Portland Employer, ClaimVantage, Treats Every Day as Take Your Dog to Work Day
Team coach, Rockne, provides a friendly welcome to visitors and employees alike.
- (1888PressRelease) June 20, 2019 - International Take Your Dog to Work Day® (TYDTWDay), first established by Pet Sitters International (PSI) in 1999, takes place this Friday, June 21st.
In 1996, PSI, an organization dedicated to saving animals from shelters, decided that too many people were leaving their animals at home while they went about their workday. They developed TYDTWDay to encourage employers to support their local pet communities, allow employees to experience the joys of pets in the workplace, and enable non-pet owners to witness the special bond co-workers have with their pets, perhaps even be inspired to adopt a pet of their own.
ClaimVantage, an international insurance technology firm, headquartered in Portland, Maine, has fully embraced the sentiment. In 2016, ClaimVantage had a small office with five full-time employees, when Customer Support Manager, Curt Drummond decided to rescue a puppy, Rockne. Concerned that Rockne would be alone all day, Curt requested that Rockne join him in the office a few days a week, provided he was on his best behavior. Today, Rockne is considered to be a huge part of the team, providing moral support and a friendly face to everyone he encounters, and even features on the company website as the Team Coach.
“I love having dogs in the office because they always make you smile! You could be having a stressful day, but when they are wagging their tail and want to play with you, it seems to make everything OK,” Says Colleen Brescia.
It has been widely reported that allowing employees to bring dogs into the office can increase employee retention, offers social support for employees who feel overwhelmed, gives employees an excuse for some midday exercise, and can increase cross-department collaboration, providing the opportunity for employees to talk employees they wouldn’t normally interact with.
“He has brought a sense of energy and positive emotion to sometimes overwhelming days. I look forward to his “tours” of the office and everyone’s desk which he does routinely at least twice before he goes home (mid-morning and mid-afternoon),” Says Mike Turner.
Colleague David Wright agrees, “Meetings sure are a lot better when Rockne decides to curl up at my feet.” Some new employees have even joked that Rockne is the reason they returned to work on their second day!
Over time other employees have begun to bring their dogs to the office, and the informal policy has evolved, so employees have agreed rules and dog owners take full responsibility. Although Suzanne Doane’s gorgeous but cheeky dog, Beatrice has found a means to break the rules “Dogs are not to go in the kitchen, but she found a loophole because she loves food – so she keeps her body out but her head in.”
So this Friday, June 21st consider hosting a TYDTWDay or even better implement a TYDTW policy, where employees get the benefits of having pets in the office every day.
About ClaimVantage
ClaimVantage offers industry-leading life, health, and absence management software solutions for insurance carriers, Third-Party Administrators (TPAs), and large employers. ClaimVantage provides cloud-based, automated claims processing solutions that drive efficiency, accuracy, and productivity, helping its customers to deliver superior customer service for a competitive edge.
With its North American headquarters in Portland, Maine, and European headquarters in Dublin, Ireland, ClaimVantage also has teams in Australia, South Africa, and most recently, Japan.
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