At UpBuild, we talk a lot about what it takes to make a remote team work, and I feel like it’s due time that we give credit where credit is due. Remote work just wouldn’t be the same without the antics and cuddles of our furry coworkers.
Snuggles on Snuggles
Pets are awesome, therefore, getting to spend more time around their awesomeness makes for that much better of a workday. When I tell people that I work from home, I get mixed reactions which often includes one or all of the following:
- “I wish I could work from home!”
- “I couldn’t work from home; I’d never get anything done.”
- “I’d love to hang out with my dog/cat/iguana? all day.”
For the above reactions, I can absolutely empathize with the first two. It’s awesome and fascinating that today’s working world is more than conducive to allowing for this type of remote connectivity, and more and more jobs and companies are factoring this option in. I’ll also say that working from home is not for everyone. Everyone at UpBuild has found that it works for each of us, and that’s great. It’s also cool if you need to do your best work into an office every day. That’s cool too. To each their own.
As for the third reaction, I often just smile and say, “Yes, it’s the best.” But don’t just take my word for it, check out the Match Game below to learn what the UpBuild team loves about working from home with our pets.
Furry Coworker Match Game
Can you match the UpBuilder with their furry coworkers? Click on the UpBuilder to see the result!
Michelle & Mourris
What do you love about working from home with Mourris?
“I love that I don’t have to bring him to doggie day care, and/or have him sit in his kennel for hours on end.
Selfishly, he’s the most calming force in my life. Whenever I feel overwhelmed, I spend some quality time with him on a little break and I feel better immediately!”
What’s your biggest pet peeve?
“His barking at strangers always makes me jump out of my skin.”
Anything else?
“He loves to cuddle. Every morning, he sneaks up on the bed (around 4:00am) and places himself in the middle, just so he can be held. It’s become our morning ritual.”
James & Davey & Colin
What do you love about working from home with Davey & Colin?
“I think THEY love that they get to go outside and bark at squirrels whenever they want! But I personally love being able to turn around and see them whenever I want. I know many people who keep their dogs in kennels all day long, and it breaks my heart.
My dogs are my family and I want to give them the best life they could ever have. Just having them by my side for as long as possible is the best thing about working from home.”
What’s your biggest pet peeve?
“The barking!”
Ruth & Ozzie
What do you love about working from home with Ozzie?
“I love getting to snuggle him whenever I want! In the winter, it’s nice to be able to take him for a walk before it gets dark out, and not have to be rushing home to take him out like I did when I worked in an office. Being able to get up from my desk and take him for a walk also helps me clear my head and refocus when I need to.”
What’s your biggest pet peeve?
“Ozzie hardly ever barks, but on one of my very first calls with Mike after I started at UpBuild, he barked the whole time. I had to be like, “I swear he’s not usually like this.”
Anything else?
“Sometimes Ozzie wants attention while I’m working, and as you can see from the picture I added above, sometimes he will just shove his head into my lap if I’m sitting on the couch. He’s always welcome in my lap, though, so I just work around him. Occasionally he will just sit and stare at me while I’m working – the picture of him in the green chair was taken from my dining room table, where I was sitting and working while he just stared and stared at me.”
Ryan & Eddie & Herman
What do you love about working from home with Eddie & Herman?
“I always felt guilty leaving them alone when I went into the office at previous jobs, so I love that I can keep them company almost every day.”
What’s your biggest pet peeve?
“My cat is on the…larger side of life, and he sleeps & snores in my home office all day. The snoring is quite literally as loud as a human being, making for interesting conversation when people hear it on video calls. Can’t move him though – it’s
his spot!”
Anything else?
“Cats are already judgmental creatures, but when you pet mine, he immediately starts cleaning the area you touched when you’re done petting him. Very condescending. My dog is amazing, but she can also have the most ear-piercing bark you’ve ever heard,
meaning she can’t be in the room when I’m on a call. She usually sleeps in her bed under the desk while I’m working, but now she’s trained to get up and go to the other room when I say “okay, time for a call! Gotta go!” She’s smarter than she gets credit
for.”
Ashley & Finn & Redmond
What do you love about working from home with Finn & Redmond?
“Snuggles! Once morning meetings are over, the kitties wind down and join me on the couch for their all-day nap marathon. Which also means I get the chance to take a million pictures of them throughout the day.”
What’s your biggest pet peeve?
“My kitten is so hyper in the morning. He usually spends the first couple hours or so of work time running around the house, attacking my legs, running across my laptop (and closing every tab, or sending cryptic slack messages), or jumping on his brother, Redmond. It’s definitely not ideal having to fend off a three pound monster while I’m in a morning team meeting, but he’s so cute I don’t mind.”
Will & Cora
What do you love about working from home with Cora?
“The constancy of her presence helps anchor me on difficult or even just especially busy days. Her purring is something I can always count on to give me perspective.”
What’s your biggest pet peeve?
“She seems automatically wired to seek a spot in my lap when she sees me sitting on the living room couch or an armchair, so more often than not when I try to work in that room (as opposed to from my desktop and desk chair in my windowless basement office space), I have to concede my lap to her in full and then find some other platform for the laptop that I usually have to twist myself into a pretzel to reach.”
Mike & Widget & Pilot
What do you love about working from home with Widget & Pilot?
“They do a great job of letting me know whenever I get Amazon packages. Most of the time, they just hang out and take naps, but they’re always ready to go play on a moment’s notice. Having them around is a good reminder to step away from my desk and run around the backyard every now and then.”
What’s your biggest pet peeve?
“They are no longer allowed to be in the office when a conference call is happening. They’ll make sure everyone knows they’re attending.”
Anything else?
“When my dogs curl up, they look just like the Firefox logo.”
Laura & Bewley
What do you love about working from home with Bewley?
“He’s wonderful company, an unparalleled foot warmer, and makes working from home even better. He ‘forces’ me to step away from my work, take him to the park, go for a walk, or just get up and stretch with some tug-of-war.”
What’s your biggest pet peeve?
“He always manages to find the squeakiest toy in his arsenal at the most inopportune moment of a conference call.”
Anything else?
“The ability to work from home is what enabled us to finally get a dog. We were able to adopt a puppy without worrying about what we would do with him while we’re at work, which has been everything I’d hoped it would be and more.”
