Being a working pet parent is ruff.
A company in Minneapolis is offering employees what they call “fur-ternity leave,” a weeklong work-from-home leave for new pet owners.
Nina Hale, a digital marketing agency, is giving workers the opportunity to work from home while training their new furry family members. According to the New York Times, the company decided to revamp their employee benefits this summer after a request from an employee.
In May, senior account manager Connor McCarthy asked to work from home for one week after adopting a 2-month-old goldendoodle named Bentley. His request was honored, and inspired the company to make it an official policy: When Nina Hale execs revamped employee benefits in July, they made sure to include this “fur-ternity”-leave option as a benefit for all.
Allison McMenimen, Nina Hale vice president, told the Times that adding the policy was a “no-brainer.” “For a lot of people, their pets are their children,” she says.
McCarthy is grateful for the time he got to spend with his fur baby. “It was really, really nice to be there while I’m working to transition him,” he says.
Other businesses have even sweeter deals.
NYC’s mParticle, a data company, includes two weeks of paid time off for “paw-ternity leave” in their benefits package. You can also bring your pup to the office, if you so choose.
Paid pet-parent leave just might be a new way to woo younger employees: As The Post reported in 2017, many millennials — especially New Yorkers — would much rather parent pets than actual human babies.



