Friday September 27, 2024
Work
Correspondence, Charlotte HERVOT.
More and more employers are allowing their employees to bring their pets to the office. If the practice is well perceived, it raises questions.
“Having an animal brings life. And at work too. » As if to illustrate the words of Justine Nicol, his mistress, Octaveimposing Corgi, welcomes us by rolling on the charcoal gray carpet. In the open space of LunaWeb, an agency specializing in the design and ergonomics of Web interfaces in Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine), this colleague unlike any other wanders from time to time between the offices.
Read also: Why you should take your dog to work
“In a job interview, we talked about my passions and among my passions is my dog,” laughs the thirty-something, head of the User Research department. “Quite naturally,” Nicolas Le Cam, founder of this company of twenty-three employees, offers to Justine Nicol to welcome Octave. “The company is twenty years old and at the time, I went to the office with Luluboxers. » Since then, several cats and dogs – “We have never had a request for another animal” – marched in theopen spaceto the almost general satisfaction of the occupants.
Beneficial for cohesion
Better productivity, communication, reduced stress… The practice would be beneficial for cohesion and health. The one and a half hour lunch break allows Justine to take a walk Octave. And they are rarely alone. For Hugo, developer, “it’s an opportunity to go get some fresh air, which I would do less alone”, he confides. The presence of the dog also has another advantage: relaxing the atmosphere.
“He will sometimes do things that are out of step with a work situation: get on a sofa during the video, let out a fart in a meeting… It has even happened that stressed candidates spend the interview with the dog on their lap,” notes Nicolas Le Cam. Welcoming an animal into the workplace also generates new professional risks: falls, damage, noise pollution, etc. Hence the choice of certain structures to integrate the subject into the internal regulations or to develop a charter.
Read also: Going to work with your pet is a growing trend, but is it really good?
At LunaWeb, practice is more about usage. “There is nothing written, but we discuss it before the arrival of an animal to ensure that no one is afraid or allergic… Then there is a period of adaptation. And the social and economic committee (CSE) is there if there is the slightest remonstration”, assures Nicolas Le Cam. OctaveWho “tends to bark at the start of the video”, was thus “excluded”. But one thing is certain for the manager: “We are happier with it than without it. »
What does the Labor Code say? Not much…
Three questions for Jérémie Jardonnet, lawyer specializing in social law and the law of the social and economic committee (CSE).
What does the law say on the subject?
Not much. The question of guide dogs for the blind is planned. The ban in certain sectors, hospitals for example, too. But otherwise the Labor Code says nothing. Better to look at the company’s internal regulations. Knowing that the absence of mention in the text does not constitute authorization.
The subject may seem light, but it raises questions…
Yes, particularly in terms of the modalities: is it authorized one day a year, once a month, more? What type of animal, what size is authorized? The question of walking time must also be discussed: should it be aligned with the employee-owner’s break times?
What role for the CSE?
As animals can contribute to well-being at work, elected officials can bring ideas or negotiate an agreement on the subject. More and more of my clients would like to bring the subject to CSE, but with answers to reassure the employer about the associated risks (work accident, allergies, etc.). The ideal is to contact the occupational health services in advance.
