Celebrating National Pet month at Basepoint Southampton
For the month of April, we are celebrating National Pet Month at all of the Basepoint Business Centres across the country.
Here at Basepoint Southampton, we encourage our licensee's to bring their four legged friends to work with them and here are some reasons why...
They can keep you active
A dog-friendly office optimises opportunities for exercise, giving pet owners an excuse to get out of the office and fit in a walk on their lunchbreak. Research has suggested that remaining seated for too long is bad for your health, and could be linked to being overweight and obese, type 2 diabetes, some types of cancer, and premature death. Many adults in the UK spend more than seven hours a day sitting or lying - which is why it’s important to take regular breaks from your desk to keep active. A dog is a constant reminder to get up, stretch your legs and take a brief pause from your screen.
They can reduce stress
Regularly find yourself needing a mental breather in the office? Playing with or petting an animal can increase levels of the stress-reducing hormone oxytocin and decrease production of the stress hormone cortisol. A study in the International Journal of Workplace Health Management found that access to dogs was a calming influence and reduced stress levels, whether people had access to their own pets or other people's.
They can improve job satisfaction
Randolph Barker, lead author of a study carried out by a team of researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University who looked at a manufacturing company where people are allowed to bring their pets to work, has praised dogs for their positive impact on the workplace, boosting morale and employee performance.
He told the BBC: "The differences in perceived stress between days the dog was present and absent were significant. The employees as a whole had higher job satisfaction than industry norms."
And, bringing your dog to work is not just good for you - it's good for your pooch, too. The commute will help them develop their confidence in public and social intereactions in your workplace will exericise them mentally, which is just as important as physical exercise.
Everyone's a winner.