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.