Of Hamsters And Leadership: What Office Pets Can Teach Us

By Rafael Aparicio Gómez Two years ago when our creative agency moved in to our new offices, one thing I really wanted to have was “life” inside of it. “Ok, we can get a small palm tree or something like that,” my partner said. My answer was “No – I mean life life, like a living thing.” Uhm… plants are living things…  I know but, I mean, something that moves, that looks alive, an animal! I don’t think the building allows any dogs, how are we going to keep a dog here? You mean maybe like a fish tank? Wouldn’t it be great to have a hamster rolling around in his ball inside the office? Uhm… how about that fish tank? That was sort of how the conversation went with my partner. He liked the idea of having “life” inside the office, but he wasn’t too thrilled of having a rodent with us. Everyone is either a “dog person” or a “cat person” but you never hear anyone saying, “I’m a rodent person.” I know I’m not, but still, I was fixed on bringing some “life” into the office, as I thought having an agency pet could work as a way to bring the team together and this mascot could boost employee loyalty and morale. Pretty much like a pet does in one’s home (except kids aren’t employees, of course). So one day I walked in with a hamster cage and a hamster inside it, surprising my partner while he gave us a disapproving stare. I thought he should get to name him so at least he would start feeling a sense of ownership and start bonding with our tiny rat. And just like that, Chester officially joined the team as the agency pet. Two years gone by now, and little Chester is already in the last stage of his short life. Writing this might even be my small homage to him and what he has taught me. Impossible not to love? Good ole’ Chester sniffing out the team players. Plain and simple: during these two years, I was amazed at how every employee who was close to Chester, was close to our mission and shared the same desire for the agency to do well. Those who were distant to him, were the ones who in fact were equally as distant to our mission and just cared about their personal well-being. And no, it didn’t mean they had to cuddle and kiss the hamster in order to prove their loyalty towards the team like some fraternity ritual, in fact, almost all employees had a preconceived disgust for hamsters and would never hold one in their hands – but the ones who loved and believed in the agency, loved him – despite his “ickyness.” It was not about whether or not they liked hamsters, it was the fact that he was part of the agency. He was a part of the team, just like them. This correlation was so evident that it became black and white to me: if you like the hamster and are interested in him, you like the agency and are interested in it. If you are completely indifferent toward the hamster, well, you’re pretty much indifferent to the company as a whole. This behavior was true with every single employee, long-time and new ones. Committed employees asked me about Chester, they were curious about him, they were delighted every time they saw him “in action.” Hamsters are mostly nocturnal, so it was a nice surprise for the team every time they worked late hours to hear him “wake up” and start moving about, joining the late night shift. They even said, “Good night, Chester,” before leaving the office. Employees who just cared about themselves – well, they just cared about themselves. No interest in Chester whatsoever, no “Good night, Chester.” The thought of judging an employee for not being interested in a hamster might sound a bit ridiculous, but just like the “loyalty-meter” Chester became, he became also the living barometer of the agency’s atmosphere – his health, that is. Just like the canary inside the mine, who is the first one to let miners know if something is wrong by detecting gas leaks, I truly believe Chester started to become afflicted by the bad energy coming out of a group of employees. In every office sometimes there is a “bad seed” who begins spreading his negative energy to some fellow co-workers. I’m sure you might have experienced this in your workplace as well. This negative energy was so strong I could feel it the moment I walked inside the office. It was just with a few employees, but it was so strong I felt exhausted when I came back home at night. Imagine if I could feel it, could it be so crazy to think the little hamster felt it as well? His health sure did. He started losing his fur, getting infections, and becoming much less active, eating less. “It must be aging,” said the Vet. We tried to speak with these employees to see what troubled them. It seemed like their only real concern was money. So we gave them a raise – twice. Both times the atmosphere improved for a while, but sooner than later the black cloud was back. An employee who is only motivated by money is definitely someone you don’t want in your team in the long term, despite how good he may be. So by the third time they wanted a raise, we explained a raise is given to people who work for it, not for those who negotiate it in exchange for their attitude. You can’t expect a raise when you are only bringing negative energy into the workplace and basically have your argument be “I will become positive once I get my raise.” Everything is negotiable, except attitude. Before we had to make the decision of letting them go, things worked out for everyone: they got a job somewhere else and the whole workplace felt like a massive rock was lifted from our chests. Every employee felt it. The black cloud was gone, the atmosphere was “clean” again, and sure enough, Chester’s health was back to normal. Coincidence? Now, I’m not suggesting every boss should go out there and buy a hamster to measure employee loyalty and workplace atmosphere (or maybe they should!), but I do think it’s a leader’s job to find something, be it an activity, a ritual, a symbol, something that represents your company or what it stands for, and have it try and boost your team’s loyalty and morale by bringing them together. You will notice how those who show interest and involvement in such things, no matter how small they might be, are the ones who, in the end, are equally interested and involved in your company. For now, I thank you Chester for those invaluable insights, the entertainment, and your nose for sniffing out the team players. Good night, Chester.