsequently banned pets from his company’s Pasadena, Calif., offices as an unneeded distraction.
A hawk also proved problematic, frightening some children, says co-owner Andrea Grossman of Grossman’s Paper Co. in Petaluma, Calif. The 105,000-square-foot sticker manufacturer still has up to a dozen dogs on its premises at any given time, as well as three outdoor kennels for any canine that needs a time-out.
Related coverage:
ABA Journal: “Who Let the Dogs In?”
ABA Journal: “Going to the Dogs—in a Good Way”
ABA Journal: “At this Prosecutor’s Office, a Furry Soft Spot for Kids”
ABAJournal.com: “Legal Beagles Join With Other Canines in Take Your Dog to Work Day”
ABAJournal.com: “Definition of ‘Service Animal’ a Hot Issue in Pet-Friendly Portland, Ore.”
ABAJournal.com: “Woman Can’t Take Her Pet Monkey to Restaurants, Federal Judge Rules”
