The craft brewery will be the first in the industry to offer its workforce time off to settle a new pet, and the first company in the US to pioneer the puppy incentive
Irreverent craft brewery, BrewDog, today announces the launch of its ‘paw-ternity’ leave programme, making it the first brewery in the UK, and the first company in the US, to give workers time off to look after a new dog.
Staff welcoming a brand new puppy or an older rescue dog into their lives will be given a whole working week’s leave to make sure the four-legged friend in their life gets used to its new surroundings without its new owner being absent.
BrewDog co-founder, James Watt commented:
“It’s not easy trying to juggle work and settle a new dog into your life, and many members of our crew have four-legged friends at home. So we wanted to take the stress out of the situation and let our teams take the time they need to welcome their new puppy or dog into their family. We always want to raise the bar when it comes to offering our staff the best possible benefits; at BrewDog, we care about two things above all else. People and beer. We also just really really like dogs.’
The perk will be available for all BrewDog crew members worldwide to take advantage of, with the brewery in Columbus, Ohio, also launching the ‘Puppy Parental Leave’ programme. The Ohio brewery, which will be one of the most environmentally friendly breweries in the world, will throw open its doors to staff and their pets once officially up and running in Spring 2017.
As well as time off to take care of new puppies, BrewDog makes sure staff are able to spend time with new baby humans too, with enhanced paternity and maternity pay. The Living Wage employer is also the only company in the world to Cicerone train every single member of staff, ensuring everyone at every level knows as much as they can about beer. BrewDog is now the employer of the most Cicerone-trained staff in the world.
BrewDog’s Unicorn Fund – where 10 per cent of the annual profits are split equally between all staff – is also a popular initiative that has made the company famous for pushing boundaries in more than just beer, along with the Dog Years sabbatical programme where staff can take four weeks off after five years to go and do something exciting. With a liberal free beer policy setting it light years ahead of traditional workplaces, the pioneering brewery has ambitions of becoming the best company to work for. Ever.
Rebecca joined the HRreview editorial team in January 2016. After graduating from the University of Sheffield Hallam in 2013 with a BA in English Literature, Rebecca has spent five years working in print and online journalism in Manchester and London. In the past she has been part of the editorial teams at Sleeper and Dezeen and has founded her own arts collective.
