Dear Stephen,
I'm an outside salesperson covering the Southwest for a furniture manufacturer, working from our Dallas office and showroom. Recently, my beloved labradoodle Butterscotch passed away after 14 years—he had cancer. I'm devastated. As a grown man in my 40s, I felt embarrassed to share my overwhelming grief with colleagues, but I couldn't hide it. To my surprise, everyone at work was incredibly understanding and supportive. Their response meant the world to me.
After the pandemic, when we gradually returned to the office, I often brought Butterscotch with me. Some colleagues still remember him fondly and now bring their own pets too.
I work for a sizable company—privately owned with about $400 million in annual revenue—though not one of the industry giants. I'm writing to share how my company's compassionate attitude towards pet bereavement has deepened my loyalty. I've always enjoyed working here, but now I truly appreciate our culture and values more than ever.
My regional manager, a cat owner herself, was particularly empathetic. Even the customer service representative I work with at the factory shared a similar experience. Everyone could relate to my loss. While I feared no one would care about my pet's death, my colleagues proved incredibly understanding and sympathetic. We always comfort each other when a family member dies, but when a colleague consoles you over the loss of a pet—who is family to me—it makes an enormous difference.
Beyond my colleagues' support, I'm fortunate that my company has a formal pet bereavement policy. I was able to take two paid days off. More than the time itself, it was the acknowledgment and concern from my colleagues and company that touched me deeply. I wonder, have you heard of such policies before? Is there an industry standard for pet bereavement? How common is it?
Signed,
Grieving Dog Dad
----------------------------------
Dear Dog Dad,
My heartfelt condolences on the loss of Butterscotch. As a former pet owner, I deeply empathize with your grief.
Believe it or not, pet bereavement policies have become an established norm in many companies, both within and outside our industry. Progressive company owners and HR leaders recognize that pets are very much part of our families. We love them like our children—when they're sick, we worry; when they die, we're often inconsolable.
To answer your question and inform our readers: pet bereavement is no longer something to hide. If you work for a good company, you should feel comfortable sharing your pain. Before responding, I conducted a quick survey of major manufacturers and dealers we work with in both contract and residential sectors. I also checked with smaller companies, trade and retail showrooms. You'll be pleased to know that nearly every company now acknowledges and supports pet bereavement time for their employees.
Most companies today have pet bereavement policies. If you're an HR professional or company owner reading this column without such a policy, I strongly urge you to jump on the "pet bandwagon" and implement one quickly. If you're hesitant to create a formal policy, you might allow employees to use personal or vacation time in these situations. However, that approach seems a bit stingy and doesn't fully embrace this new norm.
American companies are taking "paws" to reflect and create pet bereavement policies. By doing so, they're showing a new generation that they care about employees holistically—because as we all know, pets are family too.
Please feel free to share your experiences with pet bereavement and your company's policy, either in this space or by emailing me directly. I hope it's reassuring to know that those working in the interior furnishings industry are mostly employed by very empathetic companies—and that's a wonderful aspect of our field!
Signed,
Stephen