Should Employers allow their staff to take dogs (or other animals) to work?
In this weeks video blog, Donna let’s you in on her deepest fears and urges all employers to think about how you keep your staff happy at work.
Achieving a balance between the conflicting desires of staff is difficult at the best of times, but allowing dogs (and other pets) into a workplace when some staff may be allergic to them or have a phobia, can lead to claims for constructive dismissal or disability discrimination.
A clear policy is essential and any job applicants should be made aware of the workplace culture and the pets at work policy during the recruitment process. If they are the best person for the job, it should be their decision to turn down a postion due to pets in the workplace, rather than your decision not to offer the role.
If you are adopting a new policy to allow pets in the workplace, extensive consultation should take place to ensure that all staff are comfortable with the situation. If anyone is not happy about it, then the safest option is not to proceed with the implementation.
