When a pet dies, should you be granted a day off work?
There isn’t a complex reason why pets can make wonderful companions. Pets are loyal to us whereas providing a sense of refuge and love us unconditionally. Besides, pets can help people cope with anxiety matters and gain back their peace, if not permanently, at least for a few hours in the course of our busy schedules. People who suffer from mental health disorder opt for various therapies costing them hundreds if not thousands of euros, while others resort to our beloved animals. (Don’t forget: “adopt, don’t shop”).
While there are hundreds of domestic animals to choose from, the most ordinary animal that people choose is a dog. Dogs are known for their cheerful characters which can induce calmness and happiness, while it may offer several other types of benefits on health. Dogs are known to pick up human moods and emotions. When you’re feeling down, your dog will sense it and will try to cheer you up, while if you’re feeling happy, the dog is often happy and most probably will try to engage you into a game.
However, mental health issues are not the only reason why people want pets, but just because they are family of course. Animal lovers can understand the bond that grows between us and our precious pets. As some also say, they’re like our children! In modern times, people are even preferring having animals rather than having kids. While I may disagree with this statement, this shows how important and meaningful pets can become. Everyone chooses a different way to introduce love in their lives, some choose humans, while others choose a furry or a feathered friend (or both!). From a survey which I posted on the Facebook page “Rubs Puppy Love”, I listed down a number of questions to know whether pet owners support the idea of bereavement leave. The majority of the people (41%) claimed to have only 1 pet, followed by 22% claiming to have 4+ pets. The remaining was diffused between owning 2, 3 or none pets.
The survey continued by asking pet owners whether pets were considered as a family:
Followed by whether companies should introduce bereavement leave in case a pet dies:
The results clearly show that the majority voted in favour of time off work when a similar tragedy happens.
This clearly portrays that the impact which pets leave in our lives and the way we consider them is drastically changing as time goes by. For instance, the medical industry has grown to give the opportunity to pet owners any type of therapy their pets need, from medicines to operations. The pet care industry has even expanded and grown worldwide.
Me and Toby (my dog) share the same bed every night, we cuddle until we fall asleep. When I’m blue, he would curl up next to me to comfort me, and he’ll wait there until I fall asleep. From personal experience, Toby has helped me a lot with my anxiety. Whenever I felt like I needed someone to talk to without judgements, I’d talk to my dog. It may sound strange, yes, but it succeeded in helping me mentally because I release my burden. Having someone listening to you whether understanding you or not, you will immediately feel less alone. So yes, Toby has served me as a shoulder to cry on. It’s amazing how he always managed to grasp my spirit.
Can the management show a sign of compassion and support towards their employees after the loss of their pet and give them time off work? It’s like losing your best friend, no? Obviously, each case needs to be treated individually and state clearly what the term “pet” means, as people can most likely abuse of such a situation.
If the management disagrees with allowing their employees to take time off for their pet’s death, would this show hostility and insensitivity in a working environment?