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Purina hosts 'Cuddle Club' to celebrate Bring Your Dog To Work Day

employees with their dogs

On the eve of Bring Your Dog To Work Day, Petcare company Purina hosted a ‘Cuddle Club’ to allow dogs and employees to cuddle at lunchtime, highlighting the benefits that its Pets at Work (PAW) scheme brings.

The ‘Cuddle Club’ followed on from a successful first session held in May, during Mental Health Awareness Week. 

Purina, a Nestlé business, invited employees at Nestlé’s Gatwick Head Office to get together to cuddle one of many four-legged furry friends who were there on the day.  

Gemma Gillingham, Nestlé Purina Pets at Work Lead, said: “Seeing colleagues in the wider business take time out of a busy day to sit down and relax with the dogs is really special – and my dogs love the attention too! 

“Having a Pets At Work scheme offers a multitude of benefits to both our business and our employees. Our research shows ‘canine colleagues’ can be a huge help in tackling workplace stress and anxiety.  

“Allowing pets in the workplace also enables employers to offer an additional attractive recruitment and retention benefit to employees. With so many people, especially in the Millennial and Gen Z age groups, acquiring a new furry friend during the pandemic, being able to bring their dogs to work can help owners keep the costs of dog ownership down, by reducing the need for dog walkers or doggy day care.   

“We are encouraging all businesses to consider signing up to being pet-friendly.” 

Purina believes pets and people are better together and its PAW scheme has been running since 2003. It allows employees to bring their dogs into work every day if they wish to do so, to experience a whole range of paw-sitive benefits.  

Research by Purina revealed inviting pets into the office could help improve mental wellbeing in the workplace.   

  • 40% of people with pets at work say it enhances work-life balance 
  • 24% of people with pets at work say it improves relationships in the workplace 
  • 45% of people with pets at work say it creates a more relaxed atmosphere 
  • 50% of employees without a pets at work scheme would see it as a benefit 

Purina commissioned the study in 2017 as part of its Pets at Work (PAW) scheme, encouraging more workplaces to become pet friendly.