This Hyderabad-based startup hires DOG as Chief Happiness Officer, know what does CHO do, what Google, Amazon do...

In what may be called a bizarre incident by some and a new beginning by others, a Hyderabad-based company has hired a golden retriever dog as its Chief Happiness Officer (CHO). Confirming the appointment, Rahul Arepaka, co-founder of Harvesting Robotics, wrote on LinkedIn, "Meet our newest hire, Denver – Chief Happiness Officer. He doesn’t code. He doesn’t care." He added, "He just shows up, steals hearts, and keeps the energy up. Also, we’re officially pet-friendly now. Best decision. BTW: He’s got the best perks in the company."

Post goes viral

The startup Harvesting Robotics develops laser-weeding technology to help farmers grow more sustainably. Rahul Arepaka said that it was "the best decision we've made" to bring Denver into the office and make their office officially pet-friendly. 

The post went viral, it attracted thousands of likes and hundreds of reactions. One of the netizens wrote, "CHO seems exhausted with the responsibility of making everyone happy," joked one user, while another wrote, "4 paws, 0 stress & 100% tail-wagging positivity! Superb initiative." Another user wrote on a social media platform, "We need more of CHOs - Global mandate and possibly perfect RTO vision."

Why are pets allowed in offices?

A trend has been set to make offices pet-friendly in a bid to look it relaxed and stress-free. More companies include pets, particularly dogs so that the employees may have their morale boosted and stress busted. The pets also herald a change in the office culture and the corporate world seems more informal and less moribund. Internet giants like Amazon and Google have long been allowing pets at work. They have found in their studies that the presence of animals can reduce stress, encourage social interactions and increase productivity.