Do You Offer Peternity Leave?
Posted on Wednesday, July 25, 2007 by Frank Roche
Do you offer “peternity leave” at your company? Can employees take time off for “pet sick days”? Some companies allow it.
Research shows that over one-third of employees take time off to take care of ill pets. Sure, maybe you don’t have free dog walking services, but how do you handle pet sick days?
On a personal note: If Snickers the Wonder Dog, our Labrador Retriever, was sick and needed me home, you can darn well bet I’d take off work. She’s part of our family. Jess, our lead designer, feels the same way about her Chihuahua, Nishi, who’s shown in the picture above.
rick
Jul 25th, 2007
Perhaps farther than even a great company needs to go. Take a vacation/personal day. A special designation of pet sick day is making me sick.
I have two cats I love but I have obligations to my clients, my employees and my career.
I just cannot see how this idea makes for a better workplace.
Frank Roche
Jul 26th, 2007
Rick, that’s funny…I like the idea of pet days. I agree that vacation or personal days are the way to handle it most equitably. This is more about an acknowledgment that pets are an important part of many of our lives. Honestly, I like clients and my career, but my dog comes before them. That whole issue in the Four Hour Workweek brings it home: Why do we work? For me, doing good work is important, but it’s not the only thing (I know for a fact that it’s not for you, either).
Brett
Jul 26th, 2007
My wife just had a baby and I work for the federal government. Although I cannot complain about the benefits package as a whole, there are NO provisions for recent fathers to help with a newborn, other than the use of other types of leave. As a young parent and new to my career, I have a relatively low balance of leave and so, although I would love to, I cannot stay home to help care for my recovering wife and new baby. Our country is shamefully behind in this regard.
As for the pet sick days, I’ve always been a proponent of a single allotment of personal days. I.E., no distinction between vacation leave, sick leave and personal days. Why should I have to tell my empoyer whether I’m sick, my dog is sick, or if I just feel like staying in bed? Either I have the leave or I don’t. I get my work done and I am responsible enough to know when I can take a day off. What I do on that day should not have to be explained to my employer. By the way, I have used leave to care for my sick dog. To some people that may seem rediculous, but I probably would think what they do on their days off is rediculous too. People should be able to prioritize their lives and use all their leave as they see fit.
Frank Roche
Jul 26th, 2007
Hi Brett. I couldn’t agree more with what you say: “What I do on that day should not have to be explained to my employer.” I’m a big fan of the idea that companies employ adults, and adults don’t have to “explain” where they are if they’re doing the work they’re asked to do. Adults can manage households, raise children (like you), and somehow manage to get to work. I don’t think they need to be treated like children once they get to work.
Yes, bummer about the lack of paternity days. I have friends in Norway and Sweden, and that’s where they have the parenting leave down right. New parents can get up to THREE YEARS off….amazing, right?
Say, congrats on the new baby, by the way. What a delightful time for your family!