Puppy Love Party
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What’s the Effect when Puppies Visit the Workplace?
What happened when Salesforce invited puppies to their office? Far more than just the anticipated warm fuzzies.
Puppy Love is an employee wellness experience that creates mood-enhancing, morale-boosting connections among co-workers and peers through interactive time with rescue puppies. The benefits abound – including reduced stress, increased productivity and just plain happiness.
Puppy Love arrived at Saleforces headquarters building with their organized set-up, two litters of adorable puppies and their team of Puppy Coaches to help ensure the puppies’ safety and well-being. For the next few hours, employees engaged with the pups – enjoying countless snuggles and kisses!
The experience was not just about adorable photos (although plenty were captured as you can see), it was an exceptionally unique and effective team-bonding experience.
Here’s what we witnessed:
Initiating and Strengthening Relationships
- Puppies facilitated authentic and meaningful interactions among employees – allowing people to see sensitive sides of their co-workers they don’t often see. And it was inclusive; everyone from the CEO to the Cleaning Crew was welcome.
“The experience sparked conversation between people who don’t regularly interact. Employees who joined the company during the pandemic had a more challenging time creating relationships. But just a few minutes hanging with the pups caused people to relate on a more personal, genuine, fun level.”
Fostering Person Growth
- Playing with puppies doesn’t always come naturally to people. For some, it may even have a fear factor. Sabrina Freed, founder of Puppy Love, had been petrified of dogs until she was 18 years old, and it became part of her mission to help others overcome similar fears with the help of her gentle mascots – Becca & Toffee – or other pups at the event.
“It brings me such joy when I can sit with someone quietly and help them begin the journey of what animals bring to our lives. When their teammates see this happen, they are so happy for their friend, as they already know the secret (the joy of animals).”
A Significant Mood-Booster
Any given workday, most people are consumed with their hectic schedules – meetings, calls and deadlines. On a Puppy Love day, calendars are adjusted and people make a point of coming to the office.
“We “ooh-ed” and “aah-ed” and snapped photos of one another. We instantly set up a shared folder so we could swap our pics. The good feelings expended well beyond the time we spent with pups, with people still recalling the event with smiles all afternoon!”