One Brand's Fight to Cure America's Sick Leave Crisis

At first glance, you mightn’t expect a cold and flu medicine brand to crusade for paid sick leave. But for the past four years, Theraflu has been doing exactly that with its “Right to Rest & Recover” initiative.

For Yasmin Gonzalez M., Theraflu’s brand director, the campaign’s north star keeps it going. “The ability to rest and recover when you’re sick should be a right, not a privilege.” It’s a conviction born of a stark reality. The United States remains the only high-income country that doesn’t guarantee paid sick time for workers, leaving nearly 27 million Americans without a single paid sick day.

Many are forced into the impossible choice between losing a day’s pay or going to work sick, and the ripple effects can be devastating. Workers without paid sick leave are more likely to struggle with rent, utilities, and even food security when illness strikes – real human costs that inspired Theraflu to act.

The campaign was first launched back in 2021 as a direct response to this crisis. What began as a modest fund to cover lost wages has since blossomed into a multi-faceted advocacy effort. That year, the fund initially distributed $150,000 in microgrants (through partner, Good+Foundation) working to reimburse about 1,000 unpaid sick days.

That same year, the brand commissioned a ‘Temperature Check’ survey of 2,000 working Americans to shine a light on the stigmas and financial perils surrounding sick time.

By 2022, Theraflu doubled down, adding $200,000 to the fund and teaming up with licensed psychologist Dr. Lisette Sanchez to discuss the toll that the issue can have on both mental and emotional health. The campaign was evolving from pure relief aid into education, addressing wallet and well-being aspects in synergy.

In the campaign’s third year, 2023, Theraflu opened up the Rest & Recover Fund directly to individual applicants, distributing an additional $300,000 via $200 microgrants to help people cover a day home sick.

It also established a partnership with national legal advocacy organisation A Better Balance, and collaborated with celebrity chef Justin Sutherland to amplify the message.
Now in 2025, Right to Rest & Recovery is hitting its stride. Theraflu has supported the fund with its largest round of microgrants yet (bringing the total aid to nearly $1 million since 2021).

Just as importantly, the campaign’s messaging is everywhere – from social media feeds to pharmacy aisles. Theraflu even brought its cause to mainstream platforms like former first lady Michelle Obama’s podcast, subtly inserting the notion that everyone deserves time to heal into the national conversation.

Building a coalition of advocates beyond Theraflu’s own team has been key for the campaign’s growth. One of the most influential voices to join the effort is Reshma Saujani, a leading activist known for founding Girls Who Code and Moms First.

Reshma has spent over a decade fighting for women’s economic empowerment, from closing the tech industry gender gap to pushing for policies like affordable childcare, paid family leave and equal pay.

Theraflu sought her out for her passion and expertise in the paid leave arena.

Partnering with Reshma, Yasmin says, has helped underscore the campaign’s core belief that rest and recovery is a right for everyone – “especially for women and mothers”.
With Reshma as an ambassador, the Right to Rest & Recover message gains a poignant emphasis on working mothers and caregivers – groups often hardest hit by the absence of paid sick time.

Theraflu’s collaboration with A Better Balance has also been vital, Yasmin tells me. The national non-profit has long led the charge for supportive work-family policies and brings deep legal and policy expertise to the table.

Through the partnership, Theraflu directs people to A Better Balance’s extensive ‘Know Your Rights’ resources and free legal helpline, empowering workers to understand the sick leave laws (or lack thereof) in their state.

It’s a practical marriage – Theraflu raises awareness and provides grants, while A Better Balance provides knowledge and advocacy to drive systemic change.
Yasmin says they are incredibly grateful to be partnering with the non-profit for the second year.

Beyond funding and policy, Yasmin says the campaign recognises that changing culture is as important as laws. That was the reasoning behind launching the ‘Sick Talk’ content series – a creative push to get people to talk about the paid sick time problem in their everyday lives.

The series engages two very different creators to reach broad audiences and spark conversations that might not happen in a boardroom or legislature.

On one hand, Theraflu tapped stand-up comedian, Harris Alterman, to infuse the topic with a healthy dose of humour. In short sketches and videos, Harris approaches the subject with wit; as we know, sometimes laughter can be the eye-opener to serious issues.

On the other hand, the team rolled out a Spanish-language Sick Talk in partnership with Mariana Atencio, a Venezuelan American journalist and Peabody Award-winning storyteller. Mariana, who is also known for her viral TEDx talk on authenticity, took to Instagram to ignite a dialogue between Spanish-speaking communities about the right to recuperate.

It’s a crucial access initiative given that nearly three in five (about 60%) of Latino workers have no paid sick days at all. The inspiration behind all of this, Yasmin explains, was “to ignite conversation to illuminate the issue, and garner support from workers everywhere.” In sparking that conversation, that brand is building a groundswell of public awareness – the kind of culture-shift they hope will drive policy shifts down the line.

What we can see here is a corporate-led campaign with a very human focus, driven by stories and statistics alike. With each microgrant awarded, partnership forged, and conversation started, Yasmin says Theraflu hopes to be one step closer to a future where no worker has to choose between their health and their pay check.