The Japanese IT company Ferray Corp has an unusual office policy which aims to help workers reduce stress and fatigue.
Namely, they allow their employees to bring their cats to work as a means of dealing with stress and anxiety.
Currently, 9 cats are given the total freedom to walk throughout their company offices and their workers can cuddle with them, feed them, etc.
The head of the company, Hidenobu Fukuda, introduced this measure back in 2000 after one of his employees made a request to be allowed to bring his cat to work.
He agreed to this request and since then, any worker can bring their cat to work.
What’s more, the company also motivates its workers to rescue cats from over populated shelters in Japan or from the streets and rewards them for it!
Cats in the Workplace Has Been Amazingly Accepted
Japanese people are known to be workaholics and a lot of them work long hours and often deal with burnout.
To help tackle this ongoing issue, Ferray Company that’s located in Tokyo allows its employees to bring their cats to work to feel better.
The owner of the company also gives a bonus to the employees who rescue a cat.
Other Companies in Japan Are Following Suit
This isn’t the only company in Japan that allows domestic animals in their offices as a means of reducing anxiety and stress.
Namely, at the company Oracle Japan, there’s an English sheepdog named Candy that’s the company’s ‘greeting and healing ambassador’, according to the company’s website.
The company also explains that they had an office dog as of 1991 and Candy is the fourth since. He even has Instagram and Twitter accounts!
Moreover, Pasona Group took in two goats back in 2011 and two alpacas in 2013 to become their full-time workers, mostly for their healing purposes.
The IT company shares adorable images of the employees and their cats on their official Twitter account and it’s become known among the Japanese people as ‘the company where you can work with cats’.
Tokyo is also a city that’s very cat-friendly- there are 60 registered cat cafes. Eri Eto, a worker at Ferray, says she loves the animal’s soothing capacity.
She explains how cats are only sleeping next to them and this creates a healing atmosphere in the room.
But, Fukuda says that allowing cats in the workplace isn’t all fun and games- sometimes, the cat will accidentally walk on the phones and cut the call or shut down the computers by walking on top of the off switch.
Also, there are additional cleaning costs, but still, employees love them.
Applications to Work or Intern in Ferray Have Increased
The applications for participating in recruitment seminars or internships among students who’re approaching graduation have risen.
Plus, the company is also enjoying an increase of business because of clients who love pets and appreciate the company’s pet friendly culture.
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