In 2022, a man sued the U.K. supermarket chain Sainsbury’s after one of its stores refused to let his emotional support animal (ESA), a cat, enter with him. The case is still unresolved, as is the question of ESAs and their appropriateness in U.K. businesses—and particularly workplaces.
“In the U.K., there is no legislation that directly permits nor prohibits ESAs in the workplace,” said Beth Johnston, an attorney with Dentons in Glasgow, Scotland. “However, there are certainly other pieces of legislation that employers should be aware of when considering whether to allow ESAs into their workplace, including health and safety regulations and the Equality Act 2010.”
