What theSkimm does to create a stress-free employee leave experience

theSkimm is a digital media company dedicated to giving women the information they need to make decisions with confidence. What started as a smart, succinct newsletter roundup of the latest headlines, policies, and trends has since evolved to become a go-to digital news destination for parenting, wellness, money, politics, shopping, and more.

theSkimm is known for their signature wit and educational content, as well as they’re known for their transparency and tireless employee advocacy. theSkimm started the game-changing #ShowUsYourLeave movement, a viral campaign that encouraged private sector companies to share their employee leave policies publicly as a way to push the conversation on leave and help women make more informed decisions about their careers.

theSkimm knows it takes a collective effort to maintain a high standard of employee care—and that’s why they use Sparrow for full-service employee leave management.

Leading the charge for leave transparency and support

theSkimm cares deeply about employees’ personal lives. They pride themselves on cultivating a supportive workplace culture with robust benefits, including comprehensive health coverage, an annual learning and development stipend, a one-month paid sabbatical at your five-year anniversary, wellness classes and discounts, employee resource groups, and options for remote work and hybrid work schedules.

“We look at wellness across four categories: physical, social, financial, and spiritual wellness,” said Lisa Dallenbach, Chief People Officer at theSkimm.

“We pick one of those pillars each quarter to focus on, and offer something for our employees, whether that’s an event or an educational series,” Dallenbach explained.

theSkimm also offers family building and fertility benefits, bereavement leave for pregnancy loss, and 18 weeks of paid parental leave for primary and secondary caregivers.

“We also have a special NICU leave policy, so if your baby is in the NICU, your leave doesn’t start until your baby comes home,” added Dallenbach.

The company’s support for working parents extends far beyond the baby phase. “We have a backup child care benefit that we’re very proud to offer,” said Michelle Stabinsky, Director of HR at theSkimm.

“We have a partnership with Vivvi, so we’re able to offer employees backup care when schools are closed or their nanny calls out sick. And for older kids who don’t necessarily need care, Vivvi has virtual tutoring,” Stabinsky explained.

“We understand that it’s extremely hard to be a working parent,” she added, “and we want to do what we can to support our employees.”

That’s why theSkimm implemented a practice they call Sacred Time. “Sacred Time is time that you lock on your calendar for whatever helps you in your life, whether it’s an appointment, going for a walk, going to counseling, or to pick up your kid from school,” Dallenbach said. “And across the company nobody questions that time and nobody books over it.”

The challenge: Managing leave while maintaining excellent employee care

theSkimm worked with a different leave management vendor before teaming up with Sparrow, but they weren’t getting the care and support they needed.

“A lot of the orchestration and operational support still landed on our team,” said Dallenbach. “Leave is so complicated, with all the handoffs with doctors and providers and all the coordination between employers and government agencies.”

“We’re an extremely lean team. Managing leave is a huge administrative burden, and it’s very stressful and complex,” Stabinsky added. In addition to overseeing the filing process, Stabinsky and her team were coordinating and following up with employees taking leave.

“We spent a lot of time explaining how leaves work to our employees, how they’ll get paid, which applications they have to submit, and which papers to fill out,” she explained.

Even with a leave management vendor, Stabinsky said they were often confused about where things were in the filing process and who was responsible for what. “We still had to contact the insurance carriers or follow up with the state directly if something went wrong,” she said.

“The system we had wasn’t easy to use,” added Dallenbach. “It wasn’t as concierge-driven as we wanted.”

The company’s HR team realized they needed a better solution. “Our processes weren’t serving us—we were still spending so much time on leave, and then just having different issues than we had had previously,” Stabinksy explained.

“We are very high touch and very focused on our employment brand at theSkimm,” said Dallenbach. “So we didn’t want a leave partner to feel like a machine just processing information.”

They wanted a human element, a leave vendor who could share—and execute on—their vision for top-notch employee care. When someone referred Dallenbach to Sparrow, they knew they’d found the right partner.

“We very much feel and see that Sparrow cares about our employees like we do,” Dallenbach said.

