Current arrangements:

Currently, dog walkers employed by Happy Dogs work very independently. Upon hiring, they complete dog handling training with Robert Fairweather, usually as a one-on-one training session with Robert. Once walkers have successfully complete their training they provide the Bookings Co-ordinator with details about when they are available to walk dogs. They are then assigned clients according to their availability and location: wherever possible walkers are assigned to clients in their local area to minimise travel times between bookings. Exceptions are made if a walker has a specialised set of skills or experience needed for a particular dog, such as, for instance, assigning a walker who is particularly experienced in handling very large dogs to an out-of-area client with Huskies.

Walkers are responsible for managing their own schedule of client bookings and for liaising with their client about any particular needs the dogs might have or any issues the walker has noticed (such as a dog favouring one paw when out on a walk). Each Friday they submit a report to the Bookings Co-ordinator which details the clients they serviced and the hours worked for each client.

Proposed collaborative arrangements:

Happy Dogs is introducing two-person dog walking teams so that each walker has one ‘buddy’ with whom they share care for their assigned dogs. Under the new arrangements walkers will be teamed up with other walkers who operate in the same local areas and each team will be assigned a roster of dogs to care for. Currently clients will stay allocated to their current walker and be assigned to the walker’s team; new clients will be assigned to a team and team members will determine how they will schedule the dog ‘s exercise into their existing schedules.

Each Friday each team will submit a report to the Bookings Co-ordinator which details the clients they serviced and the hours they each worked for each client. Team members will also need to regularly update each other about how the dogs are behaving and any issues the walkers have noticed about the dogs’ behaviour.

Week to week, teams will deliver their dog walking services to their clients, liaising and collaborating together to cover eventualities that arise. For instance, if a walker is sick they are expected to liaise with their team-mate to organise for the team mate to walk their clients in their absence, If the team cannot cover the bookings between themselves then the team must contact the Bookings Co-ordinator to arrange for another team to service the client. By the same token, team members are free to re-allocate responsibilities amongst themselves so that they can, for example, arrange to cover each other’s clients when the other partner is away on holidays or studying for university exams.

During the transition to the new arrangements, partners will shadow each other on their dog walks so they can be introduced to every dog on each other’s client list. This means by the end of the transition period, both team members know all the dogs allocated to their team.

Happy Dogs anticipates several benefits from the new collaborative arrangements:

More flexibility and adaptability to client needs and reduce point dependence on individual walkers If an individual walker is sick or no longer availability, the company can still provide continuity of care through the team.

Better, more holistic care for the dogs. By using teams to care for the dogs, Happy Dogs can also potentially provide better care for their clients, as they can combine the respective strengths of the two walkers on the team. This includes the benefits of having ‘two sets of eyes’ to monitor the dog and their wellbeing. The company hopes to incorporate this into its marketing and promotional materials to sell clients on the benefits of having ‘double the care’ for their dogs.

More flexibility for walkers to manage and maintain their availability. Staff feedback has indicated many walkers have felt challenged when managing their dog walking schedule because under the current arrangements  walkers are ‘locked in’ to their client list and walking schedule. The company has identified that several walkers would and could take on more shifts if they had more flexibility to adapt their schedule as needs be, for instance to accommodate parenting responsibilities. Happy Dogs anticipates that by empowering walking teams to manage their schedules together, walkers will feel better able to manage their schedule and adapt it when necessary.

Enhanced walker wellbeing. Happy Dogs has also identified that some walkers feel ‘left to their own devices’ when walking their dogs and can feel isolated and unsupported in their work. The company hopes that organising walkers to work in teams will provide a more supportive psychosocial work environment  in which walkers have more control over their work, more resources to draw on and more social support. The company also hopes this will mean that individual walkers feel better connected to the company and have a greater sense that the company knows what they do and how they do it.

Professional development for walkers. Happy dogs anticipates that as team members share advice and suggestions about walking their dogs, team members will develop their knowledge and skills about dog handling and dog walking through on-the-job peer-based learning.  It is also hoped that working collaboratively will give experienced walkers a chance to mentor new walkers and hence also develop their own skills in coaching and developing others.

<..="Horace-Ltd-is-a-manufacturing-organisation-supplying-specialised-plastic-products-to-a-wide-range-of-public-and-private-sector-throughout-the-UK.-Academic-Essay.png" alt="">