Demands and resources of a long-standing bring-your-dog-to-work program: a constant comparative analysis
IntroductionGiven the evidence that companion animals may provide social and emotional support to their human counterparts, some companies have begun offering bring-your-dog-to-work programs in an effort to reduce employee strain and improve workplace wellness outcomes. The purpose of this qualitati...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Public Health |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1576360/full |
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| author | Braxton Schieler Niwako Ogata Leanne O. Nieforth |
| author_facet | Braxton Schieler Niwako Ogata Leanne O. Nieforth |
| author_sort | Braxton Schieler |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionGiven the evidence that companion animals may provide social and emotional support to their human counterparts, some companies have begun offering bring-your-dog-to-work programs in an effort to reduce employee strain and improve workplace wellness outcomes. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate how a long-standing bring-your-dog-to-work program at a large midwestern university veterinary college, the Dogs at Work Program, impacted the workplace well-being of program participants.MethodsA total of n = 11 staff and faculty members who participated in the program completed semi-structured interviews about their experiences. Interviews were analyzed using the constant comparative technique.ResultsConstant comparative analysis revealed four themes situated within a job demands-resources theoretical framework: (1) Dogs providing emotional support as a resource, (2) Dogs providing social support as a resource, (3) Increased responsibility as a demand, and (4) Lack of adherence to program rules as a demand. Results indicated that bringing pet dogs into the workplace was viewed positively because the dogs provided an impetus for pleasant breaks from stressful work, improved work-life balance, and helped to develop and enhance social relationships. On the other hand, participants also mentioned that dogs could be a distraction from workplace productivity, especially if they were poorly behaved.DiscussionWell-enforced policies for dog activity and behavior are critical to ensure that dogs at work do not diminish productivity or upset some employees. Nevertheless, bring-your-dog-to-work-programs appear to show promise in terms of reducing strain and may be linked to improved mental health outcomes. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-eadd9b77a1964aac8faaff9a61e8d54e |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2296-2565 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Public Health |
| spelling | doaj-art-eadd9b77a1964aac8faaff9a61e8d54e2025-08-20T03:10:21ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Public Health2296-25652025-06-011310.3389/fpubh.2025.15763601576360Demands and resources of a long-standing bring-your-dog-to-work program: a constant comparative analysisBraxton Schieler0Niwako Ogata1Leanne O. Nieforth2Human-Animal Partnerships and Interactions Lab, Department of Comparative Pathobiology, Center for the Human-Animal Bond, College of Veterinary Medicine, John Martinson Honors College, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United StatesDepartment of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Center for the Human-Animal Bond, College of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United StatesHuman-Animal Partnerships and Interactions Lab, Center for the Human-Animal Bond, Comparative Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United StatesIntroductionGiven the evidence that companion animals may provide social and emotional support to their human counterparts, some companies have begun offering bring-your-dog-to-work programs in an effort to reduce employee strain and improve workplace wellness outcomes. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate how a long-standing bring-your-dog-to-work program at a large midwestern university veterinary college, the Dogs at Work Program, impacted the workplace well-being of program participants.MethodsA total of n = 11 staff and faculty members who participated in the program completed semi-structured interviews about their experiences. Interviews were analyzed using the constant comparative technique.ResultsConstant comparative analysis revealed four themes situated within a job demands-resources theoretical framework: (1) Dogs providing emotional support as a resource, (2) Dogs providing social support as a resource, (3) Increased responsibility as a demand, and (4) Lack of adherence to program rules as a demand. Results indicated that bringing pet dogs into the workplace was viewed positively because the dogs provided an impetus for pleasant breaks from stressful work, improved work-life balance, and helped to develop and enhance social relationships. On the other hand, participants also mentioned that dogs could be a distraction from workplace productivity, especially if they were poorly behaved.DiscussionWell-enforced policies for dog activity and behavior are critical to ensure that dogs at work do not diminish productivity or upset some employees. Nevertheless, bring-your-dog-to-work-programs appear to show promise in terms of reducing strain and may be linked to improved mental health outcomes.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1576360/fulljob demands-resources modelworkplace wellnessmental healthbring-your-dog-to-workwork-life balanceorganizational belonging |
| spellingShingle | Braxton Schieler Niwako Ogata Leanne O. Nieforth Demands and resources of a long-standing bring-your-dog-to-work program: a constant comparative analysis Frontiers in Public Health job demands-resources model workplace wellness mental health bring-your-dog-to-work work-life balance organizational belonging |
| title | Demands and resources of a long-standing bring-your-dog-to-work program: a constant comparative analysis |
| title_full | Demands and resources of a long-standing bring-your-dog-to-work program: a constant comparative analysis |
| title_fullStr | Demands and resources of a long-standing bring-your-dog-to-work program: a constant comparative analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Demands and resources of a long-standing bring-your-dog-to-work program: a constant comparative analysis |
| title_short | Demands and resources of a long-standing bring-your-dog-to-work program: a constant comparative analysis |
| title_sort | demands and resources of a long standing bring your dog to work program a constant comparative analysis |
| topic | job demands-resources model workplace wellness mental health bring-your-dog-to-work work-life balance organizational belonging |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1576360/full |
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