We are pet people, and, as a result, we constantly have to lint roll our clothing, and our homes can feel like circuses. Actually, Ed's looks more like a zoo, with a dog of unusual size, two inquisitive cats, countless fish, and a pet snail. (No, really. Its name is Station Master.) Tara's house has fewer pets but is louder with two rescue dogs that are mostly chihuahua.
Employ Borderless is an HR consultancy that helps companies navigate remote work schemes, and they recently dug into exactly how workers are feeling about all these return-to-office mandates that have become so numerous that it almost feels like remote work is becoming a thing of the past. They found a particularly sticky issue employers might want to take seriously: 71% of workers now have a pet at home, and they are NOT having the RTO mandates.
It noted that 71 percent of all U.S. households - or 94 million in all - now own a pet, up from 65 percent in 2015. More significantly for workplace harmony and stability, 67 percent of employees who live with a dog, cat, parrot, Guinea pig - or the potbellied variety - and other domestic critters said they'd find a new job if their employer decided to reduce or terminate their remote working arrangements.
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But while dogs bring comfort and joy, they can also bring danger, especially when they ride along in the car. In 2023, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recorded 40,901 motor vehicle fatalities. The majority were linked to speeding, drunk driving, or failure to wear seatbelts. But an alarming 3,275 deaths were attributed to distracted driving. While mobile phones dominate the distracted driving conversation, dogs are a growing and under-recognized part of the problem.
I've been telling Mabel she'll be four soon for about a month. I bought her present similarly early, though I am unsure whether to wrap it. When the Amazon guy delivers a gift from my sister on the day, he wishes Mabel happy birthday through the gate. As I sing the opening bars, the build-up has clearly worked: she jumps up with excitement and licks my knees.
