People in the United Kingdom certainly love their pets. Some firms have even begun to give their employees “Pawternity Leave.”
Pawternity Leave is paid time off from work to help get new pets settled at home. Some firms offer a few hours while others allow 2 or more weeks leave.
Mars Petcare, manufacturer of well-known pet food such as Pedigree and Whiskas, was one of the first to introduce this policy. Mars gives employees with new pets several hours of paid time. In addition, after leave time, employees can bring their pets to work. People working in pet friendly offices are known to improve productivity, are less stressed and more relaxed.
A Manchester company owner (BitSol Solutions), Greg Buchanan, allows his employees 3 weeks paid leave for a new pet arrival. The idea came to him when his partner Steph took 9 months off of work to help their dogs settle into a new routine.
Companies are beginning to realize that pet owners and their new pets need this early time together to bond, set a routine and make them part of the family. Company executives have learned how important our pets are to us. Having this special time with our pets, we show our appreciation to the company by hard work and loyalty.
We hope this catches on in other countries. However, don’t ask for Pawternity Leave if your new pet is a fish – we don’t think that will work.
