Rover Group Inc.
09/28/2021 | News release | Distributed by Public on 09/28/2021 01:30
Rover Unveils the Best Dog-Friendly Companies of 2021
Amazon, athenahealth and Trupanion Lead the Nation in Best Dog-Friendly Companies as Businesses Notice Improved Recruitment, Morale and Culture with Added Pet Benefits
SEATTLE, WA- September 28, 2021 - Rover.com® (NASDAQ: ROVR) , the world's largest online marketplace for loving pet care, today released its Best Dog-Friendly Companies 2021 report, which ranks the top workplaces across the U.S. on their dog-friendly cultures. In a year that presented workplace environment challenges like never before, all of the companies listed in the report maintained, and in many cases strengthened, their commitment to providing their employees with dog-friendly benefits.
The top dog-friendly company honors went to Amazon again this year, with several newcomers joining the top 10 including athenahealth, Kinship, PetDesk and SelfMade. As a dog-centric company who knows pets are family, Rover is uniquely positioned to understand the many benefits of supporting pet parents with a robust set of dog-friendly perks. It's a uniquely important time to offer pet-centric perks. Between the unprecedented surge in pet adoption during the pandemic-67% of dog owners said they welcomed a dog into their family in the past year1-and the simultaneous rise of employment rates in the U.S., the job market is increasingly dominated by pet parents whose pets' wellbeing influences their happiness at home and at work.
"Amazon has been dog-friendly since Day 1," said Jennifer Skipper, Amazon's "Woof Pack" Manager. "Our dogs are a special part of Amazon's peculiar culture, and a mechanism for connection. We've found that dogs in the office actually contribute to our collaborative company culture. We are proud of this Amazon tradition and continue to welcome more dogs to our pack every year."
New data in the 2021 report reveals the majority (64%) of pet parents feel that a company with a dog-friendly culture and perks cares more about its employees. In fact, 77% of Americans are placing even more importance on working for a dog-friendly company after spending so much time with their canine loved ones during the pandemic. It's no surprise either, as nearly 80% of pet parents claim that working alongside their dog improves their mental health and wellness, and more than half would even be willing to compromise on their salary to have dog-friendly benefits, such as a stipend for pet insurance, free dog walking or time off for pet bereavement.
In a booming labor market, employers adopting dog-friendly benefits are seeing a return on their investments. Of US-based companies featured in this year's report, 95% believe that being a pet-friendly company has positively impacted hiring and recruiting of new employees. The majority (93%) of businesses claim that company morale has improved since implementing dog-friendly perks with more employee interaction and engagement, and better communication among team members.
As COVID-19 continues to complicate returning to the workplace, many companies are maintaining a dog-friendly culture with: dog cameos on video calls (87%), virtual introductions to new dogs (74%), and swapping dog footage with colleagues (94%). A common denominator among these companies: 100% believe their employees consider their dogs to be members of the family.
"There's a rising sentiment in American society that dogs are, in fact, a part of our nuclear families-they aren't just pets. The pandemic only accelerated and strengthened those feelings," said Rover's head of people and culture, Jovana Teodorovic. "It's abundantly clear that pet-friendly benefits are not only appreciated by employees, but they're actually creating a more productive workforce and competitive hiring process. While some businesses may move to remote work, many others will transition back to the office or into a hybrid workplace plan. We anticipate more than ever that they'll considerwhere and how pets fit into the equation."
This year's Top 20 Best Dog-Friendly Companies include:
- Amazon (Seattle, WA)
- athenahealth, LLC (Watertown, MA)
- Trupanion (Seattle, WA)
- Kinship (New York, NY)
- PetDesk (San Diego, CA)
- Stride Health (San Francisco, CA)
- Petco (San Diego, CA)
- Purina (St. Louis, MO)
- SelfMade (New York, NY)
- SS&C Advent (San Francisco, CA)
- WeWork (New York, NY)
- VMware, Inc. (Palo Alto, CA)
- PeopleConnect People Search (San Diego, CA)
- PetSmart (Phoenix, AZ)
- Procore Technologies (Carpinteria, CA)
- Zogics (Lenox, MA)
- Tripadvisor (Needham, MA)
- Noodles & Company (Broomfield, CO)
- FabFitFun (Los Angeles, CA)
- The Farmer's Dog (New York, NY)
To view the full report on the Best Dog-Friendly Companies, pleasevisit here. A similar report was conducted in the UKand Canada.
Methodology
Rover's 2021 Best Dog-Friendly Companies were awarded based on Rover's proprietary ranking which polled nearly 90 dog-friendly companies across the U.S. Each company was awarded points based on key dog-centric benefits including, paid time off for new pet parents and pet bereavement, as well as a financial stipend for pet health insurance, adopting a pet and pet care services. Secondary data was collected through a Rover survey of 1,000 U.S. based pet parents and/or employees who work for a dog-friendly company via Pollfish in August 2021.
1Rover survey via Pollfish in June 2021 of 1,000 U.S.-based dog parents.
About Rover:
Founded in 2011 and based in Seattle, Rover® is the world's largest network of five-star pet sitters and dog walkers. Rover connects dog and cat owners with pet care whenever they need it. Millions of services have been booked on Rover, including pet sitting, dog walking, in-home boarding, drop-in visits, doggy day care, and grooming in select markets.
Rover makes it easier for people to have pet love in their lives through the Rover Guarantee, 24/7 support, vet consultations, and GPS walk mapping. And by sharing expertise on TheDogPeople.com, a trusted resource for millions of dog and cat parents worldwide, Rover provides tips and articles that delight, inform, and enhance the bond between people and their pets. To learn more about Rover, please visit http://www.rover.com.
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Contact:
Kristin Sandberg
[email protected]
360-510-6365