Want to find the best staff? Make sure they have a dog...

Yes, quite true, says the The Times. According to its Careers supplement, “66 per cent of dog owners say that they would work longer hours if they could take their dog to work”. So if you want your staff to put in the time (probably more than the EU allows, let’s face it), dog-owning staff may be the logical solution – unless it’s Tesco or a food processing plant...! And with a reduced payroll bill, it may prove a cheaper option too – because ”32 per cent of dog owners say that they would take a pay cut to work with their dogs”.

Is it “barking mad”? Well, not if you consider that dog owners tend to be healthier (they take more exercise, have lower blood pressure, etc etc – IF you exclude the owners seen on TV’s Fat Pets). And what’s more, having a dog in the office is good for staff morale. Why? Because a dog can be a great tension diffuser. When staff are having a huge argument, along comes the dog and whey hey, everyone cheers up.

And it isn’t just employers who should take note. Landlords should read this too. The Mistress and I recently met a very successful business owner in the park (with her pet pooch). As the boss, she decided that her office would be dog-friendly, which worked well for everyone. She runs a tight ship with happy staff and gets to keep her dog close by. It’s a win:win situation. And because the business is so successful (and growing), they needed more office space. After much searching the perfect site was found and contracts were about to be exchanged. Then, out of the blue, the landlord said dogs were strictly off limits and not allowed on the premises. So what happened? The owner said OK, no deal. And she walked away, just like that.

The Mistress used to take me to work in her office – they were a forward-thinking lot, her employers – but, in the end, it became too expensive. How so, you may wonder? Well, I used to rummage around the office (open plan) and steal people’s sandwiches! Oh yes! Of course, this meant the Mistress had to reimburse her colleagues every time I got lucky. The worst time was when the auditors came in; they had very expensive sandwiches and I just couldn’t help myself...

So, employers and landlords everywhere, forget family-friendly policies as the way forward; what you really need is a dog-friendly workplace – it will cost you less and keep your staff happy. Now surely that DOES make good business sense?

Woof Woof