Poll: Do you think that having pets helps to improve your work performance in any way?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
Jan 10, 2016

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you think that having pets helps to improve your work performance in any way?".

This poll was originally submitted by Anne-Sophie Cardinal. View the poll results »



 
Mary Worby
Mary Worby  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:28
German to English
+ ...
No Jan 10, 2016

I had two dogs, now I have none. They were definitely more of a distraction than an asset, but I'd still rather they were still around.

 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 18:28
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
No Jan 10, 2016

My dog keeps me company and I like having her around, but she doesn’t improve my work performance, quite the contrary, though she fits my life well…

 
neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 19:28
Spanish to English
+ ...
Other Jan 10, 2016

Although it is nice to have pets, and they say that people with dogs or cats tend to be happier in general, I don't think it really improves your work performance. I have five hens and they lay delicious eggs, and I like to think the protein is good for my brain, but other than that, I don't know.
I also have a cat, which a fellow prozer asked me to look after while he went on holiday a few years ago, and simply never bothered to come back for (you know who you are!). She lives outdoors an
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Although it is nice to have pets, and they say that people with dogs or cats tend to be happier in general, I don't think it really improves your work performance. I have five hens and they lay delicious eggs, and I like to think the protein is good for my brain, but other than that, I don't know.
I also have a cat, which a fellow prozer asked me to look after while he went on holiday a few years ago, and simply never bothered to come back for (you know who you are!). She lives outdoors and in the sheds quite happily - I don't let her into the house as my daughter is allergic and the cat is rather clingy. I also "inherited" a small dog when her owner moved to Russia several years ago. I sometimes get annoyed when she scratches the door to get in (the dog was brought up as an indoor pet, she gets a pass) and interrupts me if I am trying to concentrate on work, but I also take her for a run every day and if I didn't have the excuse of the dog, I'd probably do a lot less exercise, so perhaps in that sort of indirect way, the dog is a positive influence.
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Muriel Vasconcellos
Muriel Vasconcellos  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 11:28
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
No Jan 10, 2016

Like others, much as I enjoy my two dogs and can't imagine life without them, and much as I appreciate the opportunity to get out and walk at least a mile a day with them, I don't think they affect my work performance one way or the other.

Right now one of my dogs is recovering from knee surgery on both back legs and cannot walk. She requires constant attention.

[Edited at 2016-01-10 10:52 GMT]


 
564354352 (X)
564354352 (X)  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 19:28
Danish to English
+ ...
Yes Jan 10, 2016

Especially after I trained the cat to cook for me...

 
Mario Chavez (X)
Mario Chavez (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 14:28
English to Spanish
+ ...
Ah, performance Jan 10, 2016

I love animals, not just cats and dogs. I had cats as companions and I loved them. I would have a puppy were it not for the condo building's policies about pets (no dogs).

Sometimes I wonder if, whenever I read or hear colleagues, I have stepped into a conversation of MBA students, marketing specialists or financial analysts. Why? All this talk about performance, productivity, branding, etc.

That kind of talk is not us. A doctor talks like a doctor and, in
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I love animals, not just cats and dogs. I had cats as companions and I loved them. I would have a puppy were it not for the condo building's policies about pets (no dogs).

Sometimes I wonder if, whenever I read or hear colleagues, I have stepped into a conversation of MBA students, marketing specialists or financial analysts. Why? All this talk about performance, productivity, branding, etc.

That kind of talk is not us. A doctor talks like a doctor and, in his free time, like any other ordinary human being. Let's talk from our experience and hopes, not using extraneous words.
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Mario Freitas
Mario Freitas  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 15:28
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Yes, Jan 10, 2016

My dog, for example, reviews my translations and looks up terms for me in the dictionary.

The number of excuses to interrupt your work are unbelievable. The other day, it was your birthday, then many others. But pets now! Amazing how easily people allow these factors to interfere in their job. Because they only interfere if you allow them to.

[Edited at 2016-01-17 21:22 GMT]


 
Elizabeth Tamblin
Elizabeth Tamblin  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 18:28
French to English
No Jan 10, 2016

My dog is my worst critic.

Me: So how do you rate my latest translation?

Dog: Ruff.


 
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
Fussy power Jan 10, 2016

Gitte Hovedskov, MCIL wrote:

Especially after I trained the cat to cook for me...


They're crap at ironing though


 
Helen Hagon
Helen Hagon  Identity Verified
Local time: 18:28
Member (2011)
Russian to English
+ ...
No, but Jan 10, 2016

Anything that helps you unwind and switch off so that you can recharge your batteries after a busy day's work is a good thing. For me, that means playing music and going for walks, but I can see how taking a dog out or stroking a cat might do the same job for someone else.

 
Fiona Grace Peterson
Fiona Grace Peterson  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 19:28
Italian to English
CATs Jan 10, 2016

I find my CAT helps my performance no end

Seriously though, knowing I HAVE to take the dog out forces me to work exercise breaks into my work day, which help my creativity and productivity. Sometimes it can be an annoyance, but I think on the whole, a dog can only be a positive thing for someone who has a desk job.

He's kinda cute too


 
Elodie Bonnafous
Elodie Bonnafous
France
Local time: 19:28
Member (2009)
German to French
+ ...
Definitely NOT Mar 3, 2016

I have 5 cats that live in- and outside.
They definitely keep me away from work, crying to come in, go out, asking for food, wanting to be petted ALL THE TIME and sometimes fighting. When they don't just sit on my lap or on my laptop.


 


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Poll: Do you think that having pets helps to improve your work performance in any way?






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