She felt “an enormous void”, and above all an “immense sadness” for several weeks. When Léa suddenly lost her cat in an accident, it was as if “the world had collapsed”. However, this thirty-something from Nantes, who works in human resources, had to return to work the next day, “after a horrible night”. It is to soften these types of particularly unpleasant moments that some employers decide to take action.
Since a few months, The Animal Protection Society (SPA) offers its employees who have to deal with the death of their pet an additional day of paid leave. “This allows us to take the necessary steps but above all it is a symbol,” explains 20 minutes Jean-Charles Fombonne, the president of the association. The idea is to recognize the place that the animal plays in one’s life. » All animals are concerned, provided that a death certificate has been signed by a veterinarian. This is the only proof requested, because “we are not at all in a logic of cheating”, thinks the president.
“Recognize the reality of grief”
While each company can decide, within the framework of an internal agreement, its special leave policy, more and more companies (all in the animal world, it seems) are taking the plunge. In 2021, it was Wamiz, which presents itself as the first media specializing in pets, which implemented this measure. The following year, the animal health insurance specialist Santévet also announced the granting of a day of rest, while specifying that “this system is not intended to compensate for the loss but rather to recognize the reality of the mourning over the death of an animal.
Same for a few weeks at Mars Petcare, a company where you could already come and work with your dog. It must be said that according to an Esthima/Wamiz survey dating from 2020, 88% of owners agree that it is as difficult to lose an animal as a loved one. And with Covid-19 helping, the bond with our little companions is becoming stronger and stronger, as evidenced by the unexpected success of the touching book Its smell after the rain, where Cédric Sapin-Defour describes the loss of his dog Ubac.
A loss that is difficult to admit
But the argument is sometimes difficult to hear in companies less aware of the issue, while the law recognizes the animal as a “living being endowed with sensitivity” and no longer as “movable property” only since 2015. Like Léa , who had warned her team that she was going through “a personal problem” without going into detail, 88% of them would not dare talk about it to colleagues who do not have animals.
“We cannot blame those who have never experienced this bond for not understanding it,” says Marie Cibot, veterinarian and founder of Solâme, a company dedicated to supporting animals at the end of their lives. For some, the dog still serves to guard the house but for others, it is much more than that: it is a being who constantly lives with us, which makes its loss particularly intense. This is also why people want to accompany them until the end with dignity, with requests for euthanasia at home for example. »
Paw-ternity leave
However, should the law change so that all owners of bereaved dogs and cats can benefit from these 24 hours of paid break? The debate had already been launched by the Animalist Party, which had put forward this proposal for the legislative elections of June 2022. For Léa, “this still risks creating inequalities, between those who have animals and others”. This incomprehension is all the greater given that the number of days of legal paid leave granted in the event of the death of a parent (3 days) is already widely criticized as insufficient.
“In my opinion, it is not impossible that we will one day go in this direction,” observes Marie Cibot. In Belgium, you can be buried with the ashes of your animal, for example. This is a sign that things are moving towards better recognition of the bond between man and his animal. »
It remains to be seen how far. In the meantime, certain companies – including several already mentioned in this article – are continuing the process. Wamiz, for example, recently set up leave for sick doggies (3 days), like sick child leave, which allows you to make an emergency appointment with the pediatrician, or in this case at The veterinarian. An American company has also launched paw-ternity leave, which allows you to remain teleworking in order to best support the arrival of a little ball of fur in your home.