Washington, D.C. — Today, Paid Leave for All is creating a nationwide cultural flashpoint with Out of Office for Care, a campaign inviting people across the country to set their real Out of Office replies to reflect the care responsibilities that pull them away from work, sometimes permanently—and to share those messages publicly.
Beginning this morning, Americans are activating OOO replies and posting screenshots of them across Instagram and LinkedIn, turning social feeds into a collective portrait of the care work that keeps families and communities functioning. Artists, founders, caregivers, cultural influencers, nurses, educators, nonprofit leaders, small business owners, and parents are participating, giving the country an unfiltered look at why people step away from work—and what it costs to do so without paid leave.
“Today, people across the country are setting their Out of Office messages to say the quiet part out loud: they’re stepping away to care,” said Dawn Huckelbridge, Founding Director, Paid Leave for All. “They’re sharing these messages on social media to make plain the caregiving that shapes our lives. While many of these messages have some humor, they remind us that care is the backbone of this country—and that it’s past time the U.S. passed paid leave. Too many of us don’t have an ‘Out of Office,’ or any paid time to care, and are forced to miss those important moments or to leave the workplace entirely,”
The posts range from heartfelt to hardhitting. Taken together, they show a country caring in every direction and a policy landscape that hasn’t caught up.
This action comes at a pivotal moment: more than 450,000 women have left the workforce this year, one of the steepest declines outside the pandemic. Workers point to burnout, the crushing cost of child care, and lack of access to paid family and medical leave as defining pressures—while policymakers continue to enjoy full paid time off.
Out of Office for Care turns a daily workplace ritual into a national conversation about who has time to care—and who doesn’t.
Paid Leave for All is amplifying selected posts throughout the day, creating a digital wall of care across social platforms and paid placements—including digital displays in airports and installations in DC and NYC, including Times Square—so this moment becomes visible far beyond social media, and on one of the busiest travel weeks of the year.
All messages gathered today will be delivered to Congress when lawmakers return to Washington.