What ‘Pawternity Leave’ Reveals About the Way We Value Care

I spend a fair amount of time digging through headlines each week, and every now and then I find something that really surprises me. Most recently, this was an article from GlobalPETS about workplaces worldwide starting to offer “pawternity leave” to their employees. While it doesn’t last as long as paid parental leave—usually not much longer than a week or two, depending on the workplace—I can smell the controversy from here.  

But why are topics like this so touchy? Is this just more unnecessary humanization, or does this help show employers that there’s more than one way for workplaces to take care of their employees?  

The Elephant (or Puppy?) in the Room  

As someone getting ready for her own maternity leave in a few weeks, I understand how this article could be upsetting. Growing a human child is ostensibly harder than adopting a pet, after all, and it’s possible that these new pawternity leave policies could detract from some of the challenges that parental leave already faces, particularly in the United States.  

The U.S. lacks a standardized paid parental leave program. The Federal Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) offers 12 weeks of unpaid parental leave, but many people in the workforce don’t qualify, or can’t afford to go 12 weeks without pay. Because of this and other challenges, 25% of mothers return to work within 10 days of giving birth.  

Pawternity leave doesn’t contribute to these issues, but it can impact the way people look at them. If an expecting parent doesn’t get to take time off for their baby, but a friend or coworker of theirs gets a break to bond with their new puppy, they might point to pawternity leave as the culprit.  

The longest pawternity leave mentioned in the GlobalPETS article was 7 days, so it doesn’t cover as much as most paid parental leave policies, but it is understandable that new parents might feel snubbed if pet parents get more paid time off for their new pet than they receive for their newborn human baby.  

Accommodating the Parents of Fur Babies 

According to the GlobalPETS article, 70% of British pet owners support workplace rights for people who want to take time off to care for or mourn the loss of a pet, and 26% of American pet owners claim that their dream job would offer pawternity leave in some way, shape, or form. In addition, younger employees, such as Gen Z, are adopting pets more than they're having children, so pawternity leave could be a bigger draw than paid parental leave.  

Pets are also exceptionally beneficial for mental health, and in a time of employee burnout and economic uncertainty, supporting employees who want to take time off for a pet could be great for morale and overall performance.  

With these in mind, it starts to make sense why workplaces would start implementing these policies. If people worldwide are seeking out benefits like this, why wouldn’t employers put it on the table? 

 

Taking Care of Your People  

Whichever side of the pawternity leave debate you find yourself on, the most important thing to remember is that at the end of the day, there’s more than one right way to take care of your employees. At BSM Partners, this might not include a pawternity leave, but it does mean a flexible, supportive parental leave, an in-office nursery, and everyone bringing their dogs to work so they can play and cuddle by their owners’ desks.  

There are valid reasons for loving and hating a paid pawternity leave policy, but that isn’t the bigger issue here. Whether it looks like a formal policy or a system based on open communication, employers need to have their employees’ backs. There are several ways to do this, and whether that includes parental leave, pawternity leave, or both, it’s crucial to examine the ways in which workplace policies affect the people that work there.  

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About the Author

Cady Wolf is an Analyst at BSM Partners. She graduated magna cum laude with a degree in English from Brigham Young University-Idaho, and she currently lives in Rexburg, Idaho with her husband, their two cats, and pet tortoise. She loves animals and learning about how to help pet brands and pet parents alike.