A heated debate has been sparked online after a business owner asked whether or not one of his staff members should receive "pawternity" leave.
For those of you who have never heard of the phrase, it's rather simple. Just like when new parents are provided maternity and paternity leave from work after having a baby, some people believe they should also get time off when they welcome a dog (or other pets) into their family.
Hence the name "pawternity leave". Because dogs have paws - cute, right?
Anyway, UK-based CEO Roger Wade recently took to LinkedIn to ask his connections: "One of my staff has asked for paternity leave because he has a new puppy. What do you think?"
And, oh boy - this is a topic people definitely have an opinion on.
Providing a simple 'Yes or No' poll with his question, more than 34,000 people provided their answer.
When the results were finalized, a whopping 61% of people voted 'No' - workers should not be entitled to "pawternity" leave when they get a new pet. Although, this does mean that 39% of people think "pawternity" leave is something that should be provided by employers.
One person in favor of "pawternity" leave took to the comments section to declare: "To that member of staff with the new puppy, what better opportunity to do something meaningful for them than to at least consider some flexible working for a few days, for them to adjust their working life to a new pet.
"Bringing a new pup into your household is a huge adjustment. But more importantly, just think outside the box for a second... how much goodwill could be gained by at least considering how you could support your employee?"
And one new dog owner revealed in their comment: "New puppy owner here, currently on week 4 of sleepless nights, cleaning up messes and running around after pup whilst trying to hold down a full-time job.
"I would have loved a couple of weeks off, or even just a few days to catch up on sleep to be able to do my job to the best of my abilities and settle my new family member in! Like many other millennials, I can't afford to raise a child in London so a dog or cat is the alternative for a lot of us."
However, one person against the suggestion stated: "The world has officially gone mad. 39% of people actually think it's ok to have time off for having a dog!!!! This is an underlying issue with society, the fact that people feel entitled to everything.
"So let's break this down. The employee has chosen to have a dog and then expects his employer to give away weeks of paid leave. How about not have a dog as your work situation does not allow it?"
Another LinkedIn user stated: "If you honestly believe that your Employer should cover you for 2 weeks paid leave because you CHOSE to purchase an animal, you might want to consider getting a grip."
...However, the above comment was flooded with responses such as: "You also CHOSE to have child and yet expect your Employer to cover you for few paid weeks when you bring said child home."
So, are you for or against "pawternity" leave? Let us know in the comments!
