An imminent change in the modern workplace’s structure due to COVID-19 prompted an immediate and sweeping transition to working from home. It did, however, provide freedom to work from home, with a guarantee of safety in the wake of wherewithal amidst uncertainty related to the pandemic, but simultaneously, remote working was supposedly inclusive of several shortcomings such as mental welfare and well-being of employees (Morgan et al., 2020; Philipou et al., 2011). This problem statement sheds light on the nuanced association between owning a pet and the state of mental health which remote employees achieve, an aspect that remains largely unexamined in previous scholarship.
The quarantine era, where the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated the social distancing measures, led to another adjustment of working practices, working remotely via computers and online platforms. This ‘change’ brought many new stress factors and challenges that employees had to deal with. Scientific studies have highlighted the greater risk of work-related stress, loneliness, and depression among remote workers caused by social isolation, lack of a clear distinction between personal and professional life or work-life imbalance, irregular interruptions at work (Grajfoner et al., 2021; Martinez-Caja et al., 2022). In addition, the problems of mental health were aggravated by a significant number of uncertainties around the pandemic. They became even more apparent, illustrating the significance of developed support systems and coping strategies (Kogan et al., 2021).
As a result of these obstacles, this study aims to uncover how pet possession may contribute to relieving the negative aspects of remote work on employees’ conscious and mental welfare. Even though the literature has demonstrated some psychological advantages of a relationship with pets, including stress-reducing mood-elevating (Bussolari et al., 2021; Esam et al., 2021), as well as loneliness control, little consideration is given to how these therapeutic effects can be used to facilitate working from home individuals on Covid induced stress and isolation (Martinez-Caja et al., 2022; Morgan et al., 2020).
This study tries to explain the gap in knowledge about pet possession, mental health results, and remote workers. The study’s use of a mixed-methods approach from both quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews aims to numerically measure companion pets’ contribution towards significant mental health deterrents, including but not limited to stress, mood and loneliness. In addition, the study seeks to pinpoint the exact mechanisms by which pet ownership can lead to better well-being when working from home since the need for fulfilment is still in place. It may, for instance, be multiplied by factors such as the inclusion of friendliness, taken up whereby physical exercise goes on through the provisions of aerobic or anaerobic activity.
This study will also help set policies within the organizations that incorporate interventions to ensure the management of IF based on their mental health needs. For instance, virtual pet-assisted therapy could be implemented, and remote work policies that explicitly include allowances for the convenience of owning employee resources organized around provision and support to adopt or pamper pets. In recognizing the power of pets for employee mental well-being, the organizations aim to make workplaces even more collaborative, accommodational and robust, particularly with their remote workers.
In conclusion, this investigation addresses the gargantuan necessity to maximize performance for remote employees, considering the evolution in the changing world of telework. Therefore, illuminating the possible advantages of having a pet during homework as an alternative to ameliorate or even avoid most mental health issues that accompany it triggered beneficial awareness within people who remain isolated from other non-family members, thus assisting their emotional fulfilment.
References
Esam, F., Forrest, R., & Warren, N. (2021). Locking down the impact of New Zealand’s COVID-19 alert level changes on pets. Animals, 11(3), 758.
Grajfoner, D., Ke, G. N., & Wong, R. M. M. (2021). The effect of pets on human mental health and wellbeing during COVID-19 lockdown in Malaysia. Animals (BaseL) 11(9), 2689.
Kogan, L. R., Currin-McCulloch, J., Bussolari, C., Packman, W., & Erdman, P. (2021). The psychosocial influence of companion animals on positive and negative effects during the COVID-19 pandemic. Animals, 11(7), 2084.
Martinez-Caja, A. M., De Herdt, V., Enders-Slegers, M. J., & Moons, C. P. H. (2022). Pet ownership, feelings of loneliness, and mood in people affected by the first COVID-19 lockdown. Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 57, 52-63.
Morgan, L., Protopopova, A., Birkler, R. I. D., Itin-Shwartz, B., Sutton, G. A., Gamliel, A., … & Raz, T. (2020). Human–dog relationships during the COVID-19 pandemic: Booming dog adoption during social isolation. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 7(1).
Phillipou, A., Tan, E. J., Toh, W. L., Van Rheenen, T. E., Meyer, D., Neill, E., … & Rossell, S. L. (2021). Pet ownership and mental health during COVID‐19 lockdown. Australian Veterinary Journal, 99(10), 423-426.
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