Like many people these days, Rochelle Andonian's home now serves as her full-time office.
But apparently, Andonian’s two golden retrievers, Salty and Bling, didn’t exactly get the memo.
While Andonian has been doing her best to keep things at work as normal as possible, talking with clients and collaborating with coworkers over the phone, Salty and Bling have been trying their best to keep things fun instead of professional.
"Now that I’m at home, they are constantly coming into my office and putting tennis balls on my lap or laying their head on my chair to be petted," Andonian told The Dodo.
It's hard to stay focused with two very cute distractions constantly plopped outside her home office door, but Andonian has somehow managed to stay on task.
Those moments are often inopportune for Andonian. And her colleagues have noticed.
"Every time I’m on a call with my team, they take bets how soon my dogs would start barking at something," Andonian said.
So, she decided to remedy the situation — laying down some new ground rules for Salty and Bling. She even made a helpful visual to bring the message home:
Salty and Bling sat patiently through the presentation — and they seemed to take the lesson to heart:
MOM ON PHONE = NO BARK!
Andonian was glad they had that talk. Her colleagues were, too.
"On Monday, before we started our first call, I sent my team the photo and said, 'Problem solved!'” Andonian said. "They loved it."
The two dogs had won them over, seeming fully on board with the new work routine.
Yes, Salty and Bling may still get a bit barky from time to time (but only when absolutely necessary, of course).
Still, Andonian wouldn't trade her two adorable at-home coworkers for the world.
"They actually keep me smiling even during some tough online meetings," she said. "I miss the face-to-face with my clients, but I sure do enjoy spending additional time with my dogs. I can tell they love it, too."