We let the dogs…in on this week’s #WorkTrends as we took a look at the benefits of pet-friendly offices.

According to researchers at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business, it was discovered that pets in the workplace actually create a buffer between stressful situations, boost employee morale and increase productivity. This speaks fathoms about the value they bring not only to our personal lives, but to our professional ones, as well.

Host Meghan M. Biro was joined by Kurgo CEO Gordie Spater to discuss why allowing pets in the workplace is a good policy to have.

Gordie discussed the many benefits from improved employee engagement and overall happiness to lowered employee turnover rates.

Here are some other key points that he shared:

• We are bringing more of ourselves to work these days both physically and emotionally.
• Before allowing pets in the office you need to set explicit behavioral expectations
• It’s important to make sure your office can physically handle pets. Accidents on carpet aren’t any fun.

Did you miss the show? You can listen to the #WorkTrends podcast on our BlogTalk Radio channel here: http://bit.ly/2iXM24e

You can also check out the highlights of the conversation from our Storify here:

Didn’t make it to this week’s #WorkTrends show? Don’t worry, you can tune in and participate in the podcast and chat with us every Wednesday from 1-2pm ET (10-11am PT). On Feb 1, I will be joined by Jhana CEO Rob Cahill and VP of Sales Suzanne Leung to discuss the importance of workplace diversity.

Remember, the TalentCulture #WorkTrends conversation continues every day across several social media channels. Stay up-to-date by following our #WorkTrends Twitter stream; pop into our LinkedIn group to interact with other members; or check out our Google+ community. Engage with us any time on our social networks, or stay current with trending World of Work topics on our website or through our weekly email newsletter.

Photo Credit: Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Flickr via Compfight cc