Worker sacked after she refused to go to work following death of dog says bereavement laws should cover pets
A restaurant worker who claims she was sacked for missing work following the death of her dog has launched a campaign to introduce pet bereavement leave.
Glasgow woman, Emma McNulty, 18, said she was left distraught after the sudden death of her family dog, Millie and was subsequently too upset to report for her shift at the fast food outlet where she works the following day.
She claims management did not accept the death of her pet as a valid excuse for missing work and refused to grant her a day off to mourn the yorkshire terrier who she “grew up” with.
“Following her unexpected death, I informed my manager I could not come into work as I was too devastated and physically sick to do so. Instead of being shown the compassion and sympathy stated in the contract, I was sent a number of nasty messages and told I had to cover my shift as no bereavement time was allowed for pets.”
Ms McNulty said she did not show up for her shift and was let go as a result.
“A family pet (in my case my dog) has just as much importance as a human family member. It’s time company’s (sic) acknowledged this and give people the time they need to grieve with no worry of loosing (sic) their job.”
The petition had gained over 3,000 signatures by Thursday afternoon.
In September 2018, a new workplace right to leave for bereaved parents was approved, giving parents a statutory right to two weeks leave if they lose a child under the age of 18 or suffer a stillbirth from 24 weeks of pregnancy. The law which is expected to come into force in 2020 does not cover animal bereavement.
Blue Cross, which runs an animal bereavement service, said employers should not underestimate the effect the death of a pet can have on its owner.
“We have been supporting grieving pet owners for 25 years and we know how devastating the loss of a pet can be,” Diane James, pet bereavement support service manager at Blue Cross told The Telegraph.
“The despair, grief and sadness owners feel when their pet dies can be as much as, or even more than, when they lose a human member of the family so should never be taken lightly.”
Ms James said Blue Cross supports employers who offer bereavement leave to allow time for pet owners to come to terms with their loss.
The advisory, conciliation and arbitration service (Acas) which provides impartial employment law advice said that while pet bereavement is not covered by workplace legislation, employers should recognise that the death of a pet can impact an employee’s wellbeing.
“The law gives a day one right for an employee to have reasonable time off work to deal with a bereavement involving a dependent. Bereavement is a very personal issue and can affect different people in different ways,” a spokesperson said.
“Dealing with bereavement can impact a person’s mental health. Pets are not specifically mentioned within workplace bereavement legislation but the death of a beloved pet can impact a worker’s mental health and a good employer should be sensitive and mindful of their employees’ wellbeing,” the Acas spokesperson added.
Ms McNulty received a wave of support for her campaign yesterday. One supporter, Louise Stephen said “I don't have children, I have chosen to have a dog instead. She is my world. If something happens to her I'm not allowed time off to take her to the vet and I'm not entitled to leave when she passes away. Yet if I have a child I can do these things”.
