NVIDIA employees can take their dog to work

Many tech firms go out of there way to make their employees happy by offering all sorts of perks, but it seems NVIDIA has one policy that makes it a bit more unique among the tech giants. Yahoo reports NVIDIA has an official dog policy, the company allows and even encourages its employees to bring their dogs to work!

NVIDIA's love for dogs started years ago when one employee asked CEO Jen-Hsun Huang if he could bring his dog to work. Huang agreed and replied he used to have a dog himself and that he'd go home from work to see his dog during lunch. Eventually, more and and more workers started bringing their dogs to work and the company adopted a formal policy. Huang elaborated that from the perspective of the dog, it is the right thing to do as dogs need company.

There are some rules though, dogs need to be kept on a leash while on campus and can't be left alone. Furthermore, they're also not allowed in the food areas, the break rooms, the conference rooms, labs or other indoor common areas. If a dog owner needs to go to a meeting, the policy is to get a co-worker to keep an eye on the dog. Dog owners have plenty of space outside on the NVIDIA campus to let the dogs out and the company even provides poop bags.

NVIDIA employees claim dog feuds are rare and that most dogs adjust quickly to working life. However, from time to time dog owners have been relocated to resolve issues with neighbors with allergies or other aversions to dogs.

Since the Silicon Valley tech company occupies a sprawling, low-rise campus, there’s plenty of outdoor space for letting the dogs out, as evident in the video above. The company provides poop bags, but no staff to handle the chore; owners must clean up after their own dogs.

As our cameras rolled, several dogs frolicked in the grass, each seemingly comfortable with the others. Dog feuds are rare, Nvidia employees told us. Most dogs adjust quickly to the new digs once they start coming to work, and owners bring beds or blankets to cozy up on the floors of their cubicles, where dogs loll much of the day. Naps are often interrupted by co-workers or visitors who want to play.

Various other companies also allow dogs, including Alphabet (Google), Salesforce, hotel chain Kimpton and candy firm Mars. Cat lovers on the other hand are out of luck, felines are not welcome at NVIDIA or any other company Yahoo is aware of. This is because cats are less comfortable in unfamiliar places, and don't get along well with dogs.