Pet care leave: New perk for pawrents at some S'pore firms

Staff get time off for tending to sick pets, animal adoption and bereavement

- Elaine Lee

When Ms Trisha Lim's dog, Tofu, developed an underbelly infection in October 2024, she was relieved to be able to take her chow chow-Japanese spitz mix to the vet without using her annual leave.

The 30-year-old public relations manager works at Brave Communications, one of a handful of local companies that offer pet care leave.

"My husband and I view Tofu as our child, and we are glad that there are bosses out there who are supportive and understanding about the stress and anxiety that pet owners go through," she told The Straits Times.

Her boss, Ms Emilyn Ang, who founded the public relations and marketing agency in 2022, offers three days of "pawrental" leave a year so that her staff can tend to their sick pets. Employees can also take two days off for pet adoption and three days for bereavement.

Ms Ang, 44, said she recognised the importance of pet care leave after her own chihuahua, Bandit, underwent hip surgery.

"I found it difficult to juggle both work and taking care of my dog, and decided that once I became an employer, I would give my team the time and support they need to care for their sick pets," said Ms Ang, who formalised the benefits in her five employees' contracts in 2024.

Currently, the leave covers those with dogs and cats, but if her future employees have other types of pets, she will consider extending the benefit to them as well.

"The definition of family has evolved, and many people consider pets to be family members. As employers, we should adapt and know what drives our employees to be physically and mentally healthier," she said.

Pet care leave remains a rare perk in Singapore's corporate scene, based on ST's checks with some 20 companies, including a mix of small agencies and multinational corporations.