Is This The UK’s Most Pet-Friendly Office?

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11 April 2022

Pet food company Bella and Duke has unveiled their animal-friendly workplace, which has been specifically designed to accommodate staff and their pets.

The open plan layout contains typical office features such as meeting rooms, a co-working area and breakout spaces, but also also includes interactive spaces for four-legged visitors to enjoy.

This includes kennels, toys and even dog agility equipment. 

The space, dubbed the “UK’s most pet friendly office”, was created by workplace design and management consultancy, Space Solutions.

Picture: a photograph of five people sitting on some steps, three dogs on leads also accompany them. Image Credit: Space Solutions 

The Link Between Staff Wellbeing and Bringing Your Dog to Work

Staff wellbeing is playing a significant role in new office and workplace design concepts, and a 2019 study from the University of Lincoln demonstrated the positive effect that “taking your dog to work” initiatives can have on the workforce.

They discovered that employees who “often” took their dog to work reported higher than average work engagement levels, including higher scores on general wellbeing and career satisfaction.

Professor Daniel Mills, Professor of Veterinary Behavioural Medicine, Director of The Animal Behaviour Clinic at the University of Lincoln, and one of the authors of the research said at the time: “If you told employers there was a simple way to increase their workforce overall satisfaction with the working conditions, they’d be very keen to learn more.

“Our results show that far from being a distraction, (a fear expressed by some in our earlier work) allowing dogs in the workplace has the potential to improve employees’ focus and probably productivity too.”

Workspaces that Meet the Needs of People and Pets

Victoria Speirs, Senior Interior Designer for the project said: “It was a unique challenge as a designer to create a space that would accommodate the needs of both people and their pets. We wanted the office to feel like it was a natural place to be, whether you have two legs or four. By incorporating biophilic design elements, we brought the outdoors in using a green and neutral colour palette to mimic the park life experience.”

Picture: a photograph of two people sitting at a meeting table in conversation, a dog can be seen sitting on the floor nearby. Image Credit: Space Solutions 

Jim Mathieson, Group Managing Director at Space Solutions, added: “Our Design & Build team worked closely with Bella & Duke to create a workplace with health and wellbeing at its heart. We understand the need for improving the work-life balance for staff, and so this project was all about the employee and pet experience and focused on creating a unique and interactive space which goes beyond the conventions of a typical office environment.”

Picture: a photograph of two dogs sitting in small kennel spaces. Image Credit: Space Solutions 

Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 11 April 2022

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