Welcome to Pet Supportive Workplaces™
Across the globe, pets are family. Decades of research show that pets enhance human wellbeing — improving physical health, reducing stress, strengthening mental resilience, and fostering meaningful social connection.¹ Yet for today’s employees, especially younger workers who increasingly see pets as part of the family, managing the responsibilities of pet ownership alongside work can be a hidden source of stress and strain.
Employers who support employee wellbeing through the lens of pet ownership are not just offering a niche benefit — they’re investing in a stronger, more engaged, and more productive workforce. A pet-supportive culture isn’t just good for people; it’s good for the bottom line.
About Pet Supportive Workplaces™
Pet Supportive Workplaces™ is an initiative of the Institute for Best Practices in Workplace Wellness, building on our landmark research into what truly drives employee wellbeing.
Our research consistently finds that many workplace wellness programs focus narrowly on initiatives designed around what employers think workers need — often overlooking the daily realities and emotional drivers that matter most to employees themselves. For today’s workforce, especially younger generations who are delaying or foregoing parenthood, pets are a central part of their lives and identity.
By addressing the human-animal bond as a core wellbeing need, we are pioneering an evidence-based, practical model to help companies meet employees where they are — and help employees bring their best selves to work.
What We’re Building
Pet Supportive Workplaces™ is developing a flexible, scalable model that enables employees to:
Start now: Launch pet support resource groups immediately, without waiting for formal benefits or HR policies.
Save money: Gain access to cost-saving opportunities through group discounts, shared resources, and Pet Savings Accounts.
Build community: Foster connection, reduce isolation, and create a workplace culture of mutual support.
Manage emergencies: Advocate for flexible options around pet emergencies, from peer coverage to time-off arrangements, even before formal leave policies exist.
Advance wellbeing: Improve mental, emotional, and social wellbeing through peer-led initiatives that recognize the importance of pets in employees’ lives.
Our Approach
This is not just another top-down HR program. Pet Supportive Workplaces™ uses a bottom-up empowerment model, giving employees the research-backed tools, language, and ERG structure they need to self-organize, advocate effectively, and deliver value to one another — and to the company.
Importantly, this initiative positions pet support as part of the core architecture of workplace wellbeing, not as a “soft” perk or optional extra. It is grounded in our Institute’s evidence-based framework for workplace wellness and is designed to fill a critical gap left by many current programs: helping employees address the needs that matter most to them, not just those designed to serve employer outcomes.
By tackling one of the most non-intuitive — yet increasingly central — drivers of wellbeing, Pet Supportive Workplaces™ helps companies achieve meaningful results across engagement, retention, productivity, and culture.
Join Us
We are now developing pilot partnerships and exploring collaborations with organizations that share our vision.
If you are an employer, employee, sponsor, or potential partner interested in shaping the future of workplace wellbeing through the human-animal bond, we’d love to hear from you.
Let’s build a more Pet Supportive Workplace — together.
¹ Examples of research: American Heart Association, HABRI (Human Animal Bond Research Institute), Mayo Clinic, Institute for Best Practices in Workplace Wellness (forthcoming report).