For caregivers, Thanksgiving is no break at all

"You're probably winding down from work and getting ready for a few days at home with your family. But anybody with caregiving responsibility knows that the Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks will not be relaxing. Since the United States does not have a federal policy that gives workers paid time off after giving birth, having a medical procedure, or to care for a loved one, many will cram this labor into their precious holiday time."

"Many of us have a colleague who will come back to work exhausted after spending time with a dying parent, having taken advantage of the time off from work to figure out hospice and funeral arrangements. Or one who will be caring for a sibling or spouse who is recovering from surgery or managing a terminal illness. And then there are parents who will spend the week taking care of infants and toddlers while daycare is closed."

"Many women, who bear the brunt of this caregiving, have found it impossible to balance work and taking care of loved ones. From January to August 2025, an estimated 455,000 women left the workforce, often because they had to care for children and aging parents. This isn't just bad for those who are giving up their income; it's bad for the U.S. economy, which is losing productive workers."

"Starting today, Paid Leave for All, a nonprofit fighting for the government to pass paid family and medical leave for all working people, is drawing attention to the way the lack of paid leave hurts American workers. It's encouraging people to post out-of-office messages that reflect how they're using their holidays to care for family members since they're not granted any other time to do so. The organization will be displaying these real out-of-office messages in prominent places."

The United States has no federal paid family and medical leave policy, so many workers must use holiday time to provide caregiving. Care responsibilities include arranging hospice and funerals, supporting recovering relatives, and caring for young children when daycare is closed. From January to August 2025, an estimated 455,000 women left the workforce, often to care for children and aging parents, reducing household income and national productivity. Paid Leave for All is promoting real out-of-office messages across airports and a Times Square billboard to highlight how holiday time is being spent on unpaid caregiving and to build support for paid leave.

Read at Fast Company