Who Says Your Latest Hire Has to be Human?

In an effort to reduce the damage done by the wildfires in Australia, detector dogs are being employed to sniff out fur and rescue koala bears. Being that animals are such a critical part of our lives and our happiness, it’s not surprising that offering time off to take care of new pets is the latest twist on paid leave.

Fur-ternity or Paw-ternity Leave is the ability for an employee to work from home for a week to welcome new dogs or cats. “This is kind of a no-brainer,” said Allison McMenimen, a vice president at Nina Hale, a performance digital marketing agency, who helped devise the new policy in her company. “The idea of offering benefits that help keep employees at the office? That’s over.”
Many companies have overhauled workplace perks in recent years in an effort to retain employees and attract new recruits in a tight labor market. Such perks range from free gourmet meals in cafeterias and dry cleaning, to on-site gyms and nap pods.

Paw-ternity Leave might just take the cake, however, since pets are near-and dear to our hearts. In 2018, some 68 percent of all households in the United States owned pets, which speaks to the critical role they play in our lives and happiness.

WHAT CAN I DO? Talk to Human Resources or the person in your company who determines employee benefits. Fur-ternity or Paw-ternity Leave might be exactly what you need to show prospective employees that you get it and land that great new hire.