How CircleCI Saves Hundreds of Hours a Year on Leave Management

CircleCI is the software delivery engine for teams who want to ship software faster and with confidence by offering the world’s best platform for Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD). CircleCI relies on Sparrow for end-to-end employee leave management for their US and Canada employees.

Creating a culture of care

CircleCI knows it isn’t just about building an excellent product—it’s also about creating a workplace culture where people are excited to collaborate and innovate. One way CircleCI fosters that culture is by designing a benefits program to keep employees feeling good in and out of the workplace.

Globally, CircleCI is committed to their employees’ health and life safety and offers benefits that reflect their holistic care philosophy.  This is one of the main reasons they enlisted Sparrow for leave management assistance.

"Using Sparrow saves us at least five hours a week on leave administration and payroll."

A more cohesive experience in the US and Canada

Sparrow’s support made the leave process more cohesive and straightforward for CircleCI employees in the US and Canada. Sparrow sets up one-on-one introductory calls when a leave is needed, and takes the time to explain the leave process in detail and answer questions. From there, Sparrow Leave Specialists help complete required paperwork and file for government or disability benefits, so employees don’t have to spend valuable time gathering additional documents or chasing down responses.

Not only do employees get personalized care from Sparrow every step of the way, they also have a higher degree of confidentiality and privacy throughout the leave process.

“Sparrow’s support takes away some of the fear and anxiety around leave,” said Tara Sutton, Global Benefits Manager at CircleCI. “Someone who needs to go on leave may be hesitant to share relevant details with me, so having Sparrow eliminates any mistrust and worry that leave details would be shared unnecessarily."

Reducing leave management work

Sparrow didn’t just standardize the leave process for CircleCI employees taking leave in the US and Canada —they also streamlined the backend work for CircleCI’s benefits and payroll teams.

One of the huge tasks Sparrow takes off CircleCI’s plate is paperwork. “In all of my past experiences managing leave at other companies, I felt like I was constantly on the DOL’s website to find the forms I needed and checking that they were up to date,” Sutton said.

“Sparrow is such a game-changer and time-saver because I don’t have to worry about collecting and sending forms or tracking due dates. It definitely saves me time and work on the administrative side,” she explained.

"We have a trusted partner in Sparrow. Every time I reach out, I get a response within a few hours."

Sparrow also handles leave compliance, so CircleCI’s benefits team doesn’t have to research the intricacies of different state leave laws or study individual state filing processes. As a bonus, Sparrow’s wage replacement support saves CircleCI hundreds of thousands of dollars in wage costs; in 2024, Sparrow recouped over $164,000 in wage costs for CircleCI.

Another area where Sparrow saves CircleCI time is payroll. Sparrow sets up automatic payroll calculations for CircleCI and generates custom reports that categorize the different types of pay employees receive on leave. Plus, Sparrow Leave Specialists work directly with CircleCI employees on leave to break down their payouts.

"Security is always top of mind for us. Whenever we sign on new vendors, our team asks for updated security certifications, so we’re very happy to see all of Sparrow’s certifications including SOC 2, ISO 22301, ISO 27701, and ISO 27001."

“Using Sparrow saves us at least five hours a week on tracking and payroll,” Sutton said. She loves that Sparrow’s dashboard displays all of CircleCI’s employee leaves in a digestible way, so she and her team can check in at a glance.

CircleCI also appreciates Sparrow’s stringent security and data privacy. “Being in the tech space, security is always top of mind for us,” said Sutton. “Whenever we renew or sign on new vendors, our team asks for updated security certifications, so we’re very happy to see all of Sparrow’s certifications.” Those include SOC 2, ISO 22301, ISO 27701, and ISO 27001.

“A lot of our employees are concerned about data security too,” she added, “so when it comes to sensitive issues like leave, it’s important for them to know their data isn’t going anywhere.”

"The level of service Sparrow provides has built a lot of trust with me—I know Sparrow has our back.”

Building a true partnership

Partnering with Sparrow for full-service employee leave management checks multiple boxes for CircleCI, including easier leave administration, streamlined payroll, and a more cohesive employee leave experience.

However, the best part of working with Sparrow is the stable, reliable relationship they’ve built. “We have a trusted partner in Sparrow,” said Sutton. “Every time I reach out, I get a response within a few hours. The level of service they provide has built a lot of trust with me—I know Sparrow has our back.”

Simplify leave administration and support your employees every step of the way with Sparrow. See our offerings or book a demo today.