The phrase “emotional support animal” likely conjures up images of passengers trying to bring peacocks and miniature pigs on airplanes. It might even raise an immediate assumption that people are trying to take advantage of the system for their own pleasure, not their physical or mental health. But, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the slow return to the on-site work—and, most significantly, the mental stress brought about by the turmoil of these events for some people—employers should avoid this gut reaction to employee requests for service animals or emotional support animals in the workplace.

The post-COVID-19 work environment is very different from the one many of us left in March 2020. The pandemic shrunk our individual worlds. A majority of employees transitioned to working remotely. This led many employees to become further devoted to their pets, or to decide that the pandemic was the perfect time for a new pet. These animals helped address the stress and isolation caused by the pandemic, not to mention coping with getting ill or having loved ones fall ill. However, as many employees now return to on-site workplaces, they are struggling to adapt—both to leaving their pets behind and to the anxiety created by returning to a working environment outside of the comfort and safety of their homes.