Calls for ‘pawternity leave’ gaining momentum in Australia

Pet owners are taking advantage of chronic worker shortages to demand paid time off to care for their four-legged friends. But is this fair on employers? Have your say.

Pet owners are taking advantage of chronic worker shortages to demand paid time off to care for their four-legged friends.

Calls for “pawternity leave” are gaining momentum amid the introduction in Australia of a pet care leave certificate, believed to be the first of its kind worldwide.

It’s hoped the certificate will legitimise requests from pet owners to stay home from work but is not legally binding on employers.

Research from Mars Petcare, which developed the certificate in conjunction with vets, shows three-quarters of Aussie workers want pet care leave included in their employee benefits.

Mars Petcare corporate affairs director Sophie Anning.

With worker shortages at crisis levels, Mars Petcare corporate affairs director Sophie Anning believes paid pet care leave would go a long way towards attracting and retaining staff.

“In a really hot job market, this is going to be something that more workers who are pet owners start asking their employers about,” Anning says. “If you are a boss that wants to hire and keep great talent, then you are going to give pet-friendly policies some consideration.”

PART OF THE FAMILY

Currently, most workers seeking time off to care for pets must use their annual leave or take leave without pay. There may also be the option to work remotely.

With costly vet bills, Anning says paid pet care leave would take some of the financial sting out of caring for a sick animal and lead to a happier, more productive workplace.

“Having a (sick) pet is just the same as a sick child – they cannot administer their own medication, they may need constant observation or their movement may need to be restricted,” she says.

“That’s really hard to do if you are at work. And, as any pet owner who has spent an anxious night at the emergency vet will tell you, your ability to be productive at work the next day is compromised anyway.”

Mike Halligan, chief executive officer at pet food company Scratch.

Mike Halligan, chief executive officer at pet food company Scratch, says workplace policies must recognise the significant role pets play in the lives of their owners.

“People do consider their pets (to be) immediate family … but taking time off to care for them is not treated as seriously as (taking leave to care for) a child,” Halligan says.

“More and more (paid pet care leave) will be built into employment contracts because there is a talent shortage in Australia and managers are becoming far more aware of what they need to do to keep their staff.”

Pets are part of the family. Picture: iStock

COMPASSION IN TIME OF NEED

When the family of communications worker Chelsea O’Brien made the devastating decision to end the suffering of childhood pet Darcy, she was pleasantly surprised to be granted one day of paid leave by her employer.

“Even though I would have taken that time off (without pay) anyway, I felt like (being given paid leave) validated what I was feeling and that’s really rare for a workplace to do,” says O’Brien, who was with Darcy when he was put down due to bone cancer.

“Darcy had been through my end of high school, all my breakups, my brother’s wedding and deaths of family members – why wouldn’t I be there when he needed me?”

O’Brien, who has since welcomed puppy Bear into her home, says her company’s compassion made a difficult time somewhat easier.

“If I had missed a (paid) day at work, that would have impacted my (ability to pay) rent and all sorts of things. If I didn’t get my full pay, I would have been screwed,” she says.

HEARTBREAKING DECISIONS

Research from online animal rescue platform Waldo’s Friends shows 83 per cent of Australians believe their boss would not allow them time off work if their pet was unwell, a statistic that leaves founder Sasha Gusain incredulous.

“It does feed into how we, as a society, treat animals and how we don’t consider them important,” she says. “Pets are not just commodities that you get to care for, they are part of the family.”

Originally published as Calls for ‘pawternity leave’ gaining momentum in Australia