September 2023

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.

Product Updates

Sparrow’s Support for Paid Leave in Oregon

Starting Sept 3, 2023, Paid Leave Oregon is open for applications, providing 12 weeks of paid leave benefits to eligible employees who need to take family leave, medical leave, and safe leave. Eligible employees taking birthing parental leave may receive an additional two weeks of paid leave, for a total of 14 weeks of benefits. Paid Leave Oregon also provides job protection while the employee is on paid leave if they have worked at least 90 consecutive days for their employer.

New parents in the past year may still be eligible for Paid Leave Oregon as long as the leave is taken within their child’s first year of birth or placement. They would have the right to take leave from Paid Leave Oregon even if they have already taken your company’s paid leave prior to Sept 3, 2023. 

Sparrow has you covered and will handle your Paid Leave Oregon applications for your eligible employees. For more details on the program, please refer to Paid Leave Oregon.

Improved Visualization of Job-Protected Time in the Sparrow Dashboard

The personalized leave plans on the Sparrow dashboard provide Employees and People teams with a quick and easy view of how a leave is structured. These visualize a breakdown of leave dates, benefits, wage replacement amounts, etc. for all leaves. We recently improved our visualization of job protection coverage so Employees and People teams can quickly see which job protections apply and when. Today, these leave plans depict FMLA, CFRA, and CTFMLA protections, with more to follow.

Compliance Updates

The Sparrow team regularly reviews and summarizes federal, state, and local compliance updates. Key updates in DC, Massachusetts, New York, and Oregon are available: 

• DC’s emergency measure to prevent deductions from disability insurance benefits

• Massachusetts updates parental leave guidelines to address anti-discrimination law and PTO policies

• New York temporarily expands pregnancy-related disability coverage

• Oregon's more detailed definition of "family member" status eligible for family leave

In case you missed it:

Check out our new blog post on Salary Continuation. While many people think they understand it, most people use differing definitions – so we’ve put together this resource outlining best practices that People teams should consider.

Customer Spotlight

Brex, the first fully unified global spend platform, knows their employees’ well-being is key to their company’s success. That’s why they chose to partner with Sparrow for end-to-end leave management as they scaled from 100 to 1,300 employees. If you’d like to be featured, let your Leave Specialist know!

Spread the Word to Make a Difference in More Ways Than One

We’re excited to announce a special referral program: now, when you refer companies to Sparrow, you not only help spread the word about Sparrow’s leave management solution, but we’ll also make a donation to Paid Leave for All and Moms First, two leading organizations advocating for national paid leave and a more supportive workplace for families and caregivers. Ready to join the movement? Spread the word today.