Personal Finance

Best Dog-Friendly Workplaces

We've found that employees working in dog-friendly environments are significantly happier with their jobs. To find this out, we analysed employee ratings for UK companies that either allow employees to bring a dog or have a regular office dog or two. Then, to help those looking for a dog-friendly job and acknowledge the top-notch companies that welcome these four-legged friends, we've found 25 companies that are both highly rated by employees and dog friendly. Here's what we found.

Dog-Friendly Companies have Happier Employees

According to our analysis, employees are much happier at work if their company allows dogs. Across all types of companies in the UK, the average employee rating is 3.69 out of 5 stars. However, we found that the companies which are dog friendly have an average employee rating of 4.17—nearly half a point higher. On a 5 point scale, this is a meaningful amount.

chart showing that employers allowing dogs are higher rated by employees

Best Dog-Friendly Workplaces

To find the best companies that welcome dogs, we scoured UK job sites and employer ratings at Glassdoor to find employers that are:

  • Hiring (e.g., they've posted a job in the past month)
  • Dog Friendly
  • Rated highly by employees

In total, we identified 65 companies that allow employees to bring dogs and/or have an office dog (i.e., a dog that is in the office most days—great for those who love the company of a dog but don't have one of their own). We then narrowed down the list to those which are highly rated by employees, earning at least 3.5 out of 5.0 stars. Here is the list of the top 25 dog-friendly workplaces in the UK that allow employees to bring their dogs, in alphabetical order:

Best Employers that Allow DogsNumber of EmployeesLocationIndustry
Beyond Retail51 to 200BournemouthTech/Online Retailer
Credit Kudos1 to 50LondonTech/Credit Bureau
Cuvva1 to 50LondonTech/Insurance
Design Bridge201 to 500LondonDesign Agency
Electric Square51 to 200BrightonTech/Video Games
Elvie1 to 50LondonTech/Products for Women
Fidel1 to 50LondonTech/Financial Transactions
Impero1 to 50LondonCreative Agency
KD Web1 to 50LondonAdvertising & Marketing
Komodo Digital1 to 50NewcastleTech/Computer Hardware & Software
LandInsight1 to 50LondonTech/Property Platform
Lexoo1 to 50LondonTech/Legal
Mo1 to 50LondonTech/Enterprise Software & Network Solutions
Mother London51 to 200LondonMotion Picture Production & Distribution
Netitude1 to 50FromeTech/Managed IT Services Provider
Snyk51 to 200LondonTech/Enterprise Software & Network Solutions
Studio Gobo51 to 200BrightonTech/Video Games
Tails.com51 to 200LondonTech/Pet Food
Tailster1 to 50LondonTech/Dog Sitting
Thought&Function1 to 50LondonTech/Design
Twinkl Education201 to 500SheffieldTech/Education
UKFast.Net201 to 500ManchesterTech/Hosting Provider
Unmind1 to 50LondonTech/Mental Health
Veeqo1 to 50SwanseaTech/Software Sales
Venture Stream1 to 50NewcastleDigital Marketing and Ecommerce Consultancy
Vets Now1 to 50Dunfermline, ScotlandVets services provider

Benefits of Dogs in the Workplace

It is well documented that exposure to dogs leads to a reduction in stress and increased creativity, making dogs a perfect addition to workplaces to help employees stay happy and productive.

For example, petting a dog releases serotonin, which can help boost creativity by putting you in a calm but energized state. And according to a report from Harvard Medical School interacting with a dog reduces mental stress, which researchers attribute to a reduction in levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

What Types of Jobs Let You to Bring Your Dog to Work?

If you want to bring your dog to work, there are many types of work you can do. In our research we saw job postings in dog-friendly offices ranging from office manager to sales to software developer.

Those wanting to bring their dog to work will find their best bet is a tech startup. According to our research, the majority of companies that allow you to bring your dog to work are small, flexible tech/startup companies with less than 50 employees. In many cases, a company founder has a dog they like to bring to work. A number of dog-friendly tech startups work out of WeWork offices, which allow dogs.

Large companies are not as likely to allow dogs. Out of our list of top 25 dog-friendly companies, only two employ more than 200 people: Design Bridge and UKFast.net. However even these larger companies see the direct benefits of having dogs around.

For example, UKFast CEO Lawrence Jones said: “A year or two ago, we noticed a number of dogs joining us in the office from day to day. They were no trouble, and we quickly realised how much of an energy boost they brought. People light up when they see a pet sleeping under someone’s desk! Whilst it would be easy to assume that dogs become a huge distraction from the work that needs to be done, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that having them around improves people’s moods and boosts productivity."

Perks for Dogs at Work

It's not uncommon for dog-friendly offices to provide water bowls and treats around the office. Most workplaces are either located near some green space or provide an outdoor courtyard to get some fresh air and stretch your and your dog's legs.

Image showing badge with dogs
Mother London's badge

In startups with dog-owning founders, dogs are often a highlight of the office. For example, Mother London and Land Insight feature office dogs in videos, Netitude, Twinkl and Fidel have created Instagram accounts for their office dogs, Venture Stream has blogged about their dogs, Impero uses their office dogs to raise money for charity and Mother London even designed a company badge around the founders' dogs.

Some companies prioritise pet health and facilities. For example, Twinkl allows employees to bring pets as long as they're "pawthorised"—checking they're insured and up to date with their jabs. Tailster not only encourages dogs to join in on meetings—even important ones—but they have a sun terrace equipped with fake grass especially for the dogs to do their business.

With an estimated 27% of UK adult's owning a dog and the known benefits of having a four-legged friend in the workplace (e.g., less stress, higher creativity and happier employees), we certainly hope that more and more companies welcome dogs in the future. Even if your workplace doesn't generally allow dogs, perhaps they could give it a try on Bring Your Dog to Work Day on 21 June (which happens to be sponsored by one of the companies that made our top 24 list: Vets-Now).

If you know of any other dog-friendly companies that are also highly rated by their employers, please add them to our comments section below!

Erin Yurday

Erin Yurday is the Founder and Editor of NimbleFins. Prior to NimbleFins, she worked as an investment professional and as the finance expert in Stanford University's Graduate School of Business case writing team. Read more on LinkedIn.

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