Pets in the workplace and employment law??

[sleslie86]

Can someone please tell me what the legality of bring pets to work is?

Our MD brings her mutt in to the office daily and it absolutely stinks as she leaves the door open when it's sleeping in her room (it doesn't leave her office).
Surely that it is a health and safety risk? I mean, what if someone has or develops an allergy to the thing?
It's disgusting and I don't know why it's allowed to happen.

Can someone clear up the legality on this issue please?

[des8]

Re: Pets in the workplace and employment law??

Pets in the work place is only an issue for Health & safety where food is concerned, or if an employee has a documented severe allergy.
Beyond that it is a matter for the business owner/management.
Some firms even have "pet days" !

If you feel so strongly about it I would suggest discussing the matter with your MD, and ask if the door can be kept closed, or if you can move your work station further from the offending mutt.

Trust it's not a Beagle:doggieyes:

[teaboy2]

Re: Pets in the workplace and employment law??

If the smell is nauseating and makes you feel physically sick, or even results in mental problems such as making you feel depressed, then it is a health and safety issue. But as advised, speak to the MD informally first explaining how it makes you feel, or better still have a word with your colleagues, see what they think and collectively approach the MD about the matter together as a group.

Does the dog sleep on his/her own bedding in the room? If so its likely they smell comes from that. Recommend the MD washes the Bedding weekly and purchases air fresheners specifically designed to counter act pet odors.

[Inca]

Re: Pets in the workplace and employment law??

or even results in mental problems such as making you feel depressed REALLY?????

[wales01man]

Re: Pets in the workplace and employment law??

Have you told them the dog stinks?

[Inca]

Re: Pets in the workplace and employment law??

msl:.......Omg wales,,that made me splutter on me tea,,can just see you saying that :rofl:

Wales............'Your dog stinks'
Boss...............'No it doesn't'
Wales............'Well,it must be you then'

oh that cracked me up msl:

[teaboy2]

Re: Pets in the workplace and employment law??

or even results in mental problems such as making you feel depressed REALLY?????

Yes! Really - Depression is a form of stress and therefore falls under the Health and Safety Executive remit under "work related stress and mental health". Its called stress related depression, which can lead to more serious forms of depression such as the forms of depression that we are more accustomed to understanding depression as.

The HSE defines it as:

Work related stress is the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressures or other types of demand placed on them at work.
Mental health is how we think, feel and behave.

As such the demand of having to put with a smelly dog where such a smell is causing an employee to feel depressed/nauseated about/by having to be in such work environment, means the employer has a duty to act or could be in breach of HS. Not to mention possible breach of contract in regards to their duty of care obligations


If the cause of that stress is due to work related matters, then the employer has a legal duty of care to make adjustments to prevent such causes of stress. I for one would certainly feel depressed at the thought of having to go to work in an office knowing i would have to put up with a smell that makes one feel nauseous - Such stress can also lead to anxiety (hence the dreading the thought of going to work and having to put up with it).

Would you if you were an employer expect your employees to work in an office that smelt of rotten eggs? No you would not and you would be responsible as an employer to find the cause of the smell and deal with it, to prevent the smell. The same applies to the OP's MD, though obviously the cause of the smell here is clear.

So when i say "depressed", i do not mean low morale or the general feeling of really can't be bothered to do this, which is what we all feel at times. I mean when things get to the point that a person is dreading having to go to work or to the point where there mental frame of mind is so effected by the issue that they feel the need to seek help like the OP has here.

[wales01man]

Re: Pets in the workplace and employment law??

Inca
I would tell them the dog stinks if you don't talk to them how would they know?

[Inca]

Re: Pets in the workplace and employment law??

Can someone please tell me what the legality of bring pets to work is?

Our MD brings her mutt in to the office daily and it absolutely stinks as she leaves the door open when it's sleeping in her room (it doesn't leave her office). Has anyone actually approached the MD with this issue?,,she's probably immune to the smell.
Surely that it is a health and safety risk? I mean, what if someone has or develops an allergy to the thing
One would presume that if an allergy arises the person would have the common sense to tell the MD they are allergic,,is she meant to guess??
It's disgusting and I don't know why it's allowed to happen.
It's happening because noone has had the gonads to approach the MD,,again,is she meant to guess?

Can someone clear up the legality on this issue please?

And,with all due respect Teaboy,to suggest a smelly dog issue that hasn't even been broached with the dog owner can lead to depression is rather like taking a hammer to crack a nut.
That's only my opinion ,of course

[CleverClogs]

Re: Pets in the workplace and employment law??

Of what does the poor dog smell?

[wales01man]

Re: Pets in the workplace and employment law??

Might be winnie the poo?

[teaboy2]

Re: Pets in the workplace and employment law??

And,with all due respect Teaboy,to suggest a smelly dog issue that hasn't even been broached with the dog owner can lead to depression is rather like taking a hammer to crack a nut.
That's only my opinion ,of course

And likewise with due respect Inca i did advise that the OP follow the advice given of approaching and discussing the matter with the MD as well as involving her other work colleagues, and even suggest to the MD that she washes the bedding weekly and uses anti pet odor air fresheners. In no way did i advise to take it to the HS directly - Now did I!!

For what its worth the meaning of the word depressing is "causing or resulting in a feeling of miserable dejection" and meaning of dejection is "a sad and depressed state; low spirits." Something that gives one a depressing feeling, doesn't mean that person is suffering depression, but it can lead to a person becoming stressed and if not dealt with, it can lead to that person morale becoming so low that they can end up suffering depression. The key to fighting depression is by eliminating its cause, is it not?!

As for your implying the OP or his/her colleagues do not have the guts to approach the MD. Well like a lot of people that seek help here on employment matters, that are probably in fear of their jobs. We have no way of knowing if their employer is fair and decent, or mean and ruthless. So it makes sense for the OP and others to come here and seek knowledge of their legal standing first. Personally if i was the OP and someone made the suggestion i didn't have the guts to, i would be highly offended.

[wales01man]

Re: Pets in the workplace and employment law??

I think the first advice should always be for the OP to talk the MD.Quoting laws and pointing people to acas and legal avenues must be the last resort.

[teaboy2]

Re: Pets in the workplace and employment law??

I don't think anyone actually quoted any laws walesman, other than why it can be a health and safety issue, which itself may not be covered directly by any specific laws and no one advised the OP to go to Acas.

I agree its worth sorting issues informally first, but in a lot of employment issues, that is simply not going to solve anything, and you need to know the law to back up what your saying to the employer. Such as in cases where wages have been with held, employers think they have the automatic right to withhold them, the law however says otherwise (except where the employer is reclaiming and honest overpayment). There is also in a lot of cases the fact that a poster here has already tried to informally settle the matter prior to coming here.

[leclerc]

Re: Pets in the workplace and employment law??

Is the MD blind or visually impaired in anyway since that would change the outlook of what we are discussing>

I think the basic thing that the OP has to do is to have a conversation with the MD and, if any other employee has an allergy to the dog then they can speak to the MD themselves.

Can I ask the OP if they have any issues that relates to dogs, ie childhood experiences namely bad ones that involved dogs?