Rewarding man’s best friend with fur-ternity leave
Posted On September 6, 2018
As the largest generation currently in the workforce, millennials are changing the way the modern office looks and operates. Cubicles and offices are giving way to open floor plans and standing desks. Employers are paying more attention to work-life balance and charitable opportunities for their employees.
And at least one company in Minneapolis, they’re allowing employees who have just gotten new pets to work from home.
According to Minnesota Public Radio, Minneapolis-based digital marketing firm Nina Hale instituted the “fur-ternity leave” policy earlier this year after a senior accounts manager got a new puppy and wanted to be there while it settled into its new home.
“People are at all different points during their life,” Allison McMenimen, Nina Hale’s senior vice president for client services, told MPR. “So for us, it’s about providing flexibility to people – however they define their family – even if it’s not a formal parental leave.”
As silly as this may sound on first blush, it makes sense in the modern workplace. We already see companies offering pet insurance plans and promoting “bring your pet to work” days. Fur-ternity leave is just another way to show younger employees that their families matter too, even if it’s just them and Rover.
And it’s not really “leave.” With today’s technology, many jobs can be performed just as well from home as in an office. Airline baggage handlers and coffee shop baristas probably won’t be getting fur-ternity leave, but people who work on computers all day may even be more productive working at their kitchen tables than commuting across town.
So while Nina Hale may invite a few snickers from older generations with its new pet-friendly policy, what it’s really done is found an easy way to help keep its employees happy without sacrificing productivity.
And it may save the rug from an accident or two as well.