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Staff 'take time off to look after pets'

Published On 30 March 2007 at 12:18:00

UK small and medium-sized businesses are losing money because staff take time off to take their pets to the vet, a new report suggests.

According to the insurance company More Than, UK businesses, including many SMEs, lose £19 million per year through staff absence due to pet illness.

The data showed that over a third (37 per cent) of pet owners in the UK admit to taking time off work to take their animal to the vet. Worryingly for SME owners, many of these workers say that they lied to their boss about the reason for their absence, with the majority saying they had a medical appointment themselves.

Furthermore, an additional 58 per cent of pet owners say they had to use some of their annual leave to care for a sick animal.

"Pets are an important part of the family so when a pet becomes ill, many people don't hesitate to take time off from work to rush them to the vet," said Mike Holliday-Williams, the insurer's managing director.

"Often these visits are unnecessary but they cost UK businesses dear. It costs them in employee time and colleagues can be left to hold the fort for hours with no idea when their colleague is likely to return."

Figures suggest that staff absences cost UK businesses, including SMEs, £13 billion in 2005.

 

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