Friends with Benefits: The Positive Consequences of Pet-Friendly Practices for Workers’ Well-Being

Ana Junça-Silva
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Ana Junça-Silva: Business Research Unit, ISCTE—Lisbon University Institute, 1649-026 Lisbon, Portugal

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 3, 1-10

Abstract: Although there is evidence that pets may help individuals who are facing significant daily stressors, little is known about the benefits of pet-friendly practices for their owners’ well-being. Based on the social exchange theory and on the Rusbult investment model, we argue that organizational pet-friendly practices will be viewed as a source of support from an organization that increases workers’ organizational identification, which in turn will lead to higher levels of psychological well-being and life satisfaction. For this study, 208 working adults answered an online questionnaire. Results from the study showed that the more pet-friendly practices the higher the workers’ organizational identification, which led to higher indices of psychological well-being and life satisfaction. This study contributes to a better understanding of the human–animal interaction and how pets can function as a resource for individuals’ well-being at work.

Keywords: pets at work; pet-friendly practices; organizational identification; psychological well-being; subjective well-being (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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