Business & Tech
'Every Day Is Bring Your Dog To Work Day' At One LI Corporate Office
Lacrosse Unlimited in Edgewood encourages employees to bring their dogs into the office, where they boost morale and productivity, biz says.
EDGEWOOD, NY — At one Long Island corporate office, some of the employees sleep all day on the job. At Lacrosse Unlimited's Edgewood headquarters, employees are encouraged to bring their dogs to work, every day.
"Every day is bring your dog to work day here," Maureen McLaughlin, the director of purchasing at the specialty sports retailer, told Patch.
The 30-year-old company owns 46 lacrosse-apparel and gear stores in 14 states and is the biggest specialty lacrosse retailer in the country. The retailer does their own screen-printing in house.
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McLaughlin, who's been with Lacrosse Unlimited (LU) for five years, explained that the dog-friendly culture predates the pandemic, and the shift to emphasizing work-life balance that's come to more companies since 2020.
"The owner [Joseph DeSimone] is from a tight-knit family and is a huge dog person, and that's part of this life he's brought into the work life here. Five or six dogs come some or most days, and it's been absorbed into our culture. When vendors or visitors come by, they know, oh, LU, they always have dogs there."
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The dog brighten moods and alleviate the stresses of a work day, McLaughlin says.
"You can't really have a bad meeting or be in a bad mood when these cuties are walking around."
The employees make sure the dogs get along and are well-behaved, she said, and the pooches' presence have even inspired creativity and a new line of lacrosse-themed dog items like leashes, t-shirts and dog toys.
The company plans to partner with Save-A-Pet, a Long Island-based no-kill pet rescue group, to feature their adoptable pets in media campaigns, and hopefully get more eyeballs on the animals who need to be adopted.
"We are big believers in working while still having fun, that's sort of our corporate ethos, and in the lacrosse space, people love their dogs," McLaughlin said.
Not having the distraction of worrying about taking care of their dogs at home helps employees focus at work more, too, she added.
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