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A Brilliant Inkie’s Best Friend: Pets in the Workplace

POSTED ON 
November 20, 2019


At Brilliant Ink, we make a lot of babies. So many in fact (16 and counting!) that we’ve shared nine maternity leave-related blog posts over the years. However, in an effort to bring our whole selves to work, we’d like to celebrate our other, slightly hairy children. 

As a remote team, I’m not sure we qualify as a pet-friendly office. However, we’re always excited to explore offices that do allow pets — and the benefits are significant. 

As reported in Inc., pets in the office can reduce stress, promote positive social interactions, improve company image, increase employee performance, and more. There are some downsides too, like being a distraction (albeit an adorable one), causing damage to the office itself, bumming out employees with allergies, and risking legal or insurance issues if there is a bite or conflict. 

All pros and cons aside, we know why you’re really here. Please meet the dogs of Brilliant Ink.


RINGO AXL GUNST

Age: 12
Special Skills: Pulling small children on scooters like a sled dog and resisting human snacks on the coffee table (most of the time)
Employee Experience Superpower
: Knowing his people! Ready for a run when the sneakers come out or snuggling in for story time each night, Ringo knows what each of his people needs to feel connected and valued.

MARGOT WINIFRED
SWEET DEE HOWLAND

Age: 11
Special Skills
: Stealing people food, catching bees and letting a 3-year-old human sit on her
Employee Experience Superpower
: Empathy! She feels all the feelings.

BUDDY HOWLAND

Age: 11
Special Skills
: Standing on two feet, catching lizards and burrowing under blankets
Employee Experience Superpower
: Transparency! Buddy communicates his true thoughts and feelings at all times. Clear is kind!

PHOGGY BERG

Age: 10
Special Skills: Wiggling, agility, and sneezing in exasperation to get what he wants
Employee Experience Superpower
: Employee retention! Nobody is better at keeping the herd together than this Aussie Shepherd.

ELOISE "WEEZIE" STUART

Age: Not-at-all terrible 2
Special Skills: Sleeping like a human, walking while biting her own tail and befriending every human, animal and inanimate object
Employee Experience Superpower
: Inclusion! Always greeting strangers with a smile and a booty wiggle, she makes everybody feel like a somebody.


MOLLY MELINGER

Age: 5
Special Skills: Navigating the wild streets of NYC with only her nose (okay, and her humans) to guide her
Employee Experience Superpower
: Trust! Molly gives her people lots of psychological safety.

Boomer Downing

Age: 12
Special Skills
: Getting around on three legs and being a BFF to three wild kids
Employee Experience Superpower
: Listening! No matter how many complaints he hears, he listens without judgment or interrupting.


Do you work in or know of a pet-friendly office? Tweet us at @briliantink and share your thoughts.

Sara Forner Howland
HEAD OF STRATEGY

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