A wonderful aspect of working at DMC and going into the office is seeing a furry friend approach you, tail wagging. For as long as many DMC employees can remember, dogs have been allowed to come into the office.
There are only two simple rules to bring a dog to the office. First and most importantly they must behave well. This means that they play nicely with other dogs and humans alike, they don’t destroy things around the office, and they are able to keep an overall peaceful office setting for all. A second much easier hoop to jump through is to get the approval of our Founder & CEO, Frank Riordan.
As time moves on, more companies are including policies that allow pets into office settings. DMC believes they are great additions to the workplace and make all those involved much happier.
Lenny lays in a chair supervising the Chicago office
Dunkin sits on his blanket bed in the Chicago office
Bently sticks out his tongue at his owner Nicollette from the other side of the Recruiting & Onboarding team's quad in Chicago
Pepper is tired from a long day at the Chicago office
Many employees at DMC take advantage of this rule and bring their dogs into the office — some visit the office occasionally and others every day.
Allowing dogs in the workplace is great for some obvious reasons. This allows DMC pet owners to not have to stress over their dogs being home alone all day and trying to organize a way to feed them or take them out throughout the workday. The dogs also seem to enjoy the policy as they get to be in a more social environment as opposed to being home alone for the day.
A third beneficiary of this policy is for those in the office who don’t have dogs. Dogs are known to reduce stress and boost human morale. The joy that stems from the sounds of excitement coming from the voices around the office when DMCers get to pet and greet a dog is contagious.
Charlie begs for belly rubs to distract Aaron and others from Chicago's Embedded team
Ronin enoys his lunch break in San Diego
Arthur checks the Automation team's floor levelness in Chicago
Margaux takes a power nap in the Chicago Test & Measurement team's quad
Bailey naps in the Marketing Quad during her first week in the Chicago office
As a dog owner myself, being able to bring my dog Lenny is an amazing perk of working at DMC. Not only do I enjoy spending time with him throughout the day, but it also helps in situations where he would otherwise be left home alone. Dogs left home alone can become stressed out, so this policy helps avoid stress on both and dogs and their owners!
A day for a DMC Dog is very consistent. They start with a strong breakfast of kibble and some water to wash it down. From there, they can situate themselves in their owner’s quad or office and may even put their toys in places their owner will only find three weeks later or see in a Slack channel. After this, they start their first of many naps. These naps must be taken underneath desks or in high foot traffic areas — to ensure the dogs get the type of attention they are looking to receive while in the office of course.
Occasionally, someone may be in the kitchen and the sound of a dog’s nails on the hardwood is coincidentally heard; these things must be investigated thoroughly. Every couple of hours the dogs must get dressed in their harnesses, some in coats too, to go outside and take care of business. After a group lunch, the dogs have had their fill of food and love, and they can begin their real work: which is supervising. DMC dogs are well trained in this field as they can sit anywhere and watch DMCers fulfil one of our Core Values: Make Things Happen.
The last duty of a DMC dog is to wander around and hope someone pets them, talks to them in a baby voice, and maybe even spoils them with a treat. Frank’s office is a guaranteed treat haven.
With all this talk about dogs, one may consider asking “what about cats?” Well, DMC has that covered too. On certain occasions, cats have also visited the office — some for a few hours and others for an entire day. Cats do need some higher levels of supervision as they can be quite curious, so it often helps to work in a room or closed office to prevent cat-based mischief.
Sasha tests ribbon samples in Chicago
Pepper dresses up in her Haloween costume in Denver
Ben assists Leon in a code review
Nola provides IT support in DMC Denver
Bowser's first day in the office was exhausting
Nooner and Luna join Elizabeth in a meeting in Seattle
Denver tongue inspections
Chicago's weekly lay down
DMC is a pet-loving environment and is welcoming to them as long as it makes sense, so no pet alligators, I would assume. Our pets also bring a lot of culture to the workplace as they are another topic of conversation and way for employees to interact with each other. With the kind employees at DMC, you can even find a dogsitter if a less dog-friendly meeting must occur at the office.
This policy brings joy to many of DMC’s offices and many office settings could benefit from dogs in the workplace. In DMC’s case, this is one of the best parts of going into the office!
Learn more about DMC’s culture and explore our open positions!