Pawsitive vibes: Slaughter and May trials ‘Bring your Dog to Work Day’
Uber-traditional law firm says pet pooches can help boost mental health and morale 🐶
Slaughter and May will allow lawyers to bring their dogs to work for the first time in an effort to boost morale and alleviate stress.
The uber-traditional outfit is shaking things up with a ‘Bring your Dog to Work Day’ this Friday at the firm’s London HQ. If successful, the magic circle player plans to expand the pilot to the last Friday of the month over the summer.
Deborah Finkler, who last month became the firm’s first female managing partner, commented: “I have long been an advocate of having our dogs in the office and so am delighted that we are trialling Slaughter and May’s first ever Bring your Dog to Work Day.”
Finkler, a dog owner herself, continued:
“The benefits of all animals and especially dogs to mental health, morale and alleviating stress are widely recognised, and I also hope that the trial makes for a fun and sociable day.”
The firm will put in place a series of guidelines for the special day in recognition that not everyone is comfortable or able to be around dogs.
But Slaughters isn’t the first major City player to open its doors to our four-legged friends, with the likes of Gowling WLG, Norton Rose Fulbright and Eversheds Sutherland all previously running similar days as part of their wider wellbeing efforts.
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18 Comments
Anon
Cue the partners bringing in their hounds, trained to attack at any mention of the trigger words “salary raise”.
Bloke already suffering from hayfever.
Fairly annoyed about this; allergic to dogs myself, as I know are at least two of my colleagues, to varying degrees of severity.
4 legs good 2 legs bad
People have nut allergies but people can still bring those in. Get over it you melt.
Old Guy
Are you serious? Comparing a dog that moves around and will be leaving fur behind to nuts? I work in an office where people bring their dogs in, and for some reason they leave them unleashed in public areas so the dogs go around and approach people. Now it may be okay for some, but many people are allergic and some are scared of dogs. Why can’t people just be understanding that not everyone loves your fur baby and be considerate? Just ridiculous.
Banst-Brigade
Go work somewhere else then. Also, give me your mother’s number so I can call her up and admonish her for raising a wet flannel of a human being.
Grow up
Mate, it’s the last Friday of each month. How many people actually come in on that day anyway? Just wfh that day (if you even work at SM).
Future Trainee TM
Any update on the new bonus amounts? Are the twice-yearly bonuses just the usual Christmas bonus divided in two as many suspected?
Bingus
Largely unpopular and no one seems to care much. It’s obviously a gimmick which the firm thinks we can’t see through. Deborah please you are fooling absolutely nobody.
I’ll be surprised if it’s a success and will let you all know how it goes…
In other news – bonus should be announced imminently so perhaps something juicier on the cards than bringing in dogs to screw with the work day….
Future lamb to the slaughter
Keep us updated please Bingus. Hopefully the pounds make up for the pups
Future lamb to the slaughter's dad
You missed your chance to say ‘hopefully the pounds make up for the hounds’
Curious George
Patiently awaiting when Links / A&O match CC/FF… any news?
Anon
Nothing, now 2 months of being underpaid versus the other firms including slaughters.
Janice
This doesn’t strike me as being particularly inclusive. Dogs are owned by those stable, often family lives. Seeing them in an office is quite triggering, and a reminder that I don’t have a stable enough life or household to keep a dog.
Anonymous
Get over it. To get on in life you have to be happy with what you’ve got and not compare yourself to others. Relabelling jealousy or being unsatisfied with your personal life as “being triggered” doesn’t make me feel any more sorry for you – don’t spoil the fun for the rest of us.
Laura
I am likewise not in a position to have a dog of my own – which is why I would be absolutely thrilled to have them in the office!
The issue here is not the presence of the dogs; it’s one’s *attitude* to the dogs. See them as a positive addition to your life, rather than an indicator of what may be lacking.
Added bonus: Unlike the dogs’ owners, you don’t have to pick up pup-poop, walk them at ungodly hours in the rain, or spend a fortune on vet bills/food/grooming etc. This, to me, is the ideal situation!
Anon
Probably not fair to keep dogs confined to the office for the 16 hour work day
Poppy Pi
When I worked at Slaughters we were given a packet of biscuits each week in response to asking for a Luncheon Voucher increase! I love dogs, work in a place with a work dog, so personally would love it. However, am aware of how terrified some people are of dogs, so not really very fair on those people. I would also worry HR might start thinking of training them up to do some “work”. Messengers, perhaps! May be a useful addition to bring some Dobermans or Rottweilers to litigation of tricky corporate meetings as leverage!
One for all and all for pups
16 hours a day? If anyone is working for that long (which i doubt applies to the majority of office workers) then where are the dogs in that time? Better that they get to spend some time with their owners and socialising with other dogs.
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