Fostering a diverse and inclusive environment is not only the right thing to do, it strengthens our company. Our Petco partners’ rich diversity fosters innovation, supports continuous learning, and creates an environment where people feel comfortable bringing their whole selves to work.

All Petco leaders participate in diversity, equity, and inclusion training aimed at building respect in the workplace. Additionally, we developed and launched formalized awareness and experiences training with key stakeholders and leaders. As we bring this professional development opportunity to more Petco partners, we are committed to acknowledging and working to repair systemic inequality.

We provide an inspiring and rewarding work environment for our Petco partners, with opportunity to progress into specialized career paths and leadership.

We developed a training and advancement framework aligned to multiple career pathways within Petco. Career Horizon offers partners the opportunity to broaden and deepen their skills, so they can do what they love and are prepared to lead.

Petco holds regular Safety Committee meetings for both our Petco Pet Care Centers and distribution centers to ensure all relevant leaders are aware of their safety obligations. In addition, distribution centers have daily stand-up safety meetings, weekly safety leadership meetings, safety boards and other recognition programs to promote safe behavior. At our Petco pet care centers, we hold territorial safety calls with field leadership, and conduct safety assessments both on-site and virtually.

Training is a critical component to ensuring the safety of our Petco partners. Every new Petco partner is provided with a robust training program that covers OSHA safety, environmental compliance, as well as safety topics specific to their individual roles. These online programs and courses complement the on-the-job training partners receive from their line managers. Annual training occurs on a variety of topics to ensure Petco partners are always current with new regulations and safety policies. Training topics have included enterprise-wide topics like hazard communication, emergency action preparedness, safe lifting, injury and illness prevention, incident reporting and investigation, as well as job-specific topics such as lock-out/tag-out, forklift certification, electrical safety, and safe handling of companion animals.

Since the onset of COVID-19, we’ve closely monitored the situation and taken proactive, precautionary steps to ensure we continue to meet or exceed local, state and federal regulations as well as recommended health and safety guidelines from the CDC. To provide ongoing support to our more than 26,000 partners as they face the effects of COVID-19 and other hardships, we established the Petco Partner Assistance fund with more than $2 million in initial funding from the company and its leaders. Since, it has provided an average financial support of about $1,000 to more than 1,400 partners and their families impacted by both the pandemic, and recent fires and hurricanes.

Additionally, we have invested millions in additional compensation for every Petco Pet Care Center, distribution center and field partner as our way of recognizing the courageous way they are serving pets and their families in these uncertain times. In addition to our Petco partners’ established sick time and paid time off, we’re providing up to five days of pay specifically designed to further support partner time off needs related to COVID-19, as well as an additional 14 days of paid leave for those directly impacted by the virus.

At Petco, we are steadfast in our commitment to help our more than 27,000 Petco partners exercise their fundamental right to vote. We support efforts to increase voter participation. We call on elected leaders at the federal, state, and local levels to work across the aisle to help all eligible American citizens vote in every election.

We are a proud member of the Civic Alliance, a nonpartisan group of businesses working together to build a future where everyone participates in shaping our country. Together, we reach over 5M employees.

As part of our commitment with the Civic Alliance, Petco proposes to:

We believe pets have the power to change peoples’ lives for the better. For more than 55 years, we’ve fostered a community of pets and pet lovers, deepening our connections and celebrating the bonds between us. We are committed to our Petco partners, who nurture the pet-human relationship in our communities every day through their unparalleled passion and expertise.

Petco is focused on improving the lives of pets, pet parents and our own Petco partners – and we believe that translates to the workplace, too. In 2016, we established April 19 as National Pets at Work Day to help raise awareness for the benefits of pet-friendly workspaces. A growing body of scientific research shows having a pet – or even interacting with one – has positive effects on both animals and people. To us, carrying those effects into the workplace, where most of us spend the majority of our waking hours, is a no-brainer.

Whether in a Petco Pet Care Center or support center office, all of us at Petco are lucky to spend our days working with and for pets of all sizes, breeds and species – and we think that should be the case in as many workplaces as possible. That’s exactly what National Pets at Work Day is all about.