"How Should I Phrase This Question?" Sun Jul-11-21 06:51 AM by SuiteLady
I have posted here several times about how my current employer is a pet friendly environment and how much I don't like it (8 people currently bring 9 dogs in with them at my current place).
Now I have two offers for new positions at other companies expected in the next couple weeks. How do I ask if it is a pet-friendly environment without a) offending the person I am asking (some people don't like people who don't like pets, whether they bring them to work or not) or b)them thinking I am asking because I want to bring my pet to work with me?
I tried Googling this but I just found articles about how to make your office pet friendly, and articles about the pros & cons of a pet friendly environment. One con listed was that you can lose some good candidates. I can attest to that!
♥ Inescapably Me ♥
"Love is never any better than the lover" Toni Morrison (The Bluest Eye)
2. "What if they respond with the breed of dog? (see message)" In response to Reply # 1
My mom actually has legit allergies - she was hospitalized twice when I was a kid over her pet allergies. Severe breathing problems and patches of skin swelled. She started getting a shot every 6 months after that, but stopped getting them when she retired. When we travel now, and other guests at the hotel or resort have their pets, she will back up or try to avoid the dog while clearly saying "I have allergies". We have had several people smile and call out the breed of their dog as if that if they are saying "oh my dog doesn't cause allergies."
After going through what she went through in the 90's (granted these strangers don't know about that), my mom don't give a fuck what breed of dog it is!
So, if they respond like that, I can assume they bring them in, right??
And also, if that is the polite way to say you just don't like dogs, is this the reason why people don't take real allergies seriously???
♥ Inescapably Me ♥
"Love is never any better than the lover" Toni Morrison (The Bluest Eye)
3. "i'm not really sure!" In response to Reply # 2
beloved white brethren it's really random and i prefer to be on the safe side.{with an extra bright smile} can you file a human rights complaint? i could never work at a place with people bringing in dogs.
5. "Nope! Funny story, Purina had an opening that I qualified for at the " In response to Reply # 4
same time as my current employer. A friend of mine works there and was like "Oh you should apply for this job." I was like "I don't even like dogs - why would I work at Purina?" So instead I applied for the job I currently have, got and accepted the offer only to find out that 8 people bring 9 dogs to work with them. I told a coworker that story and he laughed and said "Boy! You really dodged a bullet there!"
♥ Inescapably Me ♥
"Love is never any better than the lover" Toni Morrison (The Bluest Eye)
8. "You're a much better person than me bc I would not be concerned abt" In response to Reply # 0
offending.
In my eyes, you're asking a a matter-of-fact question about policy and it should be no big deal. Just like asking about number of vacation days, relocation assistance, start date, etc.
If it's prioritized so highly for you that it shapes whose offer you would accept, then imho a company offended by your basic right to ask probably isn't even a good fit.
So imo just ask. If they want to know why you raise the concern, say it's one of the reasons you're exploring other opportunities in the first place. Lol. Which is the truth, no? And maybe if MORE people raised concerns about this insanity it wouldn't/won't proliferate as much as it has.
I'm sorry but racialized folks, and especially racialized women, are already dealing with so much at the workplace - from the pay gaps to promotion gaps to all the microagressions and whatever else. Now we're expected to work in a heightened state of anxiety to accommodate all these dogs?? What nonsense is this. It also sounds unsanitary af and a security risk.
I'm familiar with the whole stereotype about ppl who dislike dogs but I refuse to internalize it, and you shouldn't either. You are NOT an asshole for being scared of dogs or allergic or uncomfortable/intimidated by them in anyway; the people and companies who insist on imposing such animals on others in spite of those considerations are.
Service dogs, like for the vision-impaired, are a different conversation tho and ironically the most tolerable/least noticeable (even on the subway)... I guess bc they're so well-trained. But foh with these other reasons. If somebody needs their dog around that much during the workday they should wfh. Idc
12. "I like this advice and what you said about not internalizing it." In response to Reply # 8
I some times try to get my mom to not freak out over the dogs, but given what she went through (see reply 2), it really ain’t on her. These people are being inconsiderate. I think I try to coach her to stay calm so that it doesn’t ruin her enjoyment. She has been known to yell and curse at people where this topic is concerned.
♥ Inescapably Me ♥
"Love is never any better than the lover" Toni Morrison (The Bluest Eye)
legsdiamond Member since May 05th 2011 79618 posts
Mon Jul-12-21 09:04 AM
14. "I had to drop off some color samples at an ad agency one time" In response to Reply # 8
I was thinking this agency might be a good fit for me while I was on my way there
then I walk in and this cujo looking dog is growling and circling around me in their office
“he doesn’t bite”
welp, fuck that place.
