Chinese Employees Bring Pets to Offices Including Dogs, Cats, Rabbits, And Lizards…

The pet economy is rising in China. Based on iiMedia’s research, 69% of Chinese consumers raised or are raising pets currently, and another 10.8% plan to have pets in the future. It has become a trend for employees at Chinese Internet companies to bring pets to offices.

Unlike in western countries, pet-friendly employers are not common in China. The culture of pets in the workplace is forming, and the related management system is not ready yet. Because of this, when pets are with humans in one place, the relationships among accompanying, management, and work create a series of new stories.

Why Do Employees Bring Pets to Office?

The phenomenon is mainly seen in some Chinese Internet companies, such as Bilibiil and Little Red Book. It’s a great honor to be hired by those companies, but the downside is that employees often have to work extra hours. It has become common for them to leave the office after 8 pm.

Because of the long working hours, many people can only watch their pets through CCTV applications on phones. Some rent houses near their offices so that they can go back home to feed pets during the lunch break.

The Pros and Cons

A tip for brands: being a pet-friendly employer has become a competitive factor in attracting talents in China! But it’s not always brownie points.

Pros

Compared with worrying about pets being alone at home, having them around and seeing are easier for pet parents at work. In some way, it helps to improve work efficiency.

Uban, “Chinese WeWork” exclusively for Internet companies, carries out research (办公室宠物报告) among 10 companies. It is found that 38% of employees feel that by bringing pets to offices, their working pressure can be eased, while 36% think it is good to keep their pets accompanied. The research also shows that pets at the office increase chances for colleagues to communicate with each other, which accounts for 15% of respondents.

Cons

Since taking pets to workday is just at its kickstart stage in China, there are issues to be addressed.

For example, what pets are allowed for employees to bring to offices? Dogs and cats are accepted. But what if your colleague brings a spider with dark furry tentacles to their seat? A user on “Chinese LinkedIn” Maimai(脉脉), complained that after his colleague brought a spider to the office, he would rather message him than go to his seat to discuss work.

Another issue is transportation. Since public transport doesn’t allow pets, options left for people are limited. If they live close to offices, they can walk. But if they need to hail a taxi, that’s big trouble. Many drivers don’t want to have pets in car, and as a result, it might take them half to an hour to get a car. And don’t forget that some people are allergic to pets’ hair.

International Pet-friendly Employers

More companies are open to pets in offices in western countries compared to China.

Amazon, the best dog-friendly US company of 2021, supports 7,000 registered dogs with an on-campus dog park and plenty of free poop bags and treats. Discounted pet insurance is also available to pet parents.

The leading tech company Salesforce allows employees to book designated areas for dogs in advance, namely puppy force. It has beds, water bowls, cages, and noise barriers to avoid disturbing employees.

Google, VMWare, and WeWork are also famous pup-friendly companies.

While the discussion of bringing pets to offices happened a couple of years ago, it is just brought to the table in China. What pets can employees bring and how to take care of pets at offices are yet to be clarified. 

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