Companies offering 'pet insurance and related pet-friendly benefits are showing how much they care about employee health and wellbeing'
HR professionals believe that offering pet-friendly benefits in the workplace can deliver rewards on wellbeing, retention, and recruitment.
This is according to a new report from PetPartners and the Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI), which polled 1,021 HR professionals across the United States and Canada.
The findings showed that 82% of HR professionals believe that being or becoming pet friendly will help recruitment and retain best talent.
Another 87% also believe offering pet insurance is a good way for the company to show care and concern for employees.
Michelle Yates, EVP of Business Development at PetPartners, said adding a pet insurance benefit would be "truly valuable for many employees."
"While the connection between pets and the workplace may still be new for some employers, it's clear there is a strong desire from HR professionals to be inclusive of pet-related voluntary benefits, such as pet insurance, veterinary telehealth, pet bereavement, and more," Yates said in a statement.
Necessity of pet-friendly benefits
The need for pet-friendly benefits comes amid "significant underestimation" by HR leaders on how many employees may be interested in such perks.
According to the report, 90% of the respondents are pet owners, and they estimate that only 53% of their employees have pets.
Pet-related conversations are also less likely to be brought up with colleagues, bosses or supervisors, or leadership, the report added.
"Companies that acknowledge the human-animal bond by offering pet insurance and related pet-friendly benefits are showing how much they care about employee health and wellbeing," said Steve Feldman, president of HABRI, in a statement.
