Airvet 2023 Survey Reveals Unprecedented Opportunity for Employers to Support Pet Parents

Airvet, a pet telehealth platform, today announced the findings of its latest survey examining how pets and pet care influences employee productivity, well-being and engagement.

With 70 percent of the US population owning pets and pet ownership anticipated to rise 14 percent by 2030, business leaders are starting to include pets in the definition of family. Combine the pet ownership trend with the growing vet shortage, employers are turning their focus to include pet parents.

Key findings from the survey include:

• 63 percent of workers indicated that additional pet benefits would increase their desire to stay with their company for the next 12 months.
• 95 percent of pet parents surveyed view their pets as members of their family. This strong emotional connection strongly influences how pet parents feel – both at home and in the workplace.
• 43 percent of working pet parents have delayed or avoided care due to conflicts in their work schedule.
• 75 percent of workers have trouble focusing when something is wrong with their pet, resulting in a workforce that is distracted and under emotional distress.

“In the past decade, we have seen real effort to better align employee benefits with the realities of who employees are and how they define their families. Employers have a chance to evaluate how we define and support families. While today only 35 percent of US households have children under 18, 70 percent of households own a pet. So, it’s no surprise that 63 percent of workers with pets said that if their employer offered them additional pet benefits this would increase their desire to stay with their company for the next 12 months. The ubiquitous nature of pet ownership and sustained growth in pet adoption, requires benefit teams to re-evaluate how they are meeting the needs of their employees,” said Dan Lieberman, President of Airvet.

The report is available for download on Airvet’s website. The report provides valuable insight into the human-pet relationship and its impact in the workplace with tips on how employers can start implementing pet-friendly strategies including policies and benefits. The report highlights the importance of pet telehealth services for employers as a way to reduce stress, improve productivity, increase inclusivity and belonging and support an emotionally healthy work environment.