The city of Paris will it follow in the footsteps of Nice, Grenoble or neighboring Suresnes? The capital wants to authorize its agents to work with their pet, a dog or a cat for example, with the prior agreement of the hierarchy and colleagues. The Paris city hall “will expand exchanges with the trade unions” to “allow agents requesting and not being in contact with the public to come to work accompanied by their pet”, he said. the city council decidedapproving a wish presented by her opponent Florence Berthout, Mayor (DVD) of the 5th arrondissement.
According to this text written in common agreement with the left majority, the reception of an animal by an agent must be done with “the agreement of the head of the institute and the other agents who make up his working group”. “There are agents who love animals but others who fear them,” underlined the assistant (PS) for human resources Antoine Guillou.
What about horses, ferrets, mice?
“Numerous scientific studies have shown the beneficial effects of the presence of an animal on health,” said Florence Berthout, citing a 2017 study that this presence leads to a “23% reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease”. A pet in the workplace can “facilitate exchanges between colleagues,” added the district mayor, who said he attempted the experiment “unsupervised” in his town hall, and wrote a “very encouraging” report.
The idea is not unanimous within the city council. The elected deputy of the LR and its group Anne Biraben denounced a “false good idea and a potential gas plant that the Parisian administration does not necessarily need”.
“This desire is vague in the list of animals included,” added Anne Biraben, according to which a 2006 decree qualifies servants, “in addition to dogs and cats, horses, ferrets, pigs, camels, mice, peacocks, pheasants, carp or even silkworms “…
Since September 2020, the Suresnes City Hall has authorized its agents to travel to the workplace accompanied by their pet. Grenoble and Nice made similar decisions for dogs.
