- Nestlé’s celebrated Pets at Work (PaW) scheme comes to its offices in York
- Office based Nestlé colleagues can bring their dogs to work from today
- PAW introduction follows recent refurbishments to make Nestlé House pet friendly
Nestlé, the world’s biggest food and drink producer, and one of York’s largest employers, has today, (Thursday, 4th April) welcomed the first dogs into its Nestlé House offices in York as part of their Pets at Work (PaW) scheme. Nestlé House York becomes Nestlé’s fifth pet friendly office site in the UK & Ireland, with Gatwick and Dublin being successfully part of the scheme since 2015.
Paul Steadman, Nestlé UK & Ireland HR Director said: “At Nestlé we believe with a passion that people and pets are better together. Our research and experience tells us that Pets at Work boosts employee morale, encourages more physical activity and helps us create a stimulating environment where our people are happy, have fun and can perform at their best. Having pets in the office is inspirational.
“I’m delighted to welcome the first dogs into our York offices today, and I’m looking forward to meeting many more four-legged friends in the comings days and weeks.”
Beth Pettinger from Nestlé's Sales Team was the first person to cross the threshold with her dog Indie, a 4 year old Spaniel. Beth (pictured with Indie) said: “I’m so happy to bring Indie to work, Pets at Work is going to be great for both of us. Before I had to depend on my parents or my dog walker to give me peace of mind while I was at work, now with Indie by my side it will be much easier. When I’ve been in other Nestlé offices with PaW I’ve noticed dogs have a calming effect, they are great ice-breakers for meeting new people, and they make sure you take a break from your desk! We are already planning group dog walks in Clarence Gardens nearby during our lunch breaks, so bringing Indie to work is going to be good for my mental and physical health.”
The PaW scheme in York will only be open to Nestlé people based in Nestlé House, strict decontamination procedures between the factory area and offices already exist.
ENDS
Notes to editor:
- For more information, including access to images please contact: Nestlé UK Press Office on 020 8667 6005 or e-mail [email protected]
- Pets at Work consists of a three-phase programme which Nestlé employees need to go through in order for their dog to get their Passpawt and become an official resident at Nestlé House:
- Embarkment: Review of a detailed questionnaire to ensure dogs are pawesome candidates for the Pets at Work scheme.
- Pawthorisation: An independent specialist will guide dog and owners through 12 simple exercises during a brief assessment. Dogs also need to undergo a full health check.
- Tail-End: Following a three month probation in Nestlé House in which dogs are assigned a Dog Friendly Buddy to ensure they feel comfortable in an office environment with their owners, colleagues and other dogs, an independent specialist will oversee a second assessment of 10 simple exercises. If the dog passes, a Passpawt will be granted!
- Is your workplace interested in becoming pet friendly? Purina, Nestlé’s pet food arm, has created a toolkit and has dedicated support available to help any company interested in becoming dog friendly. Further information can be found at www.purina.co.uk/pins/pets-at-work
- Nestlé is the world’s largest food and drink company.
With more than 2000 brands ranging from global icons to local favourites, we are present in 191 countries around the world.
www.nestle.co.uk – Follow our UK and Ireland team on Twitter: @NestleUKI