Pet Insurance

RuthG · April 2007

I hear that pet insurance is something more and more employers are offering to their employees? Is this really true? One of our employees asked me about that today. What about allowing pets in the workplace. Is that common today as well?

bevhunt · May 2007

Pet care is one of the hottest franchise businesses today because people who don't work regular hours need this service. I just read that FETCH! Pet Care (www.fetchpetcare.com), America's largest pet care franchise, has even signed a partnership agreement with Caregivers On Call, a provider of corporate employee benefits services.

Allowing pets in the workplace depends on whether or not you own your building; we lease and our building management does not allow pets in the building.

You also have to be concerned about employees who are allergic to pet hair dander. Bringing in a dog could cause a severe reaction..

HRBiker · May 2007

I could see employers making pet insurance availble to employees at a group rate but I don't think that employers should subsidize such a benefit because many employees do not have pets for a variety of reason. For example, both my wife and I are very allergic to cats and dogs. I don't mind employers subsidizing health insurance for dependents, but pets is where I draw the line.

4142198 · May 2007

I never worked at a employer that offered this but one of my prior employers was going to look into this. Basically it's offered to employees under voluntary benefits and through payroll deduction. There isn't a employer subsidy, employees would pay full price. It's attractive because of the payroll deduction convenience and any group discounts.

mpinnick · July 2007

Our Long Term Disability Carrier offers an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to all our full time employees. Within that program, [&]Pet Insurance is offered. It is more common nowadays to see this type of service offered in an EAP.

Good Luck!

Maureen Pinnick

Manager of Employee Resources

Franklin College

chrpr1 · September 2007

I have been interested in offering such benefit but I agree with you the employee should pay the full cost of such with no employer subsidy. But they will receive a group rate would be cheaper than if they purchased on their own.

dreys · September 2007

I recently read comments made by a gay/lesbian employee who was very offended that her organization offered pet insurance but not domestic partner insurance. She used this as an example of how out-of-touch, discriminatory, and insensitive her organization was. I had nerver considered that reaction as a potential downside to offering pet insurance.

I think this shows that whatever changes you are making to benefits or other HR programs, it is critical that they be supportive of the company culture that you are trying to create or reinforce. Just throwing in pet insurance because it is afforabale will not necessarily improve your overall benefits program.

Yellow123 · September 2007

Interesting concept but far from mainstream. I would hardly believe most employers would allow pets in the workplace due to allergies and building managers/lease company's charging higher fees to offset the accidents that may occur. Offering pet insurance might be something larger corporations may offer but within the smaller business' this might not happen for a few more years.

dscerda · September 2007

I wish it were available at a more discounted rate than what you get at the Vet. Most employees have pets at home and it can become a heavy expense. As for pets in the workplace, I've seen small fish tanks or fish bowls. I have only heard of some places allowing dogs, only if they are well trained to not wonder the office. I have seen cats in smaller retail stores. I wouldn't mind a community pet, like a bird. I would, personally, like to see more people try it. I think animals a good anti-stressers, for most.

cbedal_hotmail_com · September 2007

Pet insurance is becoming more popular in my opinion. Many people view their pets as family members and want to take great care of them. Vets are expensive and insurance is a great way for employers to show that they understand their needs and that they care about the things that are important to them. I do not like the idea of pets at work due to allergies. That is my only concern with it. I am an avid animal lover but am careful around those with allergies.

Landshark · September 2007

We do not offer pet insurance to our ee's but on occasion ee's have brought in there pets. We even had one guy that had a pet hamster here...all the time.

KimberlyNC · September 2007

If you're considering pet insurance, you should consider any restrictions such as age of the pet, type of pet, if you must go to a specific vet or if you can use any you want, pre-existing or genetic conditions, etc. I did some research and found that in most cases, pet insurance is a waste of money because a lot of policies are too restrictive. Typically pet emergency expenses are a hardship to individuals because, unlike a college fund for their kids, for example, people do not save for pet emergencies. If you offer any type of training on personal finances/personal budgeting, just ask your training to add "pet expenses" to the list of budget items to consider so that people don't forget about saving for them.

klmak · September 2007

We offer Pet Insurance as a voluntary benefit. It is H-O-T with our employees in Alaska and Colorado. The program we went with basically provides discounted vet services and prescriptions. I was amazed at the feedback we received from our employees and learned how many people spend thousands a year on prescriptions for their animals. Also, we received comments from those who chose not to enroll in the program who said that they "feel" good about the company in that we offer options for coverage such as Pet Insurance. Ultimately...it is a "feel good" benefit.

Pet Insurance

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