Companies beginning to recognize ‘pawternity’ leave for employees with pets

So-called “pawternity” leave is the proverbial cat’s pajamas when it comes to employees and their pets.

The latest trend in employee benefits provides paid time off to bond with a new four-legged member of the family, or for the death of a beloved pet.

“This is a wonderful idea,” said Dr. Bonnie Bergin, founder of Bergin University of Canine Studies in Rohnert Park.

The university gives employees two days paid leave when a pet dies, one fewer day is paid when a human member of the family dies, said Bergin, who recently lost her dog.

“We plan to up that amount. It can be an incredible grief,” she said.

The university does not yet provide paid leave for a new puppy, but Bergin said the idea is worth merit.

“I’m kind of embarrassed we’re not leading the charge. There is no question about the importance of that relationship,” she said.

Bergin University offers degree programs that provide, among other things, a deeper understanding of the human-dog bond, and how it benefits society.

From a psychological perspective, it’s important to bond with a new dog right away, Bergin said, and that means spending all day and night with the dog.

“If the dog is left alone, he’ll find other things to do with his time and learn to make other things important to them. That is a problem. You want them to know as soon as possible that this is the relationship that needs to develop. Even just throwing a ball is still building a tight relationship,” she said.

More companies are starting to get the importance of the dog-human bond and are allowing employees to bring their dogs into the workplace.

It’s a perk that can recruit and retain employees.

Software company VMware in Palo Alto has a history of offering a dog-friendly work environment.

“Many of our people have said that this is one of the most important benefits of working here, which really says something when you consider the lengthy and robust list of benefits we offer our people,” said Michael Thacker, director of corporate public relations. “We recognize that our community is stronger and more fun when our people can bring their full selves to work and for many of our people that means bringing their dogs, who are akin to family.”

The company’s campus is equipped with doggie waste bags and receptacles. Employees who bring their dogs to work are asked to sign an agreement on dog etiquette and ensure their pets are vaccinated and properly ID-tagged.

Salaried employees, who represent 90 percent of the company’s workforce, can also take as many days off as they need to unwind, unplug and take care of themselves and their loved ones after the death of a pet.

“This has been in the HR world for about a year as a benefit trend, though I think the actual adoption of it formally by companies is really low. Informally though, for example allowing employees time off or even use sick days for grief over pet, or vacation days used to acclimate a puppy, has been around for quite a while,” said Lisa Johnson, director at Nelson Staffing in Sonoma.

While just starting to catch on in the United States, “pawternity” leave has been around for a while in the United Kingdom.

According to Petplan, a company that provides health insurance for pets (including birds and reptiles), 5 percent of pet owners in the United Kingdom have been offered paid leave by their employers to attend to their pets.

Scottish brewing company BrewDog was one of the first to offer the benefit, with a week of paid leave. The reason given on the BrewDog website is that they just really love dogs. Also, it aims to be “the best company to work for, ever.”

Emeryville might be on the cutting edge in California, however.

“The employee may use Paid Sick Leave to provide care for a guide dog, signal dog, or service dog of the Employee, Employee’s family member, or the person designated by the Employee,” according to its minimum-wage ordinance.

Going one step further, the data platform provider Mparticle, in New York, offers two weeks of paid leave if an employee adopts a rescue dog. The recruiter for the company, Laurel Peppino, said it’s to provide time for training and walks, according to the Times.

“We offer maternity and paternity leave and a pet is just another member of the family,” she said. “We don’t discriminate just because they aren’t human.”