Pet bereavement costs UK businesses £8.3 million a year
British businesses are losing more than £8.3 million* a year as staff pull sickies to get over the death of their pets.
One in four pet-bereaved Brits (23 per cent) have been too upset to go into the office, according to new research from Direct Line Pet Insurance. But rather than admit it to their bosses – 12 per cent of those staying off work say they’re sick.
In addition, nearly half of pet owners (42 per cent) opted to use precious holiday time to grieve for a beloved pet – and our British reserve still rules as 18 per cent felt like they couldn’t tell their boss the real reason for their absence from the office.
More than a third of bereaved owners who did not take time off (35 per cent) admitted they had been upset and unproductive in the office. One in five (19 per cent) said that they could not concentrate, with a similar proportion (18 per cent) revealing that they wanted to get home as quickly as possible.
The Direct Line Pet Insurance research identified the severity of the emotional cost of losing a pet. More than one in three owners (39 per cent) grieved for their lost dog as severely as for their best friend or relative, while a further one in four (24 per cent) revealed that they didn’t feel they would ever get over it.
Chris Price, Head of Direct Line Pet Insurance commented:
“When a pet dies, it can be a very upsetting time. With 64 per cent of owners feeling as though a family member has passed away, it is understandable why they have to take time off work to recover from the trauma.
“We recognise that no amount of insurance cover can compensate for such an emotional loss so we offer a pet bereavement counselling helpline to support our customers through this transition period.”
For more information, log on to www.directline.com/pet
- ends -
For further information please contact:
Lindsay Wienand / Direct Line Press Office
0208 256 5816 / Lindsay.wienand@directline.com
Notes to Editors:
Research was carried out online between 12th and 17th January 2007 by YouGov Plc, who questioned a sample of 1,136 dog owners in Britain. Results are unweighted. YouGov is a member of the British Polling Council.
* There are 5,400,000 dog owners in the UK (TGI). Thirty per cent have had a dog that has died in the last five years. 23 per cent have taken time off to grieve for a pet and 12 per cent of dog owners have been given paid leave by default after calling in sick (You Gov). The average wage that dog owners have lost in the last five years is £187.74 (ONS).
Therefore: 5,400,000 x 0.3 x 0.23 x 0.12 x £187.74 = £8,394,230.88 to nearest penny.
|