**************** TBH the fact that you're even a mod here fits squarely within Jag's narrative of OK-sanctioned aggression, bullying, and toxicity. *shrug*
If they are pet friendly, and it would affect your decision to work there, youd want to know bc youd likely decline.
If they say no, you can say ok good...your previous job was pet friendly and often times it was distracting and not professional at times.
-The Knicks’ coaching search still includes a lone frontrunner, Kurt Rambis, whose qualifications for the position include a strong relationship with Jackson and a willingness to take the job.
legsdiamond Member since May 05th 2011 79618 posts
Mon Jul-12-21 09:01 AM
13. "fuck their feelings. You are also interviewing them to see if its a good..." In response to Reply # 0
I wouldn’t be all “fuck them dogs” when asking tho.
**************** TBH the fact that you're even a mod here fits squarely within Jag's narrative of OK-sanctioned aggression, bullying, and toxicity. *shrug*
17. "It hasn't been uncommon for my life, Trinn. In LA I worked for a" In response to Reply # 16
print agency that has an office cat. It lived there! Then at another place here in STL, the admin assistant brought her dog in every couple days - and it was a big dog. This wasn't a purse dog. Now... in a company with 63 full-time staff, there are 8 people who bring 9 dogs in with them. All but two of them are purse dogs.
This is a real problem in my life.
♥ Inescapably Me ♥
"Love is never any better than the lover" Toni Morrison (The Bluest Eye)
legsdiamond Member since May 05th 2011 79618 posts
Mon Jul-12-21 06:07 PM
18. "where fo you currently work? what industry? " In response to Reply # 17
that is a lot of dogs
unless it is a dog specific industry I cant see it
**************** TBH the fact that you're even a mod here fits squarely within Jag's narrative of OK-sanctioned aggression, bullying, and toxicity. *shrug*
19. "RE: where fo you currently work? what industry? " In response to Reply # 18 Mon Jul-12-21 06:59 PM by SuiteLady
non-profit Arts and Culture
I am not gone say the specific arts and culture org I work for here, but I did say above that I do not work in a pet industry. Two of those places I mentioned in my reply to Trinn were in the Arts & Culture sector.
It IS a lot of dogs! And they are not all well behaved. One doesn't like men - the owner admits this and laughs about it. Now, I do IT work. I am not an artist, singer, musician, dancer - my skill set is IT. Which means me and my team have to go into other peoples offices. I went to HR with my male coworker, in support of him, to talk about the problem and they basically said that if a specific dog is threatening us we don't have to work the support ticket and that they have enough insurance to cover bites!
♥ Inescapably Me ♥
"Love is never any better than the lover" Toni Morrison (The Bluest Eye)
21. "At my current employer we have been working remotely since March of" In response to Reply # 20 Mon Jul-12-21 07:48 PM by SuiteLady
2020. Full-time employee have to return to the office at least 3 days aw week starting in August 2021.
My complaints about my current employer come from pre-pandemic days.
As for these other companies: one is out of state so I will definitely work remotely until I can/decide to move if I get the job. The one that is local says that the role is hybrid: two days or so in the office.
I still want to know what I am getting into with they new places.
Also: Not everything can be done remotely. Hardware issues and requests are not often handled remotely. AND these people walk around with their dogs. Many times people have come into our IT quad to see my coworker with dog in tow. Not on a leash, so it roams. I get stuck in the elevator with people and their dogs. Getting back and forth to the bathroom I encounter dogs. Dogs in the kitchen with their owners when I put my lunch in the fridge an get a cup of coffee, etc.
♥ Inescapably Me ♥
"Love is never any better than the lover" Toni Morrison (The Bluest Eye)
22. "well... you do have a right to know... really should be" In response to Reply # 21
in the job description like salary range
I hope to never go back to an office, there were a few support dogs brought in on occasion but were small and quiet and kept to themselves
what I have been dealing with at home is residents in my building (that is supposed to be pet free) getting pets during the pandemic that they can not really take care of, claiming the pets are support animals but support dogs do not bark all times of day/night (as far as I know) and folks with cats are not disposing of the litter correctly so the trash chute gets clogged...
25. "RE: At my current employer we have been working remotely since March of" In response to Reply # 21
>Also: Not everything can be done remotely. Hardware issues and >requests are not often handled remotely. AND these people walk >around with their dogs. Many times people have come into our >IT quad to see my coworker with dog in tow. Not on a leash, so >it roams. I get stuck in the elevator with people and their >dogs. Getting back and forth to the bathroom I encounter dogs. >Dogs in the kitchen with their owners when I put my lunch in >the fridge an get a cup of coffee, etc.
aw hell naw the salary and/or benefits have to be ridiculous or I would've been found another job lol. I work in IT and had desktop support roles where I occasionally had to crawl under a desk and dealing with some people's extra shoes was bad enough I couldn't imagine being around pets lol
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