IT’S A DOG’S LIFE

It is often said that Britain is a nation of dog lovers - but what happens to our canine friends when we have to leave them at home and head out to work?

Dogs are social creatures, pack animals, and they really do not like being left alone for extended periods. Having their special human seemingly abandoned them for hours at a time must be unbearable, is it any wonder that dogs left alone are often prone to destructive tendencies? The combination of loneliness and boredom leads them to decide that “eating dad’s slippers” is a good way to pass the time!

One solution for the home alone pooch is to take them to work with you; this is becoming more common, especially in office based environments - taking your dog to work in a hospital, factory, or restaurant may not be such a good idea. Research by pet food company EUKANUBA, has revealed that almost one in ten (8%) UK employees – that’s 2.5 million people – already bring their canine companion to work.

Evidence suggests that having an office dog around can be therapeutic for the human workers (unless of course someone is allergic to dogs!). Having a dog in the office has been shown to reduce people’s stress levels, and that means all the employees, not just the dog owner.

The mere fact that a dog is there, needing love, petting and trips outside, can help deflect the mental negativity of a “heads down, crack on with it” work culture. A dog makes people stop and pause in the working day, take 5 minutes to play with the animal, stroke it, take it for short walks…

Dogs also up the humour quotient in a working day - our furry friends make us smile with their silly antics, and their presence sparks conversations. Dogs can bring a workplace together, forging relationships that may not ordinarily happen. In other words, having a dog around lightens the mood and thus improves employee mental health.

This kind of reduction in work stress levels and improvement in mental health obviously has a longer-term effect, both on individuals and the business in general. Less stressed staff means less time off with stress-related illnesses, which has the knock-on effect of increased productivity. Here are five good reasons why taking your dog to work is beneficial:

1. Dogs reduce stress

2. Dogs increase morale and team bonding

3. Dogs encourage regular breaks throughout the day

4. Dogs increase productivity in the long term

5. Dogs increase employee retention and reduce sick days

Words of warning…hard as it may be to believe, not everyone likes dogs, and some folks are downright scared of them, consider this before taking your pet to work. And, if several people in an enclosed office environment decided to bring their dogs to work, chaos could ensue - think about staggering the days.

DO YOU TAKE YOUR FURRY FRIEND TO WORK WITH YOU?

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AMAZING SUPPORT FOR JOHN EASTWOOD HOSPICE’S WELL-BEING EVENT

John Eastwood Hospice held a fantastic Women’s Wellbeing Event in March where members of the local community attended an evening of informative and soothing sessions dedicated to women’s self-care.

We are thankful to the local small businesses who donated their time and skills for the evening to be such a success. Attendees were able to enjoy a 20 -minute taster session of holistic and complementary therapies, gain information from breast care nurses and participate in tutorials on haircare and makeup, along with access to invaluable skin care advice and assessments as well as opportunities to buy various well-being products. Each visitor also accessed a group session of yoga, guided mindfulness, sound therapy and advice on women’s mental health, again all supported by local experts. It was a great opportunity for small local business’ to showcase their service and furthermore, it was just lovely evening for like -minded women to group together for an evening of chat and relaxation.

The Hospice successfully raised around £2,000 from ticket sales and raffle, with some amazing prizes which had been donated from our very generous therapists.

Following the amazing feedback we received and many requests to hold the evening again we have decided to hold another Women ’s Wellbeing Event on 9th November 2023.Look out for details coming soon on our Facebook page or in the Hospice about buying tickets and information about other events throughout the year by following us on www.facebook.com/JohnEastwoodHospiceTrust

John Eastwood Hospice Trust, Mansfield Road, Sutton in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, NG17 4HJ Web: www.johneastwoodhospice.org.uk email: contact@johneastwoodhospice.org.uk tel: 01623 622626