Leave support at scale: How Faire gives employees a premium leave experience

Faire is a wholesale technology platform supporting hundreds of thousands of brands and retailers around the world. Founded in 2017, Faire’s mission is to empower brands and retailers to strengthen the unique character of local communities.

With the power of technology and a global network of retailers and brands, Faire is modernizing wholesale—making discovery easier, streamlining workflows, and increasing buying power so businesses can grow and local communities can thrive.

Retailers across North America, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand use Faire to discover thoughtfully made products from over 100,000 brands around the world.

Empowering entrepreneurs and employees

Faire’s people-first ethos applies not just to the consumers and entrepreneurs using their platform, but to their employees as well.

According to Mallory Asano, a People Operations Generalist at Faire, Faire places emphasis on “building a company culture, benefits package, and compensation structure that supports employees not just in their day-to-day work but throughout all the phases of their lives.”

“Our People team and Sparrow work together to support employees through both their professional and personal lives while they’re on leave.”

That’s why the company offers a variety of diverse benefits, including comprehensive healthcare; company-wide Faire Fun Days; monthly productivity and wellness stipends; annual learning grants; access to Modern Health therapists; charitable donation matching; fertility support; and paid parental and family leave.

Sparrow helps Faire provide support to employees with clear, personalized guidance during leaves of absence. “Our People team and Sparrow work together to support employees through both their professional and personal lives while they’re on leave,” Asano said.

“Sparrow helps us stay on top of both compliance and employee experience.”

The Sparrow experience: Clear and compliant

Faire partners with Sparrow for full-service leave management across the United States and Canada. Sparrow manages compliance, tracks leave requirements, and handles state filings—helping Faire stay up to date with evolving regulations.

“Sparrow helps us stay on top of both compliance and employee experience,” said Asano. “Especially with a large employee population in California and New York, it’s helpful to have Sparrow support with the various statutory requirements.”

When an employee is out on leave, Faire’s People team relies on Sparrow’s dashboard as a central source of truth, providing visibility into all leave cases, timelines, and statuses.

“Having everything laid out clearly and visually makes it easier to answer questions on active leaves quickly and confidently,” Asano added.

“With a large employee population in California and New York, it’s helpful to have Sparrow support with the various statutory requirements.”

Individualized guidance during leave

Sparrow’s support extends beyond Faire’s People Operations team—individual employees also receive personalized, one-on-one guidance throughout every stage of their leave journey.

“Curating and maintaining the tailored leave management experience that our employees deserve requires more than just one person,” said Asano. “So bringing on a leave vendor who could provide our employees with an end-to-end concierge service was really important to us.”

"Sparrow lays everything out clearly making it easier for us to answer questions on active leaves clearly and confidently"

The process begins with a dedicated intake call for every employee requesting leave. In these sessions, Sparrow Leave Specialists provide a thorough review of available benefits, walk employees through state filing requirements, and address any concerns.

Sparrow then manages the submission of all state benefits paperwork and coordinates directly with insurance providers and state agencies. “Filing on behalf of the employees was the key differentiator that set Sparrow apart in the leave-space,” said Asano. “It lifts the administrative burden off of the employees.”

“We needed a vendor that could provide our employees with end-to-end concierge service.”

“When our employees are navigating major life transitions, we want them to have a reliable, single point of contact,” she explained. “Sparrow has consistently provided that seamless experience.”

Sparrow strengthens your entire leave system, and unburdens your people in the process. Learn more about our solutions or book a demo today.