Automation meets expertise: Hilb Group strengthened leave compliance while cutting down admin hours

Hilb pairs the resources of a big insurance broker with the attentive, personalized service of a boutique agency. As a top 20 insurance brokerage serving individuals and institutions in all 50 states, Hilb’s expertise is vast. The brokerage specializes in commercial and personal insurance, as well as employee benefit products and specialty programs for companies across a range of industries, from farming and hospitality to real estate and manufacturing.

Founded in 2009, Hilb has grown to 2,600 associates across 125 branches. Hilb’s leadership team knows their associates are their best assets, which is why they put their people first in every business decision.

When Hilb needed more support for associates taking leaves of absence, they reached out to Sparrow.

The challenge: Managing associate leave for a growing team across more than 40 states

Before Hilb partnered with Sparrow in 2025, the benefits team relied on a series of Excel spreadsheets to manage associate leave.

“It was mostly a manual system,” said Nicole McIntosh, Benefits Coordinator at Hilb. “We used a consultant to help track the leaves and ensure associate leave dates were accurate, but we didn’t have a dedicated leave administrator.”

Navigating leave laws and paperwork for associates in 41 states proved tedious. “It was a lot to maintain, and our team didn’t have in-depth leave law knowledge,” explained McIntosh.

As Hilb’s workforce grew, the benefits team realized that their current leave management setup wasn’t sustainable. They identified two clear goals for leave management going forward. “We wanted to strengthen compliance with state leave laws and give our associates a top-notch leave experience at the same time,” said Rob Patton, Senior Vice-President of HR.

When they started exploring leave management vendors, Sparrow stood out right away. “It was a no-brainer to partner with Sparrow,” Patton said. “It’s very tough to find both administrative and employee-facing support with vendors, but Sparrow had exactly what we needed.”

“It was a no-brainer to partner with Sparrow. It’s very tough to find both administrative and employee-facing support with vendors, but Sparrow had exactly what we needed.”

The solution: Offload leave to Sparrow

Partnering with Sparrow solved multiple leave-related issues for Hilb, giving the brokerage stronger compliance, greater visibility into leaves, and better support for associates. Plus, Sparrow automates payroll calculations and generates custom payroll reconciliation reports for Hilb.

“The Sparrow dashboard is super user-friendly,” McIntosh said. When a Hilb associate requests a leave, all the team has to do is note it on the Sparrow dashboard.

“We were able to integrate our Workday system into the dashboard, which has been really beneficial because it pre-populates associate data, so there’s less room for error,” she explained. “Before, I had to manually enter associate information, but now I just review.”

McIntosh also appreciates the dashboard’s leave timeline feature, which shows a visual breakdown of an associate’s leave from start to expected return date. “When you’re juggling multiple leaves at once, Sparrow makes it easy to keep track,” she added.

“When you’re juggling multiple leaves at once, Sparrow makes it easy to keep track.”

“The timeline helps me pinpoint when FMLA runs out or how many weeks of short-term disability an associate has left—it makes it easy to see that we’re on track.”

Once Hilb initiates an associate’s leave, Sparrow takes over, inviting Hilb associates to chat one on one about their benefits and discuss next steps.

Then Sparrow completes and submits state benefits paperwork on behalf of the HR team, as well as Hilb associates taking leave. “Sparrow’s help with the paperwork saves me a ton of time,” she added. “Now I just double-check information as opposed to filling in everything myself, which is wonderful.”

Hilb’s managers and HR business partners also have access to the Sparrow dashboard, so they can check which associates are preparing for or returning from leave at any given time. And at every stage, Sparrow keeps Hilb in the loop with email updates.

“We were able to integrate our Workday system into the Sparrow dashboard, which has been really beneficial because it pre-populates associate data, leaving less room for error. Before, I had to manually enter associate information, but now I just review.” 

Giving associates a white glove leave experience

It’s not just paperwork Sparrow takes off of associates’ plates. Sparrow Leave Specialists also liaise with insurance providers and state agency representatives, so Hilb associates don’t have to spend hours waiting on hold or hunting down information on their state’s website.

“Sparrow has made the process of going on leave so seamless and much less time-consuming for our associates,” McIntosh said.

“A big reason we partnered with Sparrow was to give our associates a better experience with their leaves,” Patton added. “Whether they’re recovering from knee surgery, having a baby, or attending to family matters—we want them to feel taken care of.”

Sparrow’s hands-on help gives Hilb associates the practical support they need to focus on themselves during leave, instead of dealing with tons of red tape.

“The Sparrow leave timeline helps me pinpoint when FMLA runs out or how many weeks of short-term disability an associate has left—it makes it easy to see we’re on track.” 

Becoming an extension of the team

Hilb’s partnership with Sparrow has improved the brokerage’s leave process from all angles, saving associates stress while reducing the team’s administrative workload.

McIntosh especially loves Sparrow’s approachability and responsiveness. “Our Sparrow team has been nothing but wonderful,” she said. “They’re constantly in communication. Any time we have a question, we get a really quick response, which means I can give our associates quick responses when they need extra information.”

Patton echoed McIntosh. “Working with Sparrow feels like a true partnership, not just a vendor relationship,” he said. “They’re an extension of our team.”

When you partner with Sparrow, you get sophisticated leave management software and a team of attentive leave experts. Learn more about our solutions or book a demo today.