Woman Got Fired For Not Going To Work After Her Dog Died

Aug 20, 2019 by apost team

Our pets are like family to most of us. A woman named Emma McNulty is complaining that she was fired on the very day her beloved family dog suddenly passed away. She is now starting a campaign that would give employees bereavement leave when they lose their family pets.

Emma McNulty, from the area of Glasgow, was way too upset to go to work after her little terrier died over the weekend. Her dog, Millie, was a beloved member of their family.

Emma was so upset that she was physically sick. However, the 18-year-old was told by her job to find someone to work for her or risk being fired. When she wasn’t able to find a replacement for her shift, she was fired from her part-time job in a local sandwich shop.

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Since then, she has begun a petition that asks employers to look at a pet death in the same way as a human death. Her petition, which is located at change.org, already has over 700 supporters. Emma doesn’t ever remember a time where Millie wasn’t alive. Emma got Millie at the age of 4, so she was always a part of her life. The two of them did everything together.

Millie passed away suddenly after becoming sick on a Saturday night. The family had to put her down on Sunday. The experience left Emma physically sick and distraught. She believed that her employer would be understanding of the situation. However, she was dismissed from her job after she could not find someone to cover her shift. Emma was told to stay home from additional shifts and that her boss would soon be in touch.

Emma has received a ton of support since launching her petition. One woman wrote that everyone should be permitted to grieve for dogs because they are like family. Another lady added that grieving over pets is a real issue since many pets are just like family members. Another supporter stated that many animals mean more to their owners than humans, and we should all be permitted to grieve over their loss.

Acas, an arbitration service, has offered guidance for employers concerning bereavement. It states that grief can impact our emotional, physical, and psychological well-being and that it can be challenging to handle in the workplace. The service also stated that employees often need to take time off from work unexpectedly when a pet dies and that their performance at work may be impacted.

Diane James is a service manager who works for the pet bereavement support section of Blue Cross. The company fully supports any employer who is willing to offer bereavement leave for employees who wish to take time off for a pet death. The company has helped pet owners for more than 25 years. More than 12,000 upset pet owners contact them every year for help and support.

At the moment, all employees have a right to take time off from work in order to deal with an emergency concerning a dependent. A dependent can be a child, parent, grandchild, spouse, or someone else that is in your care. However, a pet is typically not considered a dependent.

In the UK, compassionate leave may be given to an employee by their employer as either unpaid or paid leave for an emergency situation. However, it is also at the discretion of the employer. The website suggests that all employees should look over their contract or company handbook to learn more about their company’s current policy on compassionate leave.

The law provides an employee reasonable time for them to take off work in order to deal with any bereavement that involves a dependent. While pets are yet to be included in the definition of a dependent, many people believe that they should be.

What do you think of this petition? Have you had trouble taking off work after the death of a pet? Leave us your comments about your experience. When you are done, make sure to pass this along to others.