from baltimorebusinessjournal.com
Pets are welcome in these Baltimore-area workplaces
Best Places to Work
For some workers, it’s a dream: to have a dog in the office, a furry and affectionate friend to check in on periodically.
But in some Baltimore offices, it’s a reality. This year we asked if
pets were allowed at our Best Places to Work. A handful reported yes,
and some even have them around regularly.
Frank M. Harvey, president of F.M. Harvey Construction in Hunt Valley, likes to bring his dog to work.
Claire Cann, F.M. Harvey’s controller, said Harvey’s Newfoundland is
“a teddy bear. I’ve never heard the dog bark ever in my entire life. He
literally sleeps at Frank’s feet for the most part.”
There’s no formal policy, but other employees at the small operation
are allowed to bring their dogs in, too, if Harvey signs off on it. “He
would ask if the dog was housebroken, make sure it’s friendly so there
are no problems with employees or people coming in and out of the
office,” Cann said.
So far only one employee — the owner of a Chesapeake Bay retriever —
has taken the company up on the offer. Cann said there’s never been any
problems with either dog: no begging, excessive barking or puddles in
the office.
One of the dogs comes to the F.M. Harvey office at least once a week,
Cann said. “I kind of like having them around. they make the work
atmosphere a little bit more casual and friendly.”
Jeanie Stambaugh, president of NFD Inc., an interior design firm in
Hunt Valley, also likes having her dog in the office occasionally. So do
her employees.
Someone brings their dog to NFD every two weeks or so. The 10-person
firm learned a lesson when it had two dogs visit on the same day.
“We do it on a one-dog-at-a-time basis,” Stambaugh said. They were
running circles around the collaborative area, chasing each other.”
Stambaugh preapproves new dogs — “I usually want to know if they’re
friendly and if they bark a lot” — and she said employees know when they
shouldn’t bring them in, like when a big client is expected.
She’s observed that pets in the office make employees have fun. “Dogs
will go over to them and cause havoc sometimes, and they’ll laugh about
that.
“We did have somebody one time bring their bird,” Stambaugh said.
“The bird was sick, so she wanted to bring it in. It was actually in a
cage. Then it would talk every once in a while, so that was funny.”
The policy at NFD, like the one at F.M. Harvey, is informal.
At Oak Crest retirement community in Parkville, employees register
their dogs through a volunteer program. There has to be policy around it
because of the nature of employees’ work at Oak Crest, said public
affairs manager Jeff Getek. But “it’s pretty simple policy.” The dogs’
shots need to be current, and a supervisor has to approve. About 20 dogs
are registered with the program.
Residents of Oak Crest are also allowed to have pets, but some —
especially in the assisted living and skilled nursing neighborhood —
can’t maintain a pet anymore, Getek said. For those people, employees’
pets can be a particular delight.
“It’s a remarkable connection that those dogs can make between an
employee and a resident,” Getek said. “It really just brings them joy
for a day to be able to pet a dog or just to interact. Dogs are such
amazing social animals, and I think they really enrich the lives of
residents who get to spend some time around them.”
And employees take pride in their dogs. “We really tend to think that
dogs are part of our families,” Getek said. “So to be able to show them
off once a week or once a month, it’s just another way to connect with
people.”
But in some Baltimore offices, it’s a reality. This year we asked if pets were allowed at our Best Places to Work. A handful reported yes, and some even have them around regularly.
Frank M. Harvey, president of F.M. Harvey Construction in Hunt Valley, likes to bring his dog to work.
Claire Cann, F.M. Harvey’s controller, said Harvey’s Newfoundland is “a teddy bear. I’ve never heard the dog bark ever in my entire life. He literally sleeps at Frank’s feet for the most part.”
There’s no formal policy, but other employees at the small operation are allowed to bring their dogs in, too, if Harvey signs off on it. “He would ask if the dog was housebroken, make sure it’s friendly so there are no problems with employees or people coming in and out of the office,” Cann said.
So far only one employee — the owner of a Chesapeake Bay retriever — has taken the company up on the offer. Cann said there’s never been any problems with either dog: no begging, excessive barking or puddles in the office.
One of the dogs comes to the F.M. Harvey office at least once a week, Cann said. “I kind of like having them around. they make the work atmosphere a little bit more casual and friendly.”
Jeanie Stambaugh, president of NFD Inc., an interior design firm in Hunt Valley, also likes having her dog in the office occasionally. So do her employees.
Someone brings their dog to NFD every two weeks or so. The 10-person firm learned a lesson when it had two dogs visit on the same day.
“We do it on a one-dog-at-a-time basis,” Stambaugh said. They were running circles around the collaborative area, chasing each other.”
Stambaugh preapproves new dogs — “I usually want to know if they’re friendly and if they bark a lot” — and she said employees know when they shouldn’t bring them in, like when a big client is expected.
She’s observed that pets in the office make employees have fun. “Dogs will go over to them and cause havoc sometimes, and they’ll laugh about that.
“We did have somebody one time bring their bird,” Stambaugh said. “The bird was sick, so she wanted to bring it in. It was actually in a cage. Then it would talk every once in a while, so that was funny.”
The policy at NFD, like the one at F.M. Harvey, is informal.
At Oak Crest retirement community in Parkville, employees register their dogs through a volunteer program. There has to be policy around it because of the nature of employees’ work at Oak Crest, said public affairs manager Jeff Getek. But “it’s pretty simple policy.” The dogs’ shots need to be current, and a supervisor has to approve. About 20 dogs are registered with the program.
Residents of Oak Crest are also allowed to have pets, but some — especially in the assisted living and skilled nursing neighborhood — can’t maintain a pet anymore, Getek said. For those people, employees’ pets can be a particular delight.
“It’s a remarkable connection that those dogs can make between an employee and a resident,” Getek said. “It really just brings them joy for a day to be able to pet a dog or just to interact. Dogs are such amazing social animals, and I think they really enrich the lives of residents who get to spend some time around them.”
And employees take pride in their dogs. “We really tend to think that dogs are part of our families,” Getek said. “So to be able to show them off once a week or once a month, it’s just another way to connect with people.”
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