Caring for Your Team in the COVID-19 Pandemic

play icon Two people sitting at a desk in an office setting, engaged in a discussion about paid medical leave while looking at a tablet. The person on the left is a woman with long dark hair, and the person on the right is a man with short dark hair. There are plants and office supplies on the desk.

With the recent impact of COVID-19, many companies are struggling to understand how they can best assist their employees, and what government resources are available to them in this time of crisis. As a bridge between companies and government health services, Sparrow would like to provide our community with some suggestions for how employers can support their team now and in the long-term.


Consider employee financial resources

Employers may want to consider providing employees the following assistance:

  • Paid company medical leave that is integrated with state disability benefits (if applicable) and/or third party disability insurance benefits.
  • Paid company caregiver leave that is integrated with state paid family leave benefits (if applicable).
  • Wage assistance for employees that have lost wages due to reduced hours or workplace shutdown due to COVID-19.
  • Resources to state programs, i.e. CA EDD (link here) and WA ESD (link here), that are providing support services to individuals affected by COVID-19.

Consider employee health

Most major cities worldwide have asked that all of us “shelter in place,” meaning that you should be prepared for most of your team to be working from home. Employers can visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for help with planning and responding to COVID-19.

How Sparrow can help

Sparrow is an end-to-end leave management company that manages all types of leaves nationwide. Employers can engage Sparrow to:

  • Help companies draft leave policies and work from home policies.
  • Work with employees affected by COVID-19 to identify their eligibility for company policies, regulations, state benefits, third party insurance benefits, and other resources.
  • File paperwork on the employee’s behalf so that they can focus on their health and family.
  • Save 20-40 hours of Human Resources Team’s time per leave.
  • Coordinate with the Payroll team to ensure accurate wage integration is provided to the employees.

To learn more, please join Sparrow’s free webinar on Friday March 27, 2020 that will discuss more details about various state programs and support services for individuals affected by COVID-19. Please register for the webinar here and check back for more resources.