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Abstract

Background: Pet-friendly workplace initiatives are increasingly common, yet the empirical evidence for benefits to office workers’ physical, mental, and social health is scattered and heterogeneous.

Objective: To synthesize evidence on health-related outcomes associated with pet-friendly work environments for office and desk-based workers, and to appraise the current level of evidence.

Methods: A PRISMA-guided systematic search (2014–2024) was conducted in PubMed, PsycINFO, MEDLINE, OVID, CINAHL, and Google Scholar. Two reviewers independently screened titles/abstracts and full texts, extracted data, and appraised study quality using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) checklists. Outcomes were coded and synthesized narratively within three domains: physical, mental, and social health; and findings were examined by work setting (on-site office vs. telework/hybrid).

Results: Fourteen studies (total N = 2,920 participants) met inclusion criteria. Evidence was most consistent for mental and social outcomes, including improvements in affect, stress-related resources, work engagement, organizational identification, and perceived organizational support. Evidence for physical health benefits was limited and largely based on a small number of interventions. Across studies, substantial heterogeneity in designs, instruments, populations, and settings limited comparability and precluded meta-analysis.

Conclusions: Pet-friendly practices are associated with potentially meaningful mental, social and physical benefits for workers, but the overall evidence base is limited by heterogeneity and a predominance of self-report outcomes. Future studies should use standardized outcome measures, stronger experimental designs, and explicitly evaluate workplace suitability for both employees and animals’ well-being.

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