A social media campaign is starting a nationwide conversation about paid family leave

For new parents, taking time off should be an opportunity to focus on family and their new role outside of work, yet many workers struggle to ask for the flexibility and parental leave they need.

The United States is one of only seven countries worldwide without a national paid maternity leave policy, and just 23% of U.S. workers in the private sector have access to paid-leave benefits through their employer, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Even then, the amount of paid leave offered varies widely across companies — and for many, it isn’t enough.

theSkimm, a media company focused on empowering millennial women, is trying to change that through their #ShowUsYourLeave initiative. Companies and workers can use the hashtag to share their paid-leave policies, cultivating transparency and starting conversations that could bring paid leave — and more of it — to more people.

“We don't want to just shine a light on the problem; we want to be part of the solution,” says Jodi Patkin, senior vice president of brand marketing and communications at theSkimm.

Read more: This fintech's paid-leave policy now includes 'me days' and time off for pregnancy loss

Patkin says the movement’s roots took hold last November, as Congress debated the Build Back Better Act, which included a four-week paid family and medical leave policy that the Senate ultimately scrapped the following month.

Amidst mounting uncertainty about the future of the bill and its provisions, theSkimm’s co-founders Carly Zakin and Danielle Weisberg took to Instagram to ignite a conversation about why paid leave is a non-partisan issue. The response was overwhelming.

“Hundreds and hundreds of messages started pouring into their account, talking about so many experiences with paid family leave,” says Patkin. “And so we decided to extend the conversation, using #ShowUsYourLeave, to ask our audience to share their stories.”

As the conversation spread across social media, larger organizations began sharing their leave, too. Since December, more than 300 companies including Pinterest, Bank of America, Hilton and Nestle have posted their paid leave policies on Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn using the hashtag.

In an effort to turn those conversations into change, visitors to theSkimm’s micro-site can find resources to help them advocate for more expansive paid leave policies within their workplaces, including a guide on paid family leave in the US, a downloadable template deck employees can use to formulate paid leave proposals, and more.

Read more: Long story short: Support working moms through pregnancy and beyond

Patkin says paid leave is not just about supporting new parents, but also about equipping them to succeed in their roles when they return.

“Raising and growing a human is really hard work,” says Patkin, a mom of two. “Having a workplace that supports you as a whole person by giving you time to bond with your family allows you to come back and be a more productive employee.”

One study released last April by the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research found that employers did not perceive a negative impact on productivity, cooperation or attendance of employees who took paid leave. Employers in the study, which highlighted a taxpayer-funded paid family leave policy implemented in 2018 in New York, also reported that they found it easier to handle worker absences after adopting the paid leave policy.

As the importance of paid leave in the U.S. continues to generate vibrant discussion, theSkimm and its #ShowUsYourLeave initiative hopes it can move the needle through the power of collective voices.

“Seeing the steam the movement has picked up in just a matter of weeks makes me optimistic that more and more individuals and families in the U.S. will be able to have paid family leave,” Patkin says. “This is so much more than a hashtag. We want to ensure that the conversation continues and creates really meaningful change.”