Sparrow Gazette

Sparrow

Gazette


August 2024


Sparrow’s high-tech, high-touch approach to leave management means that we are constantly improving both our software and customer experience. Here are some exciting developments:


Announcing Manager Accounts on Sparrow


Sparrow manager accounts are now available for all our customers. Initially, this will be on an opt-in basis: please contact your Sparrow Customer Experience Managers and leave specialist lead to enable manager access for your managers.


Starting January 2025, we plan to enable manager accounts for all customers unless you have asked to opt-out. We will follow up with further communication before that date. In the meantime, please let your Sparrow team know if you would like to opt-out of this feature.


Notifications


A major component of the experience is keeping managers apprised of key moments in a leave.  We will automatically notify managers via email in the following situations:

  • When a leave plan for an employee is first published.

  • When there are approved changes to the dates of a leave plan.

  • Two weeks before an employee is going out on leave. (Note that this notification may be skipped for a leave introduced immediately before it starts or after it’s already started.)

  • Two weeks before an employee returns to work.

These notifications will also contain instructions for managers to create a manager account on Sparrow if they do not already have one. By creating an account, managers will gain access to the Sparrow Manager Dashboard, where they can view more details about leaves and review resources for managers.


Dashboard


Once managers set up an account with Sparrow, they will also be able to log in to the Sparrow portal to view information about their team. They will view a list of all their reports with upcoming and active leaves, including what stage each leave is in, and a timeline for the leave dates.

Manager Leave Dashboard

Managers can also see a Visual Leave Plan outlining their report’s leave dates and any applicable FMLA or other state job protection coverage.

Leave Details

Finally, managers will also have access to helpful resources. This includes guides explaining a manager’s role during the leave process, explainers for key concepts such as FMLA, and checklists for how to best support their employees before, during and after their leaves.

BambooHR Integrations


We are excited to announce that HRIS integrations with BambooHR are now available to all Sparrow customers.

If you manage a high volume of leaves, Sparrow’s HRIS integration makes adding employees to the Sparrow dashboard faster, easier, and less error-prone: we will pull your employee information from your HRIS and you can simply look them up on our dashboard by their work email address. Additionally, we can keep critical data like salary information up to date automatically to ensure we make accurate estimates for leave benefits.

To get started with your BambooHR integration, please ask your Sparrow Customer Experience Manager or Leave Specialist Team Lead for an integration guide.


Compliance Updates


The Sparrow team regularly reviews and summarizes federal, state, and local compliance updates. Key updates in New York and the Federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act are available:

Some federal, state, and local regulations require employers to post information related to leave available to employees under applicable law. To help employers navigate this compliance landscape, Sparrow maintains a list of leave-related posters mandated within the U.S. Recent updates to posters include:


Refer, Earn, and Empower


Know a People professional who can benefit from Sparrow? Get rewarded for spreading the word about better employee leave: share Sparrow’s leave management solution with your network and receive a $25 Visa gift card when your referral takes a demo. When they become a customer, Sparrow will also donate up to $10,000 to support Moms First and Paid Leave for All, two leading organizations advocating for national paid leave and a more supportive workplace for families and caregivers. Start referring today!