Hotel Chain Among Companies Offering Employees Time Off To Grieve Death Of Pet
By John McDevitt
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A luxury hotel chain among companies giving its employees time off to grieve the death of a pet.
Both Hotel Monaco and Hotel Palomar in Philadelphia are owned by Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants. Employees are able to use up to three bereavement days if their pet dies.
Kimpton's Area People & Culture Manager, Cassedy O'Neill oversees human resources duties.
"We just respect people's relationships with their animals whether it's a dog, a cat, a goldfish. We know in supporting that it supports them in being their true selves both at work and outside of work, so we take it very seriously."
Michele Pich, is a Veterinary Grief Counselor/Instructor at Penn Vet Ryan Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. She says people go through the same stages of grief with an animal's death as they would if they a human family member dies.
"Time off for pet loss is really benefiting both the employee going through the loss and also for the company. For example, the second stage of grief is anger. Do you really want your employee handling client calls and representing the company when they are full of anger over their loss?"
Michelle has a work partner, five-year-old Vivian Peyton, a pit bull mix. She and her friend comfort those who just lost their furry companions.