tershouse is the first pet friendly space in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This means that pets are welcome in our space as much as our human coworkers and are just as valued as their two-legged owners.
Below, read the benefits of working in a pet-friendly work environment, which is based on research and the experiences of our coworkers. Probably about 50-60% of our coworkers have pets. It turned out that a large number of our coworkers consider this a great benefit, because many of them spend 10 or more hours a day at tershouse, and during that period their pets would sit at home alone and wait for their owners to return. "How much a person loves a dog is often funny to see, and difficult to explain. In addition to having my own table, my Stella in tershouse has her own bed, a blanket, and a view through the window of the park. She has coworkers that she can’t wait to see, another extended family, so to say. Having the opportunity to bring a dog to work is an incredible privilege.”
Our experience has shown that the pet-friendly rule is not only an advantage for most of our coworkers, but also for pets who enjoy spending the day with their owners.
According to Amina, who has been a member of our space for some time, the furry coworker Chico is her favorite coworker, because no one is so happy as him when she arrives.
Research shows that there are a large number of advantages that come with pet-friendly working environments. There are certainly rules when we talk about taking pets to work, but more on that later. To begin with, let's take a look at the basic advantages of pet friendly spaces:
Pets, especially dogs and cats, have therapeutic effects. Based on research, pets have a beneficial effect on lowering blood pressure, reducing anxiety, improving mood and eliminating depression. According to research from Virginia Commonwealth University, employees who came to work with their pets had lower stress hormones than those who left their pets at home, while employees without pets had the highest levels of stress. According to another Washington State University study, petting a dog for just 10 minutes a day helps release oxytocin, which is an anti-stress hormone. (https://www.webmd.com/depression/features/pets-depression )https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2332858419852592
Pets in the workplace connect people. It is unquestionable that if you are an animal lover, you will connect through a conversation with the owner of a dog or a cat. Research shows that pets in the work environment can be a great ice-breaker if you are new to the space or if you want to have a coffee with someone, a great topic.
This is almost like mothers of children who go to kindergarten together. There is always a topic. Research also proves that adults who are attached to their pets also tend to bond more closely with the communities they belong to.
Pet-friendly work environments increase the attendance rate of employees/coworkers. Many pet owners treat their pets like babies and children, and if they suddenly show signs of weakness that morning, chances are high that they will stay home with their ‘baby’, and this way they can always take him/ her with them and keep an eye on them while they work.
They have a beneficial effect on creativity. How? Research (once again, yes, don't dream about this word) proves that walking increases creativity by up to 60%, and when you bring your fury baby with you to work, you will most likely have to take her/him for a walk at least once during working hours to stretch their lovely paws. And in addition, walking certainly has a good effect on increasing your physical activity.
There are many benefits of pet-friendly working environments, but in order for everything to function in the best order and for the coworking space to serve what it primarily exists for, which is work, at tershouse we have several house rules that our coworkers who come with pets must respect; the dog or cat must be taught to obey commands and not make a mess of the space and prevent other coworkers from working, pets must be taught to perform their physiological needs outside. There is also a third rule, and it is related to noise; the doggies are allowed to bark up to 3 times a day, anything over that ends in expulsion (just kidding, we won't count your dog's barks, but handle that beast...)
Fun fact: our pet community is small but very special; and it consists of schnauzers Chico and Chilly, Staffordshire terrier Stella, shih tzu Ari, bichon frise Lily and many others :)
