Dogs in the workplace?
Dear Deb,
OK, this may be your oddest email ever. I went to a job interview at a manufacturing company with 130 employees. I met the operations director about an HR manager position. Then he brings me to meet with the owner. He is in his office with two slobbering bull dogs on the floor. One of them lumbers over to lick my ankle. I was disgusted. Nobody said a word, acting like this is normal. I get dog friendly, but I think that is beyond! I was offered the job and the salary is good. They are a solid firm with long-term contracts. All signs point to, “yes.” However, I can’t get past these gargoyle-like beasts. Am I over-reacting? Do you need to virtually slap some sense into me?
Carrie
Dear Carrie,
This gives “Must Love Dogs” a whole new meaning.
You did not mention allergies to dogs or a childhood attack by a vicious dog that has impaired you for life. So, I assume this is an issue of questioning their professionalism and just being disgusted by the dogs. That’s OK. I can relate. Here’s what you need to ask yourself. Is this a red flag for other non-professional behavior? Or, is this just an owner who is a passionate pet lover? If you are not sure, ask if you can spend a day in the office to get to know how things run. Tell them that you are very interested and impressed, but you want to be 100% because you don’t plan to change jobs for many years, maybe never. Most companies will grant you that offer. In that one day, you should be able to determine if this job/employer is a fit.
Good luck…and if you take the job, you may want to bring dog treats to distract the dogs from your ankles!
If you have a question for Deb, please email debra@careersdonewrite.com. The Ask Deb column appears every Friday on our blog at the Careers Done Write website.