Pets in the  (Home) Office – Tips and benefits for working with pets

With the UK on lockdown to prevent further spread of the coronavirus, many of us are working from home. While we adjust to remote working, we are discovering that many of us have alternative ‘work colleagues’ in the form of our furry friends. 

Our pets bring joy to our days, but are they behaving themselves? 

From cats who see additional chances to get their food bowls filled, to dogs in their element and just not believing their luck (Walkies?), they may be wondering about the strange times as much as their owners.

However, pets can bring advantages to home working. 

1. Increased Happiness

Working in an office, you’re often required to leave your furry friend all alone for eight-plus hours a day. As a pet owner, it can be difficult, and it can be even harder for your pet, who has a long, lonely day awaiting your return. Having you home all day and having more quality time is ultimately going to bring you and your pet some happiness, even in these tough times. 

2. Reduced Stress Levels

Having a pet has been proven to reduce workplace stress. Reduce stress in two ways: 1) working from home has been shown to reduce stress, and 2) you’ll compound that stress reduction by owning a pet. Reducing stress in multiple ways will surely reflect on your health through lower blood pressure and other stress level indicators

3. More Hugs and Exercise

You can expect frequent visits from your pet while you’re working at home. These furry breaks allow you to connect more frequently with your animals, which has added health benefits for both you and your pet. As a dog owner, you will be able to walk your dog for longer, adding more exercise to your day. And don’t forget the regular jumping up to open doors for cats, who are revelling in this new butler service that has suddenly arrived. 

Tips for working from home with pets:

• Go for a walk before work. A well-behaved dog is often a tired dog. Taking them for a walk before you begin should tire them out long enough for you to fire up your laptop and have a couple of hours of peace. 
• Regular breaks. With government measures meaning that we can only leave the house for exercise once a day, consider taking your dog out to the garden regularly to play a game of fetch, or consider enjoying a coffee break outdoors with your feline friend. 
• Pet bed in the office. Consider placing a cozy pet bed in your office or on your desk if your pet is small, so your pet is nearby throughout the day. You will remain more focused as you won’t be concerned about what your pet might be doing when out of sight.
• Watch treats. Now that you’re spending more quality time with your pet be sure to gauge how many treats you’re giving them each day. Being with your pet for an extended period could lead to offering more treats and causing them to overeat.

Remote working technology 

As we all face challenges now and in the coming weeks and months, we understand the concerns about business resilience during the COVID_19 outbreak. We can offer advice to businesses wishing to learn more about home and remote working. 

As a cloud-based business, all the team at SoConnect are always fully prepared to remote work.  We mentioned before using Microsoft Teams to collaborate with colleagues, it’s a great application allowing everyone to communicate throughout the day whether on a group chat or video conference.  SoConnect can have your Microsoft Teams application up and running as a business grade voice solution in a matter of hours. 

Our knowledgeable consultants can guide you through making a business continuity plan to utilise your VoIP solution alongside Office 365 and collaboration tools so that you can ensure your business can run as normal no matter where your employees are working from.

Contact our friendly team today to find out more on: 

0333 240 1824  or email us at  sales@soconnect.co.uk