Should Employees Be Allowed Time Off Work When Their Pet Dies?

A topic of conversation across the media and in some businesses this week has been around whether or not employers should offer employees pet bereavement leave.

Discussed on BBC News, Vet Times, Personnel Today and many other media outlets has been a viral online petition by employee Emma McNulty who claims she lost her job soon after a request to take time off work when her dog passed away unexpectedly. Her request not to attend her shift in a shop in Scotland was refused – she did not go to work that day.

The teenager, who is 18, feels that her request was not unreasonable given that her pet was like a family member. She started the petition to government which, at the time of writing, has been signed by more than 19,000 people.

To some this may sound utterly ridiculous – however the statistics suggest millions of us may be affected dramatically on the day a pet dies given that in the UK last year it’s estimated there are 51 million pets. Of course there is also with a booming business sector supporting that statistic.

Millions of us have pets, and in the case of cats and dogs in particular, will have had them for many years. Around 45 per cent of the UK population have a pet according to the latest available statistics – 26 per cent have dogs and 18 per cent have cats.

Swindon pet owner Lisa Berry deals with hundreds of pet owners in her business Cheeky Little Prints every year – many of her clients will have lost or be about to lose their beloved cat or dog.

She said: “Showing compassion when an employee loses their best friend is a must in my opinion – especially when good staff members can be hard to find. Your response on that difficult day will increase their loyalty to you hundredfold.

“We are a nation of pet lovers and employers need to recognise this, there are many companies now where staff are allowed to bring their dogs into work and I think pet bereavement leave is the next logical step.

“When I lost my pet Tiger and I couldn’t do anything to save her, even though I used to be a vet nurse, I was utterly devastated. I felt awful and so empty, my best friend had been run over.

“Telling my children was one of the worst things I have ever had to do, I could hardly get any words out for crying. Coming away from the vets without her was heart breaking. I had to take time out of my business – I was not fit for work that day.”

The Employment Rights Act 1996 gives an employee the right to ‘reasonable’ time off to deal with an emergency situation. However this is interpreted as an issue around a close family member or a dependent. It is, at the moment, up to an employer to make judgment around this and to decide how long an employee can have time off and whether or not that time is paid.

According to Kate Palmer, of Peninsula Associates, commenting for the organisation Open Access Government which discusses public policy matters worldwide, employers should be mindful of the mental health of employees.

She said: “How companies will respond to this situation will depend on the views of the management and the demands of the business.

“The company simply may not have the capacity to allow an employee time off that day. It should be remembered if employees do take a period of absence without manager approval it can be treated as unauthorised absence and can result in disciplinary action.

“However, employers should not underestimate the impact the loss of a pet can have and, in particular, how much work they are going to be able to feasibly do on the day. If an employee feels they will be unfairly judged for being honest with their employer, they may simply ‘throw a sickie’ something that can be very difficult to disprove.”