Pet bereavement leave - should employers 'off-fur' it?

Thursday, 2 August 2018

Pet insurance is a thing. Southern Cross alone paid out $7 million in the last year.

We get three days bereavement leave when a child, parent, or partner dies. Should we get the same for a pet?

Auckland psychologist Lisa Cohen thinks so. She said the grief process for losing an animal was exactly the same as losing a human.

'To some people their animal is everything so when you lose everything you don't have much.'

When we get new pets, have to take pets to the vet, or a pet dies, do employers acknowledge the responsibility of a pet owner or allow time to grieve?

Cohen said animals soften people and she used her own 'fur babies' in her therapy sessions.

**READ MORE:

Nestle Purina PetCare welcome dogs into the workplace and will help with costs for employees new pets.

*Pet insurance is worth its weight in gold

*Pet insurance on the rise as animals swallow up unusual objects

*Taking time off for your pet**

'For people who don't like to be touched it's really therapeutic to hold an animal, it diffuses anger.

'Animals are life savers for those that don't have a lot of human interaction.'

There is no formal pet bereavement policy currently in place however many employers allow personal leave, sick days, mental health days, and special leave to grieve the loss of a pet.

So when we get new pets, have to take pets to the vet, or a pet dies, do employers accommodate the responsibility of a pet owner or allow time to grieve?

Purina Petcare, owned by Nestlé, help employees with new pet costs and allow staff to bring their pets to the office.

Frog recruitment director Jane Kennelly acknowledged the role a pet plays in peoples lives and accommodated it.

In a statement, corporate affairs manager Sally Strautins said the company didn't have a pet bereavement leave policy but allowed staff time off.

'We do allow our staff to use any of their personal leave, including their bereavement leave, to grieve the loss of a pet.

Senior vetting director Alex Hicks said when it came to losing a pet and notifying owners at the clinic there was a wide range of reactions.

'We understand that for many of our staff, who are passionate about pets, this can be an extremely difficult time and that losing a pet is like losing a family member.'

Frog Recruitment in Auckland is also a pet-friendly office that acknowledged the role pets play in peoples lives.

Auckland psychologist Lisa Cohen said the grief process for losing an animal was exactly the same as losing a human.

'The whole office gets a kick out of it, people smile, moods elevate, and the dog wags their tail. It's just fabulous, I love it because it adds a new dimension to the day,' director Jane Kennelly said.

Kennelly knew how hard it was to lose a pet but didn't have a pet bereavement policy either.

'Case by case we are incredibly aware it is an important family member so provide support. In the past we've called it special leave which is a day or two.

'It's much better to let them head off and get their head around it.'

E tū trade union national director of campaigns Annie Newman said she had negotiated pet bereavement leave into a contract many years ago.

'I know it's possible and it's happened in the past but I don't know of any current circumstances where it exists.

'Sadly only 20 per cent of New Zealand workers are unionised so ultimately it's up to if the employer sees it as a benefit.'

With pets come expenses so pets owners are increasingly opting for pet insurance.

Southern Cross Pet Insurance (SCPI) insure 27,000 pets and in the last year paid out $7 million for vet bills.

Like when a dog bit into an inhaler and it exploded ($1,307), another dog swallowed disposable razors ($2,615), and when an owner fell on their dog when chopping down a tree which dislocated the dog's hip ($7,071).

'New Zealand has the second highest rate of pet ownership in the world but pet insurance is still in its infancy here,' general manager of SCPI Anthony McPhail said.

'Owners can often find themselves paying more for their pets' health than they first expected.'

Senior vetting director of Vets4Pets in New Plymouth, which offered sick days or mental health days when a pet died, Alex Hicks said their strangest visits were for things dogs had digested.

Hicks said when it came to losing a pet owners had a wide range of reactions.

'Some are inconsolable verging on a breakdown.'