QCOSTARICA — According to the Encuesta Nacional de Hogares (ENAHO) – National Household Survey, it was determined that 62.2% of Costa Rican households would have at least one dog or cat as a pet, meaning that approximately 1.7 million dogs and 956,185 cats live in our country.
Additionally, it was determined that there are approximately four times more dogs and cats than children under 12 years of age in Costa Rican families.
These data are striking, as they reflect that the new generations are more aware of the economic and social conditions required to have children. In this context, dogs and cats have become an integral part of the family unit, being considered an additional member of the household, what we now know as a multi-species family.
Owning a pet requires responsibility, time, and patience, but also offers several health benefits. According to the United States National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), interaction with pets increases oxytocin levels, which leads to a reduction in stress, blood pressure, and heart rate. Pets also provide other benefits such as reduced loneliness, improved mood, and emotional support.
On April 14, Royal Canin Argentina, founded in 1968 by a veterinarian with a vision: to improve the health of cats and dogs through nutrition, implemented a special day off for its employees when they adopt a cat or dog.
This allows employees to accompany their new pet during its first few hours of adaptation to the home, considering this a key period for its development and well-being. According to the company, this measure reaffirms its commitment to the health and well-being of pets, promoting responsible pet ownership.
Additionally, in countries like the United States, some companies have begun offering days off to facilitate pets’ adaptation to the home, known as ‘pawternity’ leave, a brief leave of absence for employees who are adding a new pet to their household, caring for a pet when it is sick or injured, or mourning the death of a pet.
In 2023, in an effort to find and retain talent, some employers in Canada began offering unique benefits. According to CBC News, communications agency Talk Shop Media introduced pawternity leave for its employees.
“We want to make sure that we were acknowledging the fact that families these days come in many different forms and shapes and sizes, and that includes and is extended now, often, to our family members with four legs,” said Katie Stevens, managing partner at Talk Shop Media.
Employers in Canada aren’t legally obligated to provide non-unionized staff with paid or unpaid time off work so that they can train their new pet and bond with them
These initiatives open a new debate on the need to update labor law, weighing the interests of all parties involved. We must remember that the objective of this branch is to promote a healthier, more productive work environment with a greater sense of belonging. The implementation of pet-friendly workspaces, granting insurance plans for pets, as well as leave for the adoption or death of a pet, goes beyond a simple well-being measure, as it requires a cultural shift in the way we conceive the relationship between personal and professional life.
In the specific case of Costa Rica, work leave can be granted by the decision of the employer or by agreement between the parties, provided that the leave in question is not expressly regulated by current legislation.
Currently, there are no regulations in Costa Rica that contemplate leave for the adoption or death of pets; However, their internal implementation is feasible, provided the employer decides to grant them voluntarily as part of a strategy aimed at improving the well-being and responsibility of its employees.
This would also generate a social commitment by supporting the adoption processes of many pets currently housed in shelters.
Article adapted and translated from the opinion piece by Ericka Montero Murillo published at Delfino.cr. Read the original, in Spanish, here.
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