Juneteenth OOO Templates
As more companies have made their public commitments to #blacklivematters, we want to support these effort by making sure the education continues. We have included suggestions for how message your time OOO.
✉️Email OOO / Time off auto response
If the emails will be auto-sent to understanding folks/allies
Thank you for your email.
I am taking time off today celebrating Juneteenth. Juneteenth is an American holiday celebrated in 47 states that is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.
I am spending the day working to:
- Formalize recognition and education of Juneteenth as a national holiday
- Streamline the elevation and support of Black owned entities and groups hosting Juneteenth events
- Provide resources to enable [our community/the Black community] to spearhead [our/their] own initiatives during Juneteenth in the spirit of celebration, reform, and activism.
If you are interested in learning more and getting involved, please check out this website.
I will return your message as soon as possible.
Warmly,
[Name]
If the emails may be auto-sent to hostile individuals
If you are drafting an OOO or Time off message that may be received by a potentially hostile person or persons, we recommend following your company’s usual protocol for out of office / time off emails.
✉️Email Letter to Managers / Employer
If the Manager / Employer is understanding/an ally
Note: If you work with multiple Black employees, we recommend banding together to request off, if you feel that doing so is safe and will be more effective than asking individually. If you choose to ask collectively, just modify the template below to reflect that.
Subject: Juneteenth and PTO
Hi [Name],
Thank you for all of your support to me personally and as an ally to Black people.
I am writing to notify you I will be taking the day off on June 19. I would like to honor a holiday celebrated in 47 states known as Juneteenth. Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.
Instead of coming to work I’d like to do work towards three things:
- Formalize recognition and education of Juneteenth as a national holiday
- Streamline the elevation and support of Black owned entities and groups hosting Juneteenth events
- Provide resources to enable [our community/the Black community] to spearhead [our/their] own initiatives during Juneteenth in the spirit of celebration, reform, and activism.
Would I be able to give my time in service on June 19? I’m also glad to discuss ways our company can work towards recognizing this holiday in the future.
Warmly,
[Name]
If the Manager / Employer is hostile
If you are requesting a shift switch with a hostile team member, we recommend following your company’s usual protocol for switching shifts or taking time off.
✉️Email/Text to Team Members to Change Shifts
If the team member is understanding/an ally
Subject: Switch shifts?
Hi [Name],
Thank you for all of your support to me personally and as an ally to Black people.
I am writing to ask you to switch shifts with me on June 19. I would like to honor a holiday celebrated in 47 states known as Juneteenth. Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States.
Instead of coming to work I’d like to do work towards three things:
- Formalize recognition and education of Juneteenth as a national holiday
- Streamline the elevation and support of Black owned entities and groups hosting Juneteenth events
- Provide resources to enable [our community/the Black community] to spearhead [our/their] own initiatives during Juneteenth in the spirit of celebration, reform, and activism.
Would you be able to switch shifts with me on June 19?
Warmly,
[Name]
If the team member is hostile
If you are requesting a shift switch with a hostile team member, we recommend following your company’s usual protocol for switching shifts and taking time off.