Many people will likely leap at the opportunity to bring a pet to work. But doing so comes with important responsibilities.
Having an employee sign a participant pledge before bringing a pet to work helps formalize these expectations and make sure both the employee and the company understand the rules.
A participant pledge:
- Formalizes the agreement the pet parent is making to the program and its rules.
- Collects key information that you will want to have on file for any participating pet.
- Helps protect your organization by communicating in writing the expectations and liabilities of participating.
You will want to develop your participant pledge to include, at minimum:
- Employee name
- Employee department
- Employee contact information
- Employee workspace location (e.g., office or cubicle number)
- Pet name
- Pet type
- Pet gender
- Pet age
- Pet description (e.g., color, breed, size)
- Pet health concerns
- Confirmation of pet vaccination
- Confirmation of pet house-training
- Confirmation of insurance that covers pet bites
- Acknowledgement of responsibility for pet and any damage caused
See a sample participant pledge here.
Want more tips? Check out the PETS WORK AT WORK™ Toolkit for info about how to start and maintain a successful pet-friendly workplace program.