‘Pawternity leave’: work perks and handy tech for puppy owners

So you’re thinking about getting a puppy? Or maybe you’ve just brought home your very own furry ball of joy (and other, er, substances). Like human babies, the pitter-patter of tiny paws in your life doesn’t come with an instruction manual. While in an ideal world, we’d be able to devote all our time, effort and cash to being a round-the-clock doggy daycare, the reality is that little things like, y’know, work can make that hard.

If your office isn’t dog-friendly, there are options. In pup-mad Manhattan, “peternity leave” has been around for a few years (even though maternity leave isn’t required by law in the US). The NYC-based apartment rental company Loftey offers paid leave for workers whose pet has died and time off for veterinary appointments. Meanwhile, the data platform provider Mparticle gives employees two weeks’ paid leave should they adopt a rescue dog. “We offer maternity and paternity leave; a pet is just another member of the family,” says Laurel Peppino, Mparticle’s head of talent acquisition. “We don’t discriminate just because they aren’t human.”

In the past few years, a handful of companies in the UK have been getting in on the pawternity leave act. The aptly-named BrewDog brewery and pub chain, offers “puppy parental leave”, as does Mars Pet Nutrition, with more and more firms around the country following suit. Greg Buchanan, who runs tech support company BitSol Solutions near Manchester, offers up to a week of paid leave for employees with a new pet. “Obviously we take it on a case-by-case decision,” he says. “If somebody’s asking for time off for a goldfish, no … it’s not quite what we set out for.”

Source: theguardian