‘Peternity leave’ gives employers ‘paws’ for thought
Wednesday, 17th February 2010
British businesses are losing up to £18m a year as employees take time to nurture or grieve for their sick pets, new research has revealed.
LV Insurance Group found that 1.1m workers had taken sick pet-related leave last year, each taking an average 2.4 days in the process.
One in ten cat or dog owners interviewed said they had skipped work to tend to their housebound pets, while an additional 11% said they had taken extended leave to mourn their furry friends.
But rather than being honest with employers, 24% of those questioned said they had cried wolf and lied about their own health to stay at home and play Vet.
In September 2006, Royal Mail was forced to award an undisclosed fee to a former employee after sacking him for mourning the death of his dog.
David Portman took a week’s absence but was singled out as a serial absentee, regardless of his pet’s demise, reported Workplace Law.
An employment tribunal ruled that Mr Portman’s previous absences had little to do with his predicament at the time and that Royal Mail had failed to understand and apply its own policy.
Since then, several employers have looked to tackle the need for lies amongst their staff by introducing ‘peternity leave’ for those caring for sick animals.
However, with the economy crawling along and employer employee relations hitting an all time low, pet owners have been warned to assess their current employment status before seeking contentious ‘peternity leave’.
“When jobs are insecure, telling a boss that you want time off work to look after a pet would not go down well,” said Cary Cooper, Professor of Organisational Psychology and Health at Lancaster University.
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