2. If you choose to stop allowing animals at the offi ce, what effect, if any, do you think the change will have on the company’s culture? One of the reasons you accepted a management position at MicroTek several years ago was the company’s laidback culture.99 A loose organizational structure enables employees to move freely between projects, and the open offi ce space encourages informal encounters and generates a feeling of teamwork. And among the very generous corporate perks is a policy allowing employees to bring their pets to work. It is not uncommon to see a small animal sitting in an employee’s in-box drinking from a hamster lick. Several employees bring their dogs, large and small, to the offi ce.

As the company has grown, thanks in part to its informal culture, more and more people are taking advantage of the pet policy, and problems are arising.

Food is swiped from desks, animals are rooting through trash bins, and dogs are marking territory on the partitions that surround their owners’ desks. Visiting customers often try to mask startled (at best) or disapproving

(at worst) looks when they tour your facility for the fi rst time—and even the second and third times. During a recent breakfast meeting, when a board member refused to share her bagel with the CFO’s dog, the dog relieved itself on her briefcase. At least one employee has complained of allergic reactions due to the high levels of pet dander in the offi ce air, but rather than change the policy, you installed a high-power air cleaner.

Despite the challenges, you have resisted changing the pet policy because it symbolizes both the company’s relaxed culture and MicroTek’s commitment to its employees’ work-life balance. This afternoon, however, you were notifi ed by the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) that your offi ce does not meet the required indoor air quality standards. Apparently, the cleaner you installed can’t handle all the pet dander. To meet the standards, you’ll need an even more powerful air cleaner that costs between $100,000 and

$200,000. That would be a signifi cant investment in the pet policy! And who knows if it would solve the allergy problem. Is the policy worth the cost?