3 lessons from the campaign that made paid leave a corporate priority

Jenna Vassallo

Dec 4, 2025

When theSkimm launched #ShowUsYourLeave, it was more than a hashtag. It was a public challenge: If you’re proud of your paid leave policy, prove it.

The idea was simple: ask companies to post their leave policies publicly.

Within weeks, major employers were publishing their benefits online, and employees were using that visibility to push for change internally. What started as a moment of frustration after paid leave was removed from Build Back Better turned into one of the most influential corporate campaigns around paid leave.

And now? More than 500 companies are listed in the #ShowUsYourLeave database, sharing their parental leave policies and other caregiver benefits in a singular place.

It’s become a trusted resource for job seekers and a reference point for HR teams designing or updating their own policies. The campaign sparked a real movement, creating a living tool that’s still shaping how companies approach paid leave today.

Lisa Dallenbach, who served as Chief People Officer when this campaign went viral, joined The False Tradeoff to walk us through how it all unfolded.

Here are three top takeaways from the convo:

Episode 42

The False Tradeoff

#ShowUsYourLeave: Behind the viral campaign that made companies rethink paid leave

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‍1. Public accountability works

The brilliance of #ShowUsYourLeave was in its simplicity. By asking companies to share their leave policies, it gave others something to learn from - or measure themselves against. Some used it as a chance to lead. Others used it as a prompt to revisit policies that hadn’t been updated in years.

Most importantly, it created a shared baseline. Lisa heard from employees who used the campaign’s public database to build internal proposals and successfully advocate for better leave. That visibility turned what’s often a private HR document into a public starting point for progress.

And as the campaign gained traction, being listed in the database became something to brag about. Companies with strong policies started celebrating their participation, highlighting it in press releases and recruiting materials. It was a rare moment where doing the right thing became a mark of distinction.

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2. Even strong policies need revisiting

theSkimm didn’t just ask other companies to show their leave policies - it reminded them to look inward, too.

In the middle of the campaign, they realized their own policy needed work. That’s when they added NICU leave, allowing parents to delay the start of their leave until their baby is discharged from the hospital.

As Lisa described it, the existing policy hadn’t accounted for this very real, very emotional experience - and once they realized that, it was something they moved quickly to fix.

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3. A brand acted on its values

There was no massive campaign budget or digital toolkit behind #ShowUsYourLeave. It started with a Google Sheet and a clear ask: If you have a policy, share it. If you don’t, now’s the time to build one.

And this campaign worked because of its intent.

theSkimm has always centered women, giving them the information they need to make informed choices and thrive at work and in life. And this was an opportunity to support their audience in a different way: by spotlighting what companies were actually doing to support parents as they expanded their families.

To celebrate all we’ve accomplished, our team shared what they’re most proud of since joining the team:

I'm most proud of how much we have done to improve the single hardest moment for women's careers (going on parental leave) ... one that is often shrouded in insecurity and fear. We've been able to help advocate for so many women (and men!) in a way that is empowering and truly life-changing.

Allison Whalen, CEO & Founder

What am I most proud of? Growth! Growing a category of support that didn't exist before Parentaly. Growing from a one-woman bootstrapped operation to a global team of 25+ employees and coaches. Growing our overall impact for working parents, with companies investing in our parental leave programming to support employees all over the world. And growing as humans: new babies, new friends, new life experiences... all while tackling new and exciting work challenges together.

Rich Burke, Head of Growth

When I reflect on what I am personally most proud of during my time here, it's working alongside a team where we constantly evolve and optimize everything that we do in order to deliver the best possible experience for the folks going through our programs. It sounds cheesy, but there are processes that my team and I used to do 100% manually that are now completely automated and systems in place that have become second nature to how we operate. Working with such thoughtful, smart, and creative people is incredible.

Sara Ophoff, Senior Program Manager

I’m most proud about doing work that makes parents feel confident and empowered about their careers during a time that can be overwhelming and challenging – not only for our clients and users who go through Parentaly’s programs, but also with our advocacy work on LinkedIn, through our podcast and other big campaigns that make a difference. It’s been pretty rewarding to build a brand people know and love because what we’re doing resonates with so many employees’ experiences in the workforce.

Jenna Vassallo, Head of Brand & Marketing

I am so proud of the way we've approached growth with such care and intentionality - with every adjustment we've made to our offerings, we've never lost sight of our goal to provide the most supportive and valuable experience for our users. I love looking back on the early stages of conversations and building that have led us to the experience we offer today. Personally, I am extremely proud of the work I've done to scale and automate our backend!

Rachel Andes, Program Associate

I am most proud of the work we do every single day to make a positive impact on working parents! Everyday I get to work with an amazing group of people…we work hard but we also have fun.

‍Sarah Gruber, Client Partner

I'm proud of scaling an employee experience that consistently delivers positive outcomes for new parents and their organizations. Our north star has always been the user, and we never sacrifice our high quality bar!

Mansi Kothari, VP of Product & Experience

I feel a sense of pride that I get to work behind the scenes supporting everyone. I’m proud to see all of the collaboration between the team and how Parentaly positively impacts employees.

Leo Manalo, Executive Assistant

I'm most proud of going through the Parentaly program myself! I'm so proud to work for and promote this company in a time where parental leave and supportive policies are at the forefront of a national conversation. But beyond this, I'm most proud to call myself a participant.

Emmy Carragher, Enterprise Partnerships

I’m really proud of the work I did to expand our coaching bench globally at Parentaly. It was so rewarding, not to mention insightful, to connect with talented coaches from around the globe. This expansion not only enriched our coaching offerings but also strengthened our commitment to making a meaningful impact on families all over the world.

‍Nicole Hagemann-Bex, Senior Coaching Operations Manager

I have tremendous pride in the knowledge that what I am doing will change the career landscape for new parents, particularly mothers. This will make it more likely that my daughter can have a career AND a family without worrying about the unintentional negative impact of taking parental leave. Nothing makes me prouder than that.

Mindy Himmel-Brown, Strategic Partnerships

In my short time at Parentaly, I'm proudest of the work we're doing with our clients' ERG groups to elevate the stories and advice of actual working parents. It's such an impactful way to spread the word about Parentaly as an essential resource for all people growing their families, and the managers who support them!

Alex Diskin, Enterprise Account Manager

I'm most proud about using LinkedIn to connect with others. I was recently able to share a helpful return to work doc with 50+ new people looking to make a difference at their company. Was pretty cool that people from Chewy, McDonald's, Honda, Cisco, AWS, Walmart and more want to integrate just a piece of what we have to offer. Also...I'm so proud of the way I feel as an employee at Parentaly. For the first time in my career my personal interests align with my professional interests and I've never felt more motivated.

Jenny Hurwitz, Strategic Partnerships

I'm really proud of being able to help the Experience team by handling the supportive functions so they can focus on the bigger picture. It feels great to know that I’m making things easier for them and contributing to the team’s success.

James Mango, Executive Assistant

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