Purina Calls on Organisations to Reap the Rewards of Bringing Pets at Work

LAUSANNE, September 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Studies^[1] show that allowing pets in the workplace improves employee satisfaction and lowers stress 

Nestlé Purina is calling on businesses and organisations across Europe to join the Pets at Work Alliance and benefit from the positive impact pets can have in a professional environment. At Purina, we believe pets and people are better together, especially at work, and we know from experience that having pets at work has a significant positive impact on employee's mental and physical health. Purina is working with, and providing support to businesses across Europe to join their Pets at Work Alliance, with the aim of having 200 partners on board by 2020 as per its Purina in Society commitment.

     (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/557028/Nestle_Purina_PETS_AT_WORK_EU_Infographic.jpg )

Since introducing pets at work in 2003, Purina has experienced first-hand the many business and health-related benefits among its employees, including greater interaction between employees, improved retention, increased productivity and lower stress levels. The encouraging results from the programme to date have encouraged Purina to call on other European leaders to profit from the programme's proven gains.

"Pets at Work is not just a programme but a movement that we know delivers a multitude of benefits, such as improved workplace atmosphere, work-life balance and socialising among employees," said Bernard Meunier, CEO at Nestlé Purina PetCare Europe, Middle East and North Africa. "Establishing our own Pets at Work scheme has provided significant learnings for successful implementation, and from this experience, we have developed materials and guidance for organisations wishing to introduce this type of scheme."

Due to the success of the initiative, Pets at Work has gained momentum in Purina offices across Europe. For example, France has always welcomed pets at work, while Germany started opening its doors to pets in 2011. Italy and the UK followed suit in 2014 and several more offices are moving towards pet-friendly work environments. Similar to Purina, other companies across Europe are taking note of the mutual business and employee benefits that result from allowing pets at work, and are offering more flexible benefits that both attract and retain employees.

"Some companies in Italy already enthusiastically support pets at work," says Germano Calvi, Head of Research and Data Science, Publicis Communication Italy. "We've been working with Purina for a while, and during this time we have seen how the "Pets at Work" initiative is truly appreciated by their employees and how it can create a peaceful atmosphere in the office. For this reason, we also decided to adopt a similar project and Purina have provided us with the best possible advice on how we could do it. This initiative has been a great success among own employees too therefore we are delighted to become a member of the Pets at Work Alliance".

Recently Purina conducted The Pets at Work Survey 2017 to gain further insights into the attitudes towards, and perceived benefits of being allowed to bring your pet to work. The survey, which interviewed 3,221 employed European dog-owners in eight countries across Europe (UK, France, Germany, Russia, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and Portugal) between the ages of 18-65, further solidify Purina's belief that pets are, and should be welcome in the workplace. The survey returned favourable results, which include:

• 68% of employed dog owners would bring their pet to work, if given the choice (currently only 12% of work environments are pet-friendly)
• 40% of employees agree that pets in the workplace contribute to reducing stress and creating a more relaxed work atmosphere,
• 36% of employees find that pets at work help to improve the work/life balance. More results of the survey will be released in the following weeks

1. Randolph T. Barker, et al. (2012) "Preliminary investigation of employee's dog presence on stress and organizational perceptions", International Journal of Workplace Health Management, Vol. 5 Issue: 1, pp.15-30, https://doi.org/10.1108/17538351211215366

More information about the survey will be launched in the coming weeks. 

To learn more about the European Pets at Work Alliance and how to join, please visit: http://www.petsatworkalliance.com 

About Nestlé Purina PetCare EMENA 

Nestlé Purina PetCare EMENA (Europe, Middle East, North Africa) believes that pets and people are better together and is committed to helping pets live longer, happier and healthier lives through proper nutrition and care. For over 120 years, Purina has been one of the pioneers in providing nutritious and palatable products made to the highest standards of quality and safety. Purina's passion for pets goes beyond the advancement of pet nutrition and in 2016 Purina PetCare Europe launched the 10 Purina in Society commitments to have a positive impact on pets and society, including promoting pet adoption, pets in the workplace and helping to reduce the risk of pet obesity. The Purina portfolio includes many of the best-known and best-loved pet foods including Felix^®, Purina ONE^®, Gourmet^® and Pro Plan^®.

A premiere global manufacturer of pet products, Nestlé Purina PetCare is part of Swiss-based Nestlé S.A., a global leader in nutrition, health and wellness.

For more information, visit the Purina website: https://www.purina.eu/

About the European Pets at Work Alliance  

The Pets at Work Alliance is a group of businesses and organisations across Europe who, in sharing the same belief as Purina - that people and pets are better together - is committed to instigating the Pets at Work policy, with the goal of 200 organisations opening their doors to pets by 2020.

Purina understands the many benefits of a pet-friendly workplace for employees, such as higher engagement, retention and wellbeing; higher performance and productivity; higher inspiration and lower stress. Establishing our own Pets at Work scheme has provided significant learnings for successful implementation, including safety and health, responsible ownership and education, and workspace requirements. From this experience, Purina has developed materials and guidance for organisations wishing to introduce the Pets at Work scheme, including pet etiquette guidelines and an employee pledge to ensure the safety of pets and their respective owners or other employees.

About the Survey 

Ipsos conducted the survey on behalf of Purina, distributing 3,221 total online interviews among the population respondents, all of them were dog owners and in full-time employment. 400 were participants from UK, France, Germany, Russia, Italy and Spain and 200 were participants from Switzerland and Portugal, based on the survey criteria. The survey excluded those in the pet-food industry or with a pet-related occupation, such as veterinarians or breeders. An additional 80 millennial participants (18-34) in UK, France, Germany, Russia, Italy, Spain and Switzerland were selected for the interview. They survey was conducted in 2017.