27/04/2026
š¾ Some leadership lessons donāt come from boardrooms.
They walk in unannouncedā¦ sometimes with a wagging tail.
I still remember the day Srivalli walked into a client workshop with me ā straight out of the elevator, into the room, and calmly took her place up front.
Best co-facilitator Iāve had.
No agenda. No framework.
But the room shifted.
People softened. Laughed more. Stayed present.
Without trying to ādoā anything ā the space felt safer.
Iāve spent years working with leaders on presence and psychological safety. And interestingly, research now validates what Iāve seen in rooms again and again.
A study from Virginia Commonwealth University found that employees who had dogs at work showed lower stress and higher job satisfaction.
But more than that ā people felt more cared for.
Thatās perceived organisational support ā one of the strongest drivers of retention and engagement.
A 2024 study in BMC Psychology found pet-friendly workplaces support three core needs: autonomy, competence, and relatedness.
The foundations of real engagement.
Hereās what I keep coming back to:
Culture isnāt built in offsites or decks.
Itās communicated in small, everyday signals.
Whatās allowed.
Whatās welcomed.
What feels human.
When a workplace says ābring what you love into this space,ā
itās not about pets.
Itās about this:
You donāt have to leave parts of yourself at the door.
And when people feel that ā they show up differently.
Burnout doesnāt just come from workload.
It comes from environments that strip the human out of work.
Sometimes the shift isnāt complex.
Just more human. Occasionallyā¦ a little furrier.
What does your workplace communicate ā without saying a word?
š¬ Thoughts?
petsatwork