The solution: Entrust Sparrow with all things leave

Using Sparrow for end-to-end leave administration has transformed every aspect of theSkimm’s leave experience.

“We don’t have to follow up with anyone or check in on things. It’s just this very fluid process, both for our employees and for us,” said Dallenbach. Both she and Stabinsky value Sparrow’s leave expertise.

“As an HR person we have lots of areas to cover—leave is just one tiny portion of my job—so it’s nice to know we have experts we can reach out to and I don’t have to be the subject matter expert myself,” said Stabinsky.

In addition to navigating state leave laws, Sparrow files all the benefits paperwork for theSkimm’s HR team, coordinates with health insurance providers and state agencies throughout the filing process, and keeps HR and payroll updated on key dates and changes.

theSkimm’s leave admin burden is minimal as a result. “There was a time where if we had, say, five leaves happening, I would spend 50% of my time on a leave-related task, whether it was payroll or the applications or connecting with the employee,” Stabinsky said.

Plus, payroll is simpler with Sparrow’s help. “We didn’t have the ability to track payroll automatically, but Sparrow makes it so straightforward,” said Stabinsky. Sparrow sets up automatic payroll calculations for theSkimm and generates custom payroll reports.

“The reports are robust for us and our employees,” added Stabinsky. “Employees on leave can log into the Sparrow portal any day, and it’s going to be up to date with exactly what they’ve been paid and where it’s coming from.”

The clean, organized layout is a stark contrast from how Stabinsky’s team dealt with payment updates before Sparrow.

“We used to have to hunt down payment information from the state, and I would have to text the employee on leave and ask them if they got their check in the mail. And then we’d have to follow up with the different carriers,” she explained.

Not only has Sparrow saved Stabinsky’s team precious time and brainpower at work, they’ve also leveled up the leave experience for theSkimm employees taking leave. “There’s a really handheld feel to the way Sparrow takes care of our employees,” said Dallenbach.

“Whether you’ve just had a baby, or there’s a medical or family issue, leave can be a stressful, emotional time. People are dealing with a lot, and their minds can be clouded,” she explained. “The last thing you want to do as an administrator is complicate something or cause employees more stress than they’re already experiencing.”

With Sparrow on their side, theSkimm’s HR team can serve employees with confidence. “Sparrow has allowed us to guide employees through these stressful times by leading them and helping them and supporting them.” Dallenbach said.

Sparrow starts by having a one-on-one introductory call with each employee taking leave. Sparrow Leave Specialists break down the employee’s benefits, explain the filing process, and answer questions. From there, Sparrow files the paperwork on behalf of theSkimm employees and follow up with insurance carriers and agency representatives.

“Now it’s very clear to our employees that if there’s an issue you go to your Sparrow Leave Specialist and they help you figure it out,” said Stabinsky. “There’s a lot less onus on the employee to fix any issues that arise.”

At every stage of the process, Sparrow takes a proactive approach to solving problems and supporting HR and employees. “The Sparrow concierge team is a very warm and approachable group,” Stabinsky said. “When issues come up, they’re very solution-oriented and they make sure we never feel the stress of it.”

The result: Less stress and a seamless leave experience

With Sparrow in their corner, theSkimm has saved their HR team countless time and stress, while ensuring their employees have a smooth transition to and from leave.

“Sparrow has absolutely delivered on what we need and solved so many problems for us,” said Dallenbach. “It’s allowed us to give our employees the seamless experience they deserve when they’re on leave. If you asked me what I would add to the experience, I wouldn’t even have anything to say. We’re so happy with Sparrow.”

Without having to oversee filing or coordinate with employees, Stabinsky can focus more fully on theSkimm’s company culture and benefits. “I’m not spending all my time catching up or in survival mode like before,” she explained.

“I have more time to explore new benefits and enhance existing ones, to be strategic with our offerings and do more internal outreach and gather feedback.”

Want less administrative work and happier employees? Let Sparrow take over leave management. See our offerings or book a demo today.