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Question:
"Our employees seem to be watching too much David Attenborough because some have started to bring pets to work. So far we have a tortoise, a jar of stick insects and a gerbil, and we have heard that another employee is lining up a cat. Are we being unreasonable in wanting to put a stop to this?"
HR tip:
Not at all. Quite apart from food chain issues, pets can carry diseases and are likely to be disruptive. You should therefore apply a complete ban on this practice.
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One Response
Don’t demonise all animals however!
Please ensure in any communications with staff that assistance dogs are not tarred with the same brush. As HR Director for Guide Dogs I can assure you that the guide dogs I work alongside are neither disease ridden nor disruptive! They are not however ‘pets’ but working animals and that is perhaps the distinction to bear in mind (along with the DDA legislation) when drafting your policy. Good luck!