Employees at pet friendly companies are highly bonded to their job and more engaged in their work when employers offer pet-friendly benefits to workers, according to a new study.
The recent study by Nationwide Insurance and the Human Animal Bond Research Center shows more than three times as many employees at pet friendly workplaces report a positive working relationship with their boss and co-workers, significantly more than those in non-pet friendly environments.
The pet friendly companies study also shows
-
- 90 percent of employees in pet friendly workplaces feel highly connected to their company’s mission.
-
- They are fully engaged with their work.
-
- They are willing to recommend their employer to others.
-
- The plan to stay at the company for at least the next 12 months.
Pet friendly companies and workplaces are defined in the study as those that allows pets in the workplace (regularly or occasionally) and/or offers a pet friendly employee benefit, such as pet health insurance.
The study also shows that employees in pet friendly companies are more likely to stay with a company long term. The findings held true even among non-pet owners in both pet friendly and non-pet friendly workplaces.
Pet friendly companies engage, attract employees
“The results of the Nationwide/HABRI study clearly indicate a significantly higher level of employee engagement, retention, attraction and presentism among employees that work in pet friendly work environments,” Scott Liles, president and chief pet insurance officer for Nationwide, said in the release about the study.
“In consideration of the discernable cost of employee turnover, adding pet friendly benefits, such as allowing pets in the workplace or offering pet health insurance as a voluntary benefit, can provide significant savings to a company’s bottom line.”
“Pet owners increasingly think of their pets as members of the family,” Steven Feldman, executive director of HABRI, said in the release.
“When employers offer pet friendly benefits, it sends an important signal that the company cares about every member of the family, even the ones with four legs.”
With more than 700,000 insured pets, Nationwide is the first and largest provider of pet health insurance in the United States. Nearly half of all Fortune 500 companies, and more than 6,000 U.S. companies overall, offer Nationwide pet insurance as a voluntary employee benefit, according to the release.
Resources:
Millennials are Picking Pets Over People
Pet insurance information from Nationwide
Human Animal Bond Research Institute
7 Questions Landlords Have About Pets and Pet-Friendly Apartments
Going to the Dogs: Profitable Pet-Friendly Amenities
Methodology
Nationwide and Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI), a not for profit organization, commissioned Lieberman Research Worldwide (LRW) to conduct a 20-minute, online survey between December 15-21, 2017, among a sample of 2,002 U.S. full-time employees in businesses that have 100+ employees. Employees surveyed were between 18-64 years old, spent a majority of their time working in an office environment, and were not employed in a research-sensitive industry. Statistical confidence intervals are given throughout the study and are reported at the 95% and 99% confidence level. As a member of The Insights Association in good standing, LRW conducts all research in accordance with Market Research Standards and Guidelines
About Nationwide
Nationwide, a Fortune 100 company based in Columbus, Ohio, is one of the largest and strongest diversified insurance and financial services organizations in the U.S. and is rated A+ by both A.M. Best and Standard & Poor’s. The company provides a full range of insurance and financial services, including auto, commercial, homeowners, farm and life insurance; public and private sector retirement plans, annuities and mutual funds; banking and mortgages; excess & surplus, specialty and surety; pet, motorcycle and boat insurance.
