Business

Workplace

Work therapy

Opinion

Jonathan Rivett Careers contributor November 7, 2025 — 5.01am

Not long ago our pet died. They had been a loved member of our family for a long while and I was inconsolable.

I told my boss by sending them a text message on the weekend (we had put our pet down on a Friday evening) and the reply was almost instant. They told me how sincerely sorry they were and that if I needed to talk, I only had to call. They said they understood how sorrowful the death of an animal can be and told me they didn’t expect me to be at work on Monday. They said if I needed to be away longer, or just had to work entirely from home for a while, I should do it without any qualms.

I compare this with a similar experience my friend had seeking just an hour away fr

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