Companion Animals Play a Role in Teleworking Experience

Buffalo, NY – The work landscape has changed dramatically over the past year as millions of Americans are working remotely due to the health threat created by Covid-19. Research by anthrozoologist Christy Hoffman, PhD, shows companion animals play a role in this new teleworking experience.

Hoffman, associate professor of Animal Behavior, Ecology and Conservation (ABEC) at Canisius College, examined the experience of teleworking with dogs and cats during Covid-19. The study looked at data collected from participants who were pet owners and non-pet owners and who had experience working both from home and from the office.

The study showed teleworkers spent more quality time with their companion animals and human family members when they worked from home.

Results also revealed that when working from home, individuals with dogs were more likely than those without dogs to report they socialized with other people, got a healthy amount of physical activity, and took at least one 15-minute walk during the workday.

The teleworking experience with companion animals, however, is not entirely positive. Some participants, particularly those in households containing both dogs and cats, indicated that their pets created distractions during the workday.

Hoffman’s research – The Experience of Teleworking with Dogs and Cats in the United States during Covid-19 – was published in the January 2021 edition of Animals, an international peer-reviewed open access journal devoted entirely to animals, including companion animals, zoology and veterinary sciences.

Canisius College is one of 27 Jesuit colleges in the nation and the premier private college in Western New York. Canisius prepares leaders – intelligent, caring, faithful individuals – able to pursue and promote excellence in their professions, their communities and their service to humanity.

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