Working World

August 2016

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10 August, 2016 l Working World l WorkingWorld.com C harlie rides along with Kim Headen as she works in the warehouse at Replacements, Ltd., in Greensboro, North Carolina. Replacements is one of a growing number of companies to allow pets. Photo by Peter Taylor/AP Images for The HSUS. When Kim Headen first began bringing Charlie to work, he behaved like any good Yorkshire terrier allowed to visit an office filled with china and crystal should. He sat happily under Headen's desk in the warehouse at Replacements, Ltd., the Greensboro, North Carolina, company that is the world's largest retailer of contemporary and antique china, crystal and silverware. He would greet anyone who walked by with a sniff and an offer of his head for some pats. He plopped down in the aisle alongside Headen's desk with such authority that co-workers deemed it "Charlie's Boulevard." But whenever Headen had to venture off to search the stacks for an obscure piece—which happened often for her job of problem orders specialist—Charlie would panic. He wanted to follow her so desperately that he would whine and bark until she returned. Not only was this a problem for those around Headen, but it added stress to her day. Kim Headen says bringing Charlie to work with her has helped her connect with her coworkers. It didn't take long for Headen and Charlie to find a workable solution. Now, Charlie rides comfortably on the bottom shelf of a rolling cart that Headen pushes up and down the aisles of china in the 500,000-square-foot facility. He has a padded bed in the cart where he can lounge, safely on his leash. He peeks his head out occasionally to check out his surroundings, but mostly is content to, as Headen says, "just ride." "He just doesn't like me to go up on the ladder," Headen says. "He barks every time I go up high. I don't know if he's thinking I'm going to fall, or what. But he does not like me to go up high." It's a comfort for Charlie to be with his person, and it's a luxury for Headen to be able to bring her pet to work. He joins her two or three times a week, typically when she has errands to run after work and knows Charlie would be left alone at home too long. Sometimes, she brings him just because she thinks they both would enjoy the company. Replacements has had a pets in the workplace program for more than 20 years. It started when CEO Bob Page brought his own dachshunds into the office, enjoyed it and realized employees might like to bring their dogs to work, too. The company also encourages customers to bring in pets as they browse the showroom. Not only has the employee program flourished—20-30 dogs come into the office daily—but it has yielded numerous positive effects. It's a low-cost benefit the company can offer to employees, and it helps improve job satisfaction and job performance. Dogs in the workplace, a study has found, also reduce stress among employees and increase connectivity between co-workers. Plus, who wouldn't want to see a dog riding along in a cart at work? About four years ago, Virginia Commonwealth University business professor Randolph T. Barker was looking for studies about the effects dogs in the workplace have on employees and made a remarkable discovery: He couldn't find anything. Well, nothing reflecting research done in actual work environments. Everything he saw had been conducted in a classroom or sterile laboratory. FEATURE ARTICLE Could Your Office Go Pet-Friendly? Dogs in the workplace can make employees happier and more productive

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