By Pet Age Staff//June 10, 2024//
By: Pet Age Staff//June 10, 2024//
OnePack Plan, a leading group pet insurance product offered by PetPartners, and the Human Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) have announced the results of a survey analyzing the perception of pets and pet-friendly policies in the workplace. Surveying 1,021 HR professionals across the United States and Canada, findings demonstrate pets and pet-inclusive benefits at work have a significant positive impact for employees, especially relating to mental and physical well-being.
“Ninety six percent of HR professionals surveyed view their pets as an important part of their family, and 78 percent believe pet insurance is an important benefit to offer employees, citing employee wellbeing and morale as key drivers of this voluntary benefit,” said Michelle Yates, EVP of business development at PetPartners. “Despite this belief, less than 4 percent1 of pets are insured in the North America, proving that adding a pet insurance benefit would be truly valuable for many employees. While the connection between pets and the workplace may still be new for some employers, it’s clear there is a strong desire from HR professionals to be inclusive of pet-related voluntary benefits, such as pet insurance, veterinary telehealth, pet bereavement, and more.”
Highlights from the study include:
HR Professionals See the Value of Pet-Friendly Benefits
There is a Clear Need for More Acknowledgement of Pets
The Human-Animal Bond is a Driver for Pet-Friendly Benefits
“Companies that acknowledge the human-animal bond by offering pet insurance and related pet-friendly benefits are showing how much they care about employee health and wellbeing,” said Steve Feldman, president of HABRI. “The Human Animal Bond Research Institute is proud to partner with OnePack Plan by PetPartners to show how beneficial it is to have a complete benefits package that cares for our four-legged family members.”
The survey was conducted online by Cohen Research Group (CRG) in conjunction with OnePack Plan by PetPartners and the Human-Animal Bond Research Institute (HABRI) over a two-week period from February 22 to March 7, 2024, to advance the understanding of the human-animal bond with a specific focus on the importance of pet-friendly benefits and policies in the workplace. 1,021 HR professionals working for medium or large companies in the United States and Canada were survey – by design, half of the respondents work at companies currently offering pet health insurance to their employees and half did not offer it to them.