Absence because of pet death

dseventy

Be interested in opinions here.

For those that don't know I own and run my own business with 4 UK locations and 180 staff. I don't get involved in the day to day running of the sites just take a strategic view.

I do however speak to the senior managers to get a view across the company, most of this focuses areound sales etc, but there was a "HR issue" today.

I'll present this as fact.

• An employee got a call at work to say their cat had been ran over.
• The manager on site let the employee go home to sort stuff.
• Employee rang back later and said cat was put down by vet
• Employee was very upset.
• Manager said take the rest of the week off (this was Weds) on full pay and come in Monday.
• Today a sick note received from employee citing "stress related disorder" with 2 weeks off work.
• Employee has rang in and spoke to manager and said can't face work, apologised for being off.
• Employee rang back later and asked for a phased return to work over 4 weeks.

Opinions?

D70

ohreally

I know I'd be devastated when the time comes and my hound has to go.

The situation is very much personal, try and have a heart.

Do you have a pet?

1940sGal

I can understand someone wanting to take a little time off work because of being upset after a pet dying. I've always had pets, and obviously at some stage they have died either from natural causes or have had to be put down. It's very upsetting.

But i'm pretty sure I would never need 2 weeks off.

Perhaps this employee was making rash decisions immediately after the death of their pet and isn't thinking straight? Was it yesterday it happened? And since then they've put in a sick note for two weeks and rang in twice regarding being off/coming back to work. Seems a bit rushed if so.

OR, they could have other things going on that no one knew about and the death of the pet has simply triggered other things.

Either way, I think 2 weeks off is excessive but that's just me. If i had that long off i'd just be moping about thinking about the pet.

lemontart

For many including myself a pet is part of the family so the loss of one is distressing and as with any loss of a close family member can trigger other things including the above - I lost one of my dogs earlier this year and the effects on me were not good - though I still made it to work I was under a lot of stress through the grief and it did take it's toll, but I have a lot of other stress inducing situations going on so this was a final straw so to say.

Unfortunately if you are not a pet person then it can be very hard to comprehend the loss of the one, they are your companion, your dependent and for some like a child.

elsien

Sorry, but I think they're being completely over the top.
My dog (who meant the world to me) was PTS on Monday night. I was off work Tuesday as it was a day off anyway, but was back in on Wednesday. It was hard, but life does go on. And I was better off in work taking my mind off it than at home brooding in an empty house.
Commendations to your manager for giving the rest of the week off, and I can see that some people find it harder to cope than others, but in this situation I'd be asking some further questions about the employees stress levels as I would suspect there's a bit more going on than the death of a cat.
And a phased return - with the info you've given, no. If there's a bit more going on, possibly, but you do need to know what in case it's work related and needs sorting.

WantToBeSE

2 weeks off for the death of a pet? With phased return?
I think thats very excessive!

I have pets, and i have has the experience of having a much loved cat pass away. I took a day off work and just had to get back to work and deal with it. In the evenings, i would cry my heart out, but i think your employee is taking the proverbial!

marybelle01

Investigate further. You have the right to. Much as I understand how important pets are to people, this reaction is too much. But if this pets death is a final straw and there's more to the story... If not, beloved pet or not, the employee is taking the proverbial. People have less time off for the death of a parent.

ILW

I would not be wanting to pay this person for two weeks or so.
Many years ago when I worked in retail, you got two days off fot the death of a parent.

McKneff

Jesus, I didnt have that much time off when me mother died:eek:

Okydoky25

I was devastated when I put my Dog of 14 years down HOWEVER I would not have dreamt of taking more thn a few days of work. I think you/ the Manager was very generous to offer the rest of the week off.

Life goes on at the end of the day and I don't think they or the doctor who I assume signed thm off is doing them any favours in the long term.

kitschkitty

I agree with the above posters.

Once my OH had to take a day off (might have been just half a day - can't remember it was a long time ago) to have his pet PTS due to a sudden illness (needed time off as we had just moved house and needed to find a local vet who was open and would do the job) his employer apparently didn't believe him and fired him - how's that for harsh. I remember OH was on the bus (we didn't even have a home phone back then) and way already really upset, then couldn't stop crying on when the employer phoned him and sacked him. :mad: