Pam Foster talks with Chris Kelly, Antelligence co-founder and managing partner
By Pam Foster, PetFriendlyOffice.com
“I feel surrounded by positivity on the the whole idea of a resource helping companies with pet-related employee benefits.”
I had the honor and happy opportunity to talk with one of my dearest friends in the pet industry, Chris Kelly of Antelligence, about this idea of petfriendlyoffice.com. Chris asked me to explain why I started this resource and how it helps companies that want to offer pet-related employee benefits.
You can view the Fountain Report Conversation on YouTube, and I’ve included the transcript below this image.
Transcript: A PetFriendlyOffice.com interview on Fountain Report Conversations.
Chris Kelly: Hello everyone. It’s Chris Kelly from the Fountain Report. Welcome to another Fountain Conversation. We’ve got a very interesting guest with us today who’s a good friend of mine. Her name is Pam Foster and she’s the chief pet friendly officer at pet friendlyoffice.com, a new entity. So Pam, welcome to the program.
Pam: Hi, thank you Chris. Thanks so much for having me. Appreciate it!
Chris: Well, we’re really excited to have you and I really love this concept that you’ve shared with me. So, what are you up to now? Tell us about what’s new.
Pam: I’m still doing freelance writing in the veterinary B2B world mainly, but I stumbled upon something earlier this year. It was one of those moments, those aha moments where you think, huh, this is a real thing happening now. And what it was? I was at this hardwood flooring place in Maine and we walked in to pick out hardwood flooring, but what I noticed were dog leashes and bowls and food and toys. I said to the owner, “What’s all this about?” And he said, “Well, we have a couple of dogs that are our office mates and they’re in here every day. We don’t work without them.” And I got in the car and thought, “You know, this is really growing. Not just pets in the office but pet-related benefits for employees.
I started doing research on who’s the authority on that and what are the standards. I started going crazy with research and I realized there are lots of great articles and resources out there like HABRI and HR organizations. But I didn’t really see a hub or a consulting firm that would offer guidance to HR professionals in all different niches if they’re interested in in adopting pet-friendly benefits because that’s kind of in demand now, especially with younger workers, especially with people who got used to being at home and now are being asked to come back to work, but they have pets.
So, I decided to become a Chief Pet Friendly officer. I think I coined that. I haven’t seen it anywhere else. And I created PetFriendlyOffice.com.
The main thing is… I’m taking what’s out there, compiling it and curating it as I’ve done in my copywriting world… and creating a kit that helps HR people understand all the nuances of thinking about pet-related benefits, whether they’re in the office or offering pet insurance, pet bereavement leave, all of those different things.
I started interviewing companies that are offering those benefits. That’s my thing. I’m going to tell everybody how others are doing it so that they can be inspired and and it clicks ideas for them like we could offer that too.
Chris: Tell me a little bit about your day-to-day as the Chief Pet Friendly Officer. I’m sure there’s a variety of things that you do that are bringing this business to life. What’s a day look like?
Pam: Well, I’m constantly tracking what’s going on out there, first of all. I have a Google alert every day; a couple of emails that tell me what’s going on with pet related benefits, pets in the office, those types of things. I’m seeing every day articles about this in all different industries and especially with HR and business trends.
I’ve been doing that and then I reach out to different people in my network over all these years and say, “Hey, if you have pet-related benefits in your office, can I interview you and have you tell me about them?”
One company I really loved talking to was Dog-ON-It Parks. They make dog park equipment, but they’ve also been tapped by Subaru and Google and other companies for relief stations for their campuses and all kinds of things. It’s just so eyeopening.
I haven’t yet come across somebody who has a doggy daycare as part of their campus, but I will be looking for that. I just really want to showcase these different ways you can offer pet related benefits. Even if you can’t have pets in the office, there’s so many other ways. So, that’s my day. I I’m looking for that. I’m talking to people. I’m interviewing them. And I’ve just put together this website that brings it all to life for you.
Chris: Well, we’re working remote, but I’m in a pet-friendly office. In fact, my dog is over there on a couch. She spend most spends most of the day there after she gets back from her walk. So, I just love the space and the idea. Tell us a little bit about the reception uh thus far. I mean, you’ve only launched what within the last 60 days. You know, are the phones ringing? Are people reaching out? What’s been the general, I guess energy around this idea coming back?
Pam: Well, it’s kind of an experiment, I’ll be honest. And I I think it has legs, so to speak, but I’ve been talking to everyone I know in the industry. I have so many connections and colleagues I’ve worked with over the 25 years. I reach out to them. I just met a veterinarian the other day who um ran a practice for 30 years. She’s now doing something else in the industry and she said, “I love what you’re doing. I’m all about making things work for pet owners in in their working relationship, whatever that is, where they work.”
And so I’m always getting thumbs up. I talked to the IDEXX Chief HR Officer recently and they’re doing great things. The NAVC is doing exciting things and they were open to having me interview them. It’s been such a positive wow and I don’t know who else is doing this.
I feel very surrounded by positivity on the the whole idea of it.
Chris: I think it’s evident that like in everything you do that’s pet related, you bring a lot of goodwill and you do a very good job. I know the content you’ve created for us over the years has been always been well-received and spot-on. So, congratulations on starting pet friendlyoffice.com. Should be easy for our listeners to find and we’d love to have you back on the show sometime as you get going to talk more about what’s going on in your world. Thanks for joining us.
Pam: Oh, thank you very much. And if anyone wants to be featured, please reach out to me on petfriendlyoffice.com and we can talk. I’d love to feature you in an article. Thank you, Chris.
About PetFriendlyOffice.com
If you’re an HR Manager or business owner, you’ll appreciate having “All the Things to Make Pet-Related Benefits Easy” in one place. With my Pet-Friendly Office DIY System (checklists, templates, policy guidance, and more), you can set up everything yourself. Or let me handle most of it for you through my Pet-Friendly Office CONCIERGE SYSTEM. Can’t allow pets in the office? I can help you choose other popular benefits for your company. Ultimately, you’ll be the hero who leads a pet-friendly culture, increasing employee retention and attracting top talent.
Let’s make quick work of your mission. Start with this FREE resource: HR SURVIVAL GUIDE to Pet-Related Benefits — Pam Foster, your Chief Pet-Friendly Officer
Want your company’s pet-friendly story to be featured in a PetFriendlyOffice.com article? Contact me.