Do you allow employees to bring their dogs to work? It’s a growing trend some employers (9%) are implementing in order to help attract and retain talent. Sure, we’ve all heard of “Bring Your Children to Work” (April 25, 2019) and “Bring Your Dog to Work” (June 21, 2019), but could “Bring Your Pig to Work” be another trend employers will have to contend with to win the war for talent?
Source: Volodymyr Burdiak / Shutterstock
Long Island, New York-based employer, SupplyHouse.com—an e-commerce company that sells plumbing, heating, and HVAC supplies—recently announced that as of February 5, 2019, it was modifying the office pet policy to allow pigs.
“We implemented our pet policy about 3 years ago now,” says Julie Collins, Human Resources Associate. “I was a little nervous [to have a pig come into the office] because dogs have been the only four legged friends to join us up until now, but they [dogs] bring so much joy and I knew a pig would do the same.”
Meet Truffles
While Collins had her reservations, the staff at SupplyHouse.com couldn’t be happier to have a pig among the ranks. SupplyHouse.com employee, Steve Erickson, brought his pet pig, Truffles, into the office and was greeted with enthusiastic support. “It felt like when Ed Sullivan introduced The Beatles, everybody was so excited,” says Erickson. “There was a build up for a few days of everybody asking when she was coming. I imagine there’s not a lot of workplaces that would have let me bring her in.”
What made SupplyHouse.com consider this option? According to a company blog post, both dogs and pigs alike are welcome in the office, whether it’s for a few hours or the whole day. The company finds that these opportunities allow employees to get to know one another a bit more through their 4-legged friends.
SupplyHouse.com adds that it “focuses on providing a positive and energetic work environment allowing for employees to feel right at home. With their core values revolving around open-mindedness, teamwork, respect, and more, having a guest appearance by Truffles fit perfectly.”
To make Truffles feel more like a team member, she was highlighted on the company’s “Meet the Team” page. Truffles’ bio states that she is part of Potbelly Services and loves to cuddle, take naps, and eat Cheerios. While it may seem unusual to see a pig grace the staff section of a company’s website, SupplyHouse.com also features employees’ dogs, who make appearances in the office, as well as the company’s trusted leaky pipe, Leaky—who happens to be part of the marketing department.
Company Core Values
While it may seem strange to have a pig policy, SupplyHouse.com thrives on its unusual workplace culture. The company’s core values page makes this point perfectly clear, saying: “SupplyHouse.com has a unique culture defined by diversity, positive attitude, and focus on innovation. Every full-time SupplyHouse.com employee is committed to doing everything he or she can for our company, every day.” And if that includes bringing you pig to work, so be it!
Could this be the next trend for talent attraction? If so, mark your calendars, because February 5, 2020, seems like a good day to start celebrating national “Bring Your Pig to Work Day.”