Employers enforce ‘pet pass’ to allow puppy training, vet visits – but some workers are barking mad

A new workplace policy has been condemned by some as crazy barking.

Taking sick days for pet parenting duties — from vet trips to potty training — is slowly catching on in offices, especially in New York City, where lawmakers recently proposed a bill in favor of giving of medical leave for the care of domestic animals.

But the “paternity leave” policy has sparked controversy, as some argue it is giving workers too long a leash.

“Taking an hour or two to run to the vet is one thing, but it’s not fair to the other employees on the team that someone is out because of a personal decision their colleague made,” Ross Snyder, president . of Phoenix-based event production company White Tie Productions, told the Wall Street Journal.

A survey conducted by pet wellness plan provider Wagmo found that 75% of employed pet owners missed at least one day of work in the past year to care for their pet, and 26% missed six or more days. Sick or injured pets also contributed to distraction at work, pet owners reported.

Discussing the proposed bill — which calls for an expansion of the Earned Safe and Sick Time Act, which guarantees time off for employees to care for themselves or family — LinkedIn users sparked a heated debate.

“Employees should be able to use sick leave in any way that involves illness. Pets or children or family members,” one person argued.

“Does this mean we will have to ask the vet for a doctor’s note to justify an employee being away for a certain period of time to care for their sick pet?” thought another.

“As a pet owner I fully support this. As an employer lawyer, however, it leaves me confused,” someone else wrote.

Annika Cha, who works at New York-based 9Sail, told the Journal that the company offers two days off — soon to be three — to help new pet owners, a policy that inspired Chan to adopt one herself. dog. and take days off to prioritize small training.

“I was like, this is so cool,” she said.

A similar idea was criticized online when British businessman Roger Wade asked his LinkedIn followers whether managers should allow paid time off to care for and train puppies. An overwhelming majority of respondents voted “no”, while 39% agreed with the policy, prompting critics to ask whether people had “lost their minds” or “gone mad”.

Meanwhile, some employers have expanded benefits to include pet bereavement leave if a beloved pet dies.

Samantha Brooks, owner of Colorado Springs financial services firm Taro Financial, has experienced the loss of a pet firsthand, prompting her to implement a new workplace policy to include three days off with payment to grieve a lost animal.

“Anyone who has lost a pet will tell you it was one of the worst days of their life,” she told The Journal.