From manual tracking to minimal touch: How Trace3 leveled up employee leave management

Trace3 advises enterprises on all things IT: how to take advantage of AI trends, invest in the right tech solutions, and strengthen internal security. With expertise in AI, data, cloud, and cybersecurity, Trace3 consults for companies across a range of industries, from professional sports to financial services.

Headquartered in California and Michigan, Trace3 has nearly 1,500 employees working remotely across the United States. Part of the company’s cultural ethos is a commitment to high-quality employee care. That’s why they provide a robust employee benefits package, with programs that go beyond standard medical, dental, and vision healthcare.

“We partner with Lyra for mental health, Hinge Health for physical therapy, and Color Health for guided cancer screenings, genetic testing, and cancer care,” said Liz Harmon, Senior Benefit Specialist at Trace3.

When Trace3 began growing, they decided to add another partner to the mix: Sparrow for full-service employee leave management.

The challenge: Managing employee leaves in every state with a manual system

Trace3 used to manage employee leaves manually. “It wasn’t easy, and there were lots of moving parts,” said Harmon.

“We tracked leaves in an Excel sheet, then transferred them to another document for review—it was quite a tedious process,” said Drea Brown, Senior People Partner at Trace3.

Paperwork was especially challenging. The People team had to parse apart state leave laws to deliver the correct forms to employees, help them fill out each form, and follow up to make sure they submitted their documents on time.

Once the company started growing their headcount, hiring remote employees in nearly every state, leaves of absence spiked. “More teams to support meant more leaves taking place, and more administrative volume for the People Partners,” Brown explained.

As Trace3’s leaves increased in number and complexity, the People team realized they needed a more efficient and effective way to guarantee compliance.

“The Sparrow dashboard was user-friendly, and Sparrow had the high-level personal touch service we wanted.”

“Leave laws can change at the drop of a hat, and having such a manual process makes you prone to human error, so we wanted to ensure we weren’t forgetting anything on our end,” said Brown. “We also needed to know our employees were well taken care of during leave.”

When Trace3 demoed several different leave management vendors, Sparrow was the clear frontrunner. “The dashboard was very user-friendly, and Sparrow had the high-level personal touch service we wanted,” Brown shared.

“We always strive to provide a white glove experience for our employees,” Harmon agreed, “and Sparrow could continue that.”

The solution: Rely on Sparrow’s expertise and automations

“Sparrow does the heavy lifting with compliance, documentation, and leave tracking from start to finish. That time savings has allowed us to focus on other things.”

Incorporating Sparrow into Trace3’s leave management process has eliminated nearly all of the People team’s manual work. Now, People Partners just have one manual step: enter the employee’s information into the Sparrow dashboard to initiate a leave.

From there, Sparrow handles everything. “Intake conversations with employees, understanding which state laws apply, finding the right paperwork to certify a leave, knowing the different benefits an employee is eligible for, figuring out how they’re going to get paid, handling their short-term disability claims—Sparrow has taken on all of that for us,” explained Brown.

During the intake calls, Sparrow Leave Specialists review an employee’s leave benefits, discuss the steps to apply for state support, and brief them on what to expect from a timeline and pay perspective.

After that, Sparrow Leave Specialists create custom leave plans for Trace3 employees, complete and submit state benefits paperwork on their behalf, and fill out paperwork for the People team, too.

“The Sparrow team makes sure everyone gets the right information at the right time, and they check to see where things stand for our employees,” added Harmon.

Leave Specialists coordinate directly with state agency representatives and insurance providers, whether it’s to check the status of a state benefits application or gather additional medical forms.

At every point in the process, Sparrow sends email updates to Trace3’s People Partners, so they’re always on the same page. “Sparrow has a very active interaction with employees and with us,” said Harmon. “It’s encouraging to know they’re monitoring everything so closely.”

When they want immediate insight or information, Trace3’s People team can log onto the Sparrow dashboard to see company-wide leave timelines, click on individual employee pay breakdowns, or download custom payroll reports.

“Sparrow does the heavy lifting with compliance, documentation, and leave tracking from start to finish,” Brown said. “That time savings, just the tediousness of having to be so hands-on with leave, has allowed us to focus on other things.”

“Sparrow has active interaction with employees and with us. It’s encouraging to know they monitor everything so closely.”

The result: Building a collaborative partnership

Sparrow’s streamlined leave management system, combined with their personalized service, has given Trace3’s People Partners more freedom to nurture their growing team, instead of getting bogged down in admin work.

The People Partners especially appreciate Sparrow’s willingness to evolve alongside them. “Not every leave is going to be a piece of cake,” said Brown, “but I’m very grateful that Sparrow is open to feedback and collaboration. The team is incredibly nice, welcoming, and easy to talk to.”

Sparrow simplifies every leave-related workflow, from completing paperwork to coordinating with employees. Find out how we operate or book a demo to see our system in action right now.