Paid leave for sick pets: Italy’s precedent that could open up leave rights to care for animals

In Europe today, pets are generally viewed as another integral member of a multi-species family in society, and this recognition is behind more and more changes in workplace policies to do with animals across the continent.

Italian judges have recently ruled in favour of an employee during a 2017 case in Rome after she missed shifts to nurse her ill dog. The judges decided that neglecting the animal might constitute animal mistreatment given explicit protections for animal welfare in national legislation.

Pets are beginning to carry increasing social and legal weight inside family units nowadays, and this reality is influencing how labour rights evolve over time.

Legal frameworks build European precedent

Italy so far operates without a single national law on this subject, yet legal interpretations and labour agreements facilitate these permissions in specific situations to establish an important precedent across Europe.

Discussions are now extending to countries like Spain, where dedicated permissions for pet care are so far unavailable, and pundits anticipate similar conversations coming up in other European countries in the near future.

2018 court verdict opens new pathways

Media outlets such as Corriere della Sera have raised the question of the lack of firm rules in Italy, while multiple legal readings and court decisions have begun to open pathways for justified absences to look after domestic animals when needed.

The 2018 verdict from the Court of Cassation caused a major shift by broadening the definition of serious personal or family reasons to encompass urgent health situations for pets.

Requirements shape access to paid leave

Applicants for leave to look after a four-legged family member must present a veterinary certificate verifying the seriousness of the case and evidence that nobody else can take over the animal’s care so Italian legislation can include penalties for animal abandonment or neglect, which will, in turn, strengthen arguments for compulsory care obligations and make sure responsible pet ownership stays a priority.

Parliament considers codification in law

The Italian Parliament is now reviewing proposals to define these permissions explicitly in law, and proposals under discussion feature up to three paid days off upon an animal’s death plus capped annual hours for veterinary illnesses or emergencies. Spain is watching with interest. Given recent changes in legislation on animal rights, sick days for caring for a pet look likely in the near future.

Currently, permission depends on judicial interpretations and specific labour contracts instead of enacted government statutes, and so pet owners would either need a very understanding employer or go through lengthy legal procedures before taking time off to look after an ill animal.

Further parliamentary action could formalise these practices into binding regulations for all workers in Spain and the rest of Europe.

What’s up with Spain’s animal welfare law?