Why Employers Are Expanding Wellbeing Benefits to Include Pet Parents

Across industries, employers continue to invest in mental wellbeing, financial wellness, caregiving support, employee assistance programs, and a growing range of resources designed to help employees navigate the realities of everyday life.

This evolution reflects a broader shift in employee expectations. Today's workforce increasingly values benefits that feel personal, relevant, and aligned with the realities of modern life. Employees want benefits that acknowledge who they are, what they care about, and the challenges they face beyond the workplace.

As organizations continue to refine and expand their wellbeing strategies, they are increasingly looking for opportunities to support employees in meaningful ways that strengthen both employee experience and organizational culture.

One area gaining increased attention is support for pet-owning employees.

Pet ownership is a significant part of everyday life for millions of employees. According to Employ Borderless Research, 71% of U.S. households now own a pet, representing approximately 94 million homes. Research also shows that 97% of pet owners consider their pets members of the family.

For employers, these numbers matter because they highlight the scale of the opportunity. Supporting pet-owning employees is not about serving a small niche audience. It is about recognizing a reality that touches a substantial portion of today's workforce.

For many employees, pets are integrated into daily routines, family structures, financial decisions, and emotional wellbeing. The relationship people have with their pets often resembles the relationship they have with other important members of their household.

As organizations seek to better understand the factors influencing employee wellbeing, pet ownership is becoming an increasingly relevant consideration.

Research suggests that employees place meaningful value on pet-related benefits. According to Wagmo research, 65% of employees say pet-related benefits are important when evaluating a job opportunity. Additionally, 56% of working pet parents report having considered changing jobs to gain access to better pet-related benefits.

These findings highlight an important shift in employee expectations. Historically, pet-related benefits may have been viewed as optional perks or niche offerings. Today, many employees view support for pet ownership as a meaningful reflection of how well an employer understands their everyday lives.

This does not mean pet-related benefits outweigh compensation, healthcare, retirement plans, or other core benefits. However, it does suggest that employees increasingly appreciate benefits that acknowledge the realities of modern family life—including the role pets play within it.

For employers competing for talent, these findings provide valuable insight into how employees evaluate workplace culture and overall wellbeing support.

Organizations invest heavily in employee wellbeing because they understand its relationship to engagement, satisfaction, retention, and workplace culture. The challenge is determining which initiatives employees actually notice and value.

Research from Nationwide and HABRI provides an interesting perspective. According to their workplace study, employee engagement reaches 91% in pet-friendly workplaces compared to 65% in workplaces without similar support. The same study found that 91% of employees in pet-friendly workplaces believe their employer supports mental wellbeing, compared to just 53% elsewhere.

These findings do not suggest that pet-related support alone drives engagement. Rather, they highlight a broader principle. Employees often evaluate wellbeing programs based not only on the benefit itself, but on what the benefit communicates about their employer.

Benefits that feel personal, thoughtful, and relevant can contribute to a stronger perception that an employer understands and supports its workforce.

Employee wellbeing strategies serve multiple purposes. They provide resources. They support employees. They address challenges. They also communicate values.

Employees often draw conclusions about organizational culture based on the benefits an employer chooses to offer.

Benefits help answer questions such as:

• Does my employer understand my life outside of work?
• Does my employer care about the things I care about?
• Does my employer support my overall wellbeing?

For a workforce where pet ownership is increasingly common, pet-related benefits can contribute to those perceptions.

This is particularly important because employee experience is shaped not only by what benefits are offered, but by how employees feel about those benefits. The perceived value of a benefit can be just as important as the benefit itself.

Historically, most pet-related benefits have focused on insurance, discounts, or access to veterinary services. These offerings remain valuable and continue to play an important role in supporting pet owners. However, employers are increasingly exploring broader approaches to pet wellbeing.

Why? Because many pet-related concerns occur outside of emergencies.

Employees think about their pets every day. They worry about leaving pets home alone. They worry about changes in routine. They worry about travel, storms, loud noises, and other common situations that may affect their pet's wellbeing.

These concerns are part of everyday life for many pet-owning employees.

As a result, organizations are beginning to explore solutions that support pet wellbeing between moments of crisis rather than exclusively during emergencies.

This broader view aligns with the overall direction of employee wellbeing programs, which increasingly focus on supporting employees throughout everyday life rather than only responding to major events.

Every employer faces the challenge of identifying benefits that employees will value, remember, and actively use.

The strongest wellbeing strategies often share several characteristics. They address real employee needs. They align with everyday life. They feel personally relevant. They reinforce an organization's commitment to employee wellbeing.

Pet-related benefits increasingly fit within this framework. For a workforce where pets are considered family members, supporting pet-owning employees represents an opportunity to deliver a benefit that feels both practical and personal.

Importantly, pet wellbeing benefits do not need to replace existing wellbeing initiatives. Instead, they can complement broader programs designed to support employees in multiple dimensions of life.

As employee expectations continue to evolve, organizations that recognize emerging wellbeing categories may be better positioned to create more relevant and engaging employee experiences.

The future of employee wellbeing will continue moving toward personalization. Employees increasingly expect benefits that reflect their real lives and acknowledge the responsibilities, relationships, and concerns that shape their everyday experiences. For millions of workers, pets are part of that reality.

As organizations continue expanding and refining their wellbeing strategies, support for pet-owning employees is likely to become an increasingly important part of the conversation. The employers that recognize this shift early may be better positioned to strengthen employee experience, improve engagement, support retention, and create wellbeing programs that resonate with today's workforce.

Pet wellbeing is not replacing traditional benefits. It is becoming part of a broader understanding of what employee wellbeing means.