We're giving 100 dads the day off, on our dime.
Someone once said, “The only folks who’ll remember that you worked late are your kids.” That quote may hit us dads like a ton of bricks, but here’s the thing: it’s kind of a bullsh*t quote.The fact is, there are millions of people across the country who don’t have another option.
We’re not all greasing back our hair, snapping our suspenders, and burning the midnight oil on Wall Street. Nope. In fact, most of us have real jobs that come with real responsibilities and real problems. Through our work at DECKED, we’ve met a good chunk of them. Welders. Exterminators. Fishing guides. Hunting guides. Subcontractors. These guys may love their work, but they also don’t always have a choice if they work late or long hours. People rely on them, and their family relies on them to put food on the table.
We even have the numbers to back it. According to an online survey of more than 1,000 dads, 65% said they missed an important event with their kids due to work, and 43% of dads said they feel financial pressure when they take time off of work.
This is the exact reason we invented Dad Time Off in 2025. We wanted to give them just one day to relax and enjoy time with the people who matter most. So, that’s what we did. We asked families to nominate the men in their life by telling us why he deserved a day off, and we received a whopping 5,000+ submissions. It wasn’t the easiest process to whittle down the list (lots of beer helped), but we finally selected 100 deserving guys and paid their wage for a day to spend time with their families.
This is a long-winded way of saying we’re coming in hot for round two in 2026. After the sheer number of responses and thoughtful submissions, there wasn’t really an option not to. Just read some of the responses from 2025.
There were thousands of stories of dads forging their own path:
“He just started his own contracting business and he deserves the world for everything he does for me.”
And dads working long hours:
“Weekends are the only time that we get to really see him and even then, he’s pretty exhausted from working all week. We would love to be able to take a day during the week and go do something together as a family. Not only is he working long hours, but we live in the south and he works outside, so he’s in this heat and it takes a lot out of him.”
And dads being the ultimate role model:
“My dad deserves time off because he’s the kind of person who never clocks out from being a great father. Whether he's working long hours, fixing what’s broken, or simply being there when we need him—he does it all without asking for anything in return. He leads with patience, sacrifices without complaint, and shows up even when he’s exhausted.”
We even had dads nominate other dads:
"He is not my dad, but he is a long-time friend with six kids, four of them at home. He runs a barber shop and works a job with the US Post Office to keep his family fed and provide as many "wants" as he can. He doesn't take days off. He smiles and pushes on even when we know he is worn out. He puts himself last, always. This is dedication."
And dads nominating themselves, like absolute badasses:
“It’s me. I’m the dad. I’ve got two daughters (2 years & 10 months) and my wife holds the fort down at home. My main job is 40 miles away, five days a week, and we have side gigs on the weekend. There are a lot of dads out there that would likely need this more than me, but it would really kick ass to play hooky with my family.”
We wish we could give every dad the day off, but even helping one would be worth it. Otherwise, who’s going to teach their kids about socket sets? Or what four-letter words to say when they nail their head on the hood of the truck? Or how to admit defeat to mom when the camping trip didn’t go as planned?
Listen, the “Mad Men” days are over. Guys aren’t smoking cigars and drinking bourbon while the missus wrangles kids. You guys are involved — and you want to be — and that’s the rugged spirit we’re all about. Why? Well, we may be engineers, line workers, marketers, customer-service reps, and countless other job titles but, a good chunk of the guys who work here are proud to carry the most lofty job title out there: Dad.
Think your old man could use a day off? Tell us why by June 21 and he could be one of 100 deserving dads to get some DTO.
