The workplace of the future is going to the dogs

Is this post just an excuse to post a cute picture of my dog? Of course not, don't be ridiculous.

Is this post just an excuse to post a cute picture of my dog, Maisie? Of course not, don’t be ridogulous.

By 2025, Millennials will make up 75% of the global workforce. Millennial work-culture will inevitably become everyone’s work-culture. But before you dash off to invest in ping-pong table futures, you should know that there’s more to a millennial-friendly workplace than fun & games, free beer, and bean bag chairs. The perk that millennials, and the generations before them, really want is flexibility.

Technology, like TDS managedIP Hosted, has enabled greater workplace flexibility. As TDS’ own Barclay Pollak put it:

People are working longer days and the boundaries that used to exist between home and work are bleeding together. In some cases they’ve already been obliterated.

The key word is “bleed”. We’ve all heard about the importance of work-life balance, but as author Jones Loflin says:

Millennials aren’t seeking work life balance. They ARE looking for a healthy work life blend.

As Loflin points out, this isn’t just semantics. Work-life blend is different than work-life balance. Balance implies an equal separation, whereas blend more accurately describes the increasing overlap between work and the rest of our lives.

While Millennials embrace technology that enables them to work from anywhere, they just as quickly embrace policies that enable them to bring a little bit of home into the workplace. Younger workers want more than just pictures of their loved ones on a cubicle shelf. That’s why so many companies are literally going to the dogs.

Approximately 20% of American companies have pet-friendly policies, but expect that percentage to grow as more and more companies take advantage of the many benefits of dogs in the workplace. Dog-friendly policies not only help companies attract Millennial talent, they also help employees from every generation reduce stress, and encourage positive interactions between employees.

In short, dogs are a key ingredient in creating the kind of fun, flexible, creative, and collaborative environment that Millennials want to work in. Best of all, they’re a big benefit without a big investment, other than the time needed to create a successful dog policy.

So what are you waiting for? Next time you’re having a ruff day at work, you may be able to furget all about it with a little help from Fido. Isn’t that pawesome?

About Kris Prusynski

Kris works on the Commercial Marketing team at TDS Telecom and helps TDS achieve their online objectives through digital marketing and website optimization. She has worked in the digital marketing space for over 15 years, in product categories as diverse as shoes, banking, beds and pig farming supplies (really!). Kris has both undergraduate degrees and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin - Madison and therefore bleeds Badger red. She’s a veteran blogger on topics ranging from digital marketing to Wisconsin fish frys to the sweet necessity of ugly office sweaters. Nowadays, you’re more likely to find her on Twitter or Google+ trying to decipher the mysteries of A Song of Ice and Fire. In her spare time, you can find Kris kayaking, hanging out at the dog park, or thinking about lawn care.

, , ,

5 Responses to The workplace of the future is going to the dogs

  1. Dillon July 30, 2015 at 1:20 pm #

    Dogs in the workplace, when regulated, can be a fantastic thing. I hope TDS looks into and implements a pet friendly policy.

  2. Lauren Kelton July 30, 2015 at 1:22 pm #

    So… what you’re saying is that TDS should let me bring my puppy to work… haha!

  3. Amber Chenault July 30, 2015 at 1:45 pm #

    Like! 🙂

  4. Randy Bushman July 31, 2015 at 8:16 am #

    All for it where applicable and under guidelines/policy.
    Dogs in today’s world are used as therapy (CGC – Canine Good Citizen) in assisted living and rehabilitation facilities. They are used as assist dogs to people with hearing and sight disabilities. They are workers in weapons and drug detection among many other things. They are even trained to smell/detect some types of cancer.

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

  1. Top 10 work from anywhere destinations | TDS Business - August 27, 2015

    […] Dog parks – I’ve talked about bringing dogs into the workplace, but I’ve also witnessed more and more people bringing their workplace to the dogs. And, to be […]

Leave a Comment