This mixed-method research, grounded in social exchange theory, aims to explore how pet-friendly practices enhance employee well-being through their sequential effects on job satisfaction and work engagement.
The first study employed 65 qualitative interviews, revealing key benefits such as increased happiness, a calming effect and companionship, alongside challenges like distractions, interruptions and the need for frequent breaks due to pets’ high dependency. The second study, a 2-wave design with 1,220 participants, empirically validated the proposed model, demonstrating that pet-friendly practices significantly improve employee well-being by enhancing job satisfaction and work engagement.
These findings underscore the potential of pet-friendly initiatives as a strategic tool for fostering workplace well-being.
This study offers an original contribution by addressing the underexplored topic of pet-friendly organizational practices. In light of the increasing number of pet owners and the shifting social representations of pets as family members, there is a growing need to understand the implications of these practices in the workplace. By elucidating their potential effects on employee well-being and organizational outcomes, this study responds to a timely call for research that bridges human-animal interaction and workplace health management.
