To work… with a dog

Would you take your dog to work? “I would like to,” many will probably answer, “but who will allow it.” Now, if such a decision is approved by the European Commission, then there will be no more obstacles to not parting with your pet even during working hours.

Senior management is said to be considering allowing staff to bring pets to work. “In regards to dogs being indoors, the commission is looking into their presence in offices and is even organizing pilot actions where employees can bring their pets to work,” Budget and Management Commissioner Johannes Hahn said in a document published by Politico on Wednesday. .

At the end of November 2022, a group of MEPs launched a persistent effort to improve the mental health of workers by formally making a request: “whether the commission will consider the possibility of having pets in the workplace of their owners, in the European Parliament.”

Institutions EU “are considered advanced in personnel policy”, while many international companies already allow employees to bring their pets to work. MEPs also asked if the commission would consider “creating areas with bins and special bags for workers” when their pets need to “go to the bathroom”.

MEPs also suggested that the commission’s pet policy could help solve a costly problem for member states, asking whether The European Commission to encourage its employees to adopt stray dogs.

Referring to The results of a study funded by the commission, MEPs said that stray animals are a serious problem in most European cities, entailing “significant costs for the relevant authorities”.

But anyone who thinks that changing the EU rules is “easy and simple” is mistaken… Permitting pets in the office would mean adapting the commission’s legal framework, if “taking into account the various features regarding the health and safety of staff, as well as some practical questions,” Khan said.

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