A dog owner has horrified the internet by revealing what his company did when they spotted his pet in the background of a Zoom call.
Reddit user u/Novel-Year-240 explained in a post that the for the last six months, he’s been working remotely for a company that upholds a “no pets policy.” He always thought the rule only applied to workers wanting to bring pets into the office, but he recently learned that it “would also apply on Zoom calls when working at home.”
While the Redditor, from North America, has known about the rule since his first day at the company, he told Newsweek that he was “gobsmacked” when he found out just how far that policy stretches.
“The no pets rule is as simple as that—no pets whatsoever. The company said that, if we have pets, they are a distraction to efficient workflow,” he said.
A stock image of a man working on his laptop with his dog laying behind him. Internet users have been outraged by a company’s policy that bans pets, even for those working remotely.
Sviatlana Barchan/Getty Images
Anyone who works from home with pets knows that they can occasionally interrupt calls by barking needlessly or playing with their loudest toys at the worst possible moment. And of course, living in a studio apartment means that the Redditor’s dog is often nearby when he’s taking work calls.
In the now-viral Reddit post, u/Novel-Year-240 wrote that his dog was sitting in the background during a meeting, and as a result, he got “an official strike for breaching that policy.” As a result, he’s resorted to locking the dog in the bathroom any time there’s has a call now to ensure the pet is out of view.
“I guess my colleagues must have bigger houses or they also blur their images during calls,” he told Newsweek.
The Redditor has also ensured he got sweet revenge on his employers too, as he joked that he used a photo of his pup at the dog park his Zoom background. So, while they can’t say he’s breaching the policy still, everyone still gets to enjoy the sight of his dog during calls.
What Do Reddit Users Say?
Since the post was shared online on October 2, it has gone viral with over 13,000 votes and 1,100 comments in a matter of days.
Many internet users were horrified by the policy which they deem as utterly incomprehensible, while others lauded the memorable moments when their colleagues’ pets interrupted meetings and made them all the more entertaining.
One Reddit user commented: “Control. It’s about control. If they can’t force them back into the office, they will find a way to still micromanage them remotely.”
Another person responded: “My cat is now requested on meetings. People are disappointed when she is too busy napping to show up.”
“Pets in the office is one thing, at home? That’s nobody’s business but yours,” added another commenter.
While another comment reads: “This is one of the most asinine policies I’ve ever heard of.”
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