Millennials are the country’s largest pet-owning demographic, overtaking Baby Boomers in 2017. The shift to working from home has caused many previous petless households to adopt an animal. Companies are taking notice and responding by incorporating pet-friendly perks into their employee policies.
Never mind bring-your-dog-to-work days, The Wall Street Journal reports that companies are offering employees everything from an extra week of paid leave for new pet owners to $200 or more in pet store gift cards, telehealth veterinary services and pet-sitting.
The CEO of a veterinary telehealth service told WSJ that a financial services company contacted her to set up pet care as part of its benefits package. Some companies, she says, are finding that 70% of their employees have pets while only 44% have children. “The benefits balance is way off. Pets are the new dependents that employers are recognizing.”
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