In 2017, a dog owner in Italy was given two days paid leave to take her dog to the vet - a first in her country. International pet website Wamiz has followed suit.
"Enabling people to care for their pets in the same way as parents"
According to our latest survey, 51% of British people say they love their pets as much as their children. The same can be said for 25% of Italian people surveyed, and an incredible 84% of French people surveyed.
Recognising this, Wamiz has decided to grant 3 days' paid leave to employees who own dogs, cats and rodents.
As with their children, pet owners may be faced with emergency or important medical appointments at least once in their lives. Whether it’s for a simple vaccination, neutering, or surgery, going to the vet is always time-consuming. And when you’re working full-time, it can be really hard to arrange consultations at times that suit both your schedule and that of the vet’s. Often, owners have to resort to waiting days or weeks before being able to see their vet outside of working hours.
For Wamiz General Manager Sébastien Courtin, offering pet-owning employees days off was an obvious choice:
From the 1st October 2023, employees are able to take 6 half-days or 3 full days off if they have an appointment with a vet, subject to proof.
A day's paid leave for mourning the loss of a pet
Paid leave for vet appointments is not the first pet-related benefit of working for a company like Wamiz. In October 2021, Wamiz had already decided to grant a day's paid leave to employees faced with the bereavement of a dog, cat or even a rabbit.
Today, the company hopes that this new decision in favour of animal welfare will give other companies similar ideas.
