Employers get wise to peternity leave

Most dog owners would work longer or even take a pay cut if they could share the office with their pets. That was the finding of a 2006 survey by website Dogster.com and Simply Hired, an U.S. jobs website.

But what do you do when your best friend is sick and needs to be taken to the vet?

According to UK website Workplace Law Review, a growing number of employers are allowing their employees to take "peternity" leave to deal with just such an eventuality.

London delivery company The Courier Service introduced a "peternity" policy last July that lets workers claim two days' paid annual leave.

Denise Fresco, human resources manager, said: "It is awarded in the same way people might need time off for a baby or to look after a child."

Meanwhile, the Bank of Scotland allow workers to take time off work for sick pets, so long as they organise cover.

But as the report also points out, pet ownership also carries with a cost, with insurer Direct Line estimating that pet owners collectively take eight million 'sick' days a year to get over the death of their animals.

Still, given that pet owners – and dog owners in particular - are likely to be happier and healthier than their colleagues, isn't this a price worth paying?

Workplace Law Network | "Peternity" policies allow employees to take time off for sick pets