India Inc lets in furry friends to tackle work worries

MUMBAI: Across corporate India, office soundscapes are subtly changing. Alongside keyboards, coffee machines and meeting-room chatter, there is now the occasional patter of paws, a tail thumping under a desk, or a pet quietly settling into a corner during a call.

What was once considered an unusual workplace experiment is steadily becoming part of a wider shift in corporate culture, where pets are moving from being tolerated guests to recognised contributors to workplace wellbeing.

Companies such as Nestle, WeWork India, Swiggy and DriveU are adopting pet-inclusive practices, as organisations look for new ways to reduce employee stress, improve morale and strengthen workplace connections.


The idea is increasingly being framed not as a perk, but as part of a broader rethinking of employee experience.

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At Nestlé India, this shift has been formally acknowledged through a pet-focused workplace policy.

Chairman and managing director Manish Tiwary recently noted on LinkedIn that the company had welcomed two “Chief Happiness Officers in unconditional paw-sitivity”, reflecting how pets are being woven into its evolving work culture. For the Maggi and KitKat maker, the policy is grounded in everyday employee realities.

“The introduction of our pet-focused policy was prompted by the growing recognition that pets are an integral part of many employees’ lives, and that welcoming a new pet is both a joyful and demanding transition,” said Pallavi Anand, head of Purina Petcare, a pet care and nutrition company part of Nestlé India. While the initiative is still in its early phase, it is aimed at building a more inclusive workplace, she said.

‘Inclusive, Empathetic Workplace’
“Such policies help create a more inclusive, empathetic workplace, fostering a sense of belonging and supporting overall well-being,” Anand said, adding that operational factors such as hygiene, comfort and individual preferences are carefully balanced.

At WeWork India, pets are already part of the workplace fabric rather than an add-on, said chief experience officer Raghuvinder Singh Pathania.

“We recognised that the boundary between personal and professional life is deeply human, and that a workspace which acknowledges this tends to bring out the best in people,” Pathania said. He noted that pets alter workplace energy in ways that are difficult to replicate through design or policy alone, introducing ease and emotional warmth into shared spaces.

The company also extends this recognition to more sensitive moments, offering up to 10 days of bereavement leave to employees who lose a pet.

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“Pets bring a heart-warming energy to the workspace, becoming familiar faces who greet people at the door or curl up quietly in a corner,” Pathania said. For employees, the impact is immediate and personal.

“Having doggo, Doobie, in the office has totally transformed my work life,” said Shebin Mathew, a WeWork India employee, describing how the pet has become an informal “office celebrity” and a source of comfort during long workdays. Swiggy also has a Paw-ternity Policy, designed to provide comprehensive support to its employees who are pet parents.

At founder-led workplaces, the change is just as visible. Rashi Narang, founder of Heads Up For Tails who works alongside four dogs, said pets fundamentally shift workplace dynamics. “They soften stressful days, spark conversations between people who may never have interacted otherwise, and remind us to pause, smile and connect,” she said. From quiet companionship during difficult moments to informal “cuddle breaks”, pets introduce a kind of emotional ease no structured engagement can replicate, she said.

At Harvested Robotics, the integration has been organic rather than designed. “It wasn’t a formal initiative at first; it just became part of our culture,” said the startup’s cofounder, Rahul Arepaka. Pets have helped reduce stress during intense engineering cycles and encouraged more relaxed cross-team interaction in high-pressure environments, he added.

Experts say this reflects a broader shift in how organisations define productivity and culture. Workplace wellbeing, they note, is expanding beyond traditional HR frameworks into more holistic, human-centred models that account for employees’ personal lives and emotional ecosystems.