How Rémy Cointreau reduced leave administration work by 95%

A French spirits group specializing in the production of cognacs, liqueurs, and champagne, Rémy Cointreau is the name behind many of your favorite alcoholic beverages. Rémy Cointreaus’s mission is to be the world leader in exceptional spirits—and they’re making good on their goal with a portfolio of eight unique, high-end brands, including Cointreau liqueur, Mount Gay rum, The Botanist gin, and Westland single malt.

At the heart of Rémy Cointreau’s excellence is the company’s storied history. The family-run group has origins dating back to 1724, and strives to honor their heritage in every decision they make—from the spirits they craft to the people they hire.

Today, the company has 2,000 passionate employees around the world, with locations in France, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, China, and more. One of the ways Rémy Cointreau cares for their employees is through a partnership with Sparrow.

Investing in employee satisfaction and well-being

Rémy Cointreau’s most valuable asset is their team. “We are all about our people,” said Bianca Cruz, Total Rewards Specialist at Rémy Cointreau. Rémy Cointreau knows their employees’ success depends on their satisfaction at work—which is why the group’s ethos centers around nurturing their talented staff.

The company’s core values include listening to employees, embracing the group’s multicultural identity, creating a feeling of belonging, and promoting employee development through the group’s in-house training academies covering management, finances, digital growth, and brand identity.

“We’re proud to provide a wide range of benefits for our employees,” said Bianca Cruz. Rémy Cointreau employees can take advantage of fitness reimbursements programs, healthcare concierge services through TouchCare, financial guidance and education through Lionheart Wealth Management, family planning support through BenefitBump, and parental leave.

Another unique benefit the company offers is a health rewards system. “Our medical insurance provider partners with Personify Health, and through them our employees can earn up to $850 in ‘Pulse Cash’ for investing in their health,” explained Cruz. “They get points—which convert into cash—for doing things like being physically active, going to the dentist, or getting an annual physical.”

Rémy Cointreau knows the importance of partnering with exceptional vendors to give their employees the resources and support they need at every life stage. That’s why the group teamed up with Sparrow for employee leave management.

“One thing our employees always bring up when we survey them is Sparrow, and how helpful they are,” added Cruz.

The challenge: Managing employee leave in-house

Prior to partnering with Sparrow, Rémy Cointreau handled employee leave internally. “Everything was done manually by my manager and myself,” said Cruz. “We had to keep track of all the employee documents and leave schedules through Excel.”

The process was tedious. On top of managing paperwork and ensuring compliance with state leave laws around the US as well as in Canada, Cruz and her manager also had to walk employees through the complicated steps of filing for benefits.

“Having individual talks with them about what employee leaves look like and calculating their payroll deductions and following up on questions and issues—it was a lot,” explained Cruz.

The biggest hurdle, she said, was getting the documentation they needed from employees. On an average week, she and her manager spent three to four hours a day on leave administration.

Eventually, bogged down with the administrative workload and constant back-and-forth with employees, the team started considering other options. “We heard about Sparrow through our health insurance consultant, and decided to go for it when we learned what they offered,” Cruz said.

“We knew using Sparrow would give us more time to deal with the other benefits that we have to offer, and help keep track of payroll deductions and all these other things,” she explained. The best part: partnering with Sparrow would ensure Rémy Cointreau employees got more one-on-one care during the leave process.

The solution: Hand leave management over to Sparrow

Since outsourcing leave management to Sparrow, Cruz’s leave workload is minimal. “From the admin side, managing leave is a breeze with Sparrow’s help,” she said.

“We’re able to log into Sparrow’s dashboard and input the information that’s needed for the employee—in under 10 minutes—and then Sparrow handles everything else on the backend.”

Sparrow navigates leave laws for Rémy Cointreau employees across the US and Canada, and submits paperwork on behalf of the company to ensure compliance.

After Cruz introduces Rémy Cointreau employees to Sparrow, Sparrow Leave Specialists hold one-on-one calls with each employee, breaking down the benefits they’re entitled to and explaining what to expect during the filing process.

From there, Sparrow completes and submits paperwork for Rémy Cointreau employees, and Sparrow Leave Specialists liaise with health insurance providers and state agency representatives, send key updates to Cruz’s team, and answer employee questions along the way.

“The employee experience has been so much easier thanks to Sparrow,” said Cruz. She loves that both managers and employees have a dedicated point of contact to turn to.

“Several employees have recently reached out and told us it’s been a very smooth transition when they’re going on leave,” she added.

With Sparrow on their side, employees don’t have to file for benefits themselves—and Cruz doesn’t have to field paperwork questions and send follow-ups. “Now, I only spend about an hour a week on leave-related tasks,” she said. The cost savings is a bonus: since partnering with Sparrow in 2023, Sparrow has helped Rémy Cointreau recoup more than $200,000 in wage replacement costs.

What Cruz appreciates even more than Sparrow’s paperwork automation and employee guidance, however, is Sparrow’s payroll services. “My favorite part is not having to calculate payroll,” she said.

Sparrow sets up automatic payroll calculations for Rémy Cointreau employees on leave, creates personalized payroll plans for each employee, and generates regular reports so Cruz and her team are always up to date.

“I love seeing the ins and outs of the Sparrow dashboard,” added Cruz. “Seeing who’s coming in, who’s going out, knowing the exact dates employees are going to return back to work, knowing that payroll is taken care of.”

Employees on leave can also log into their Sparrow dashboard and see exactly how their pay breaks out—including how much to expect from the state, how much to expect from Rémy Cointreau, and when they’ll get paid. “Our employees really like the fact that they’re able to see everything on the dashboard on their end,” Cruz added.

That clarity and transparency from Sparrow has been critical for both Rémy Cointreau employees and admins, Cruz said. “We’re very happy with the communication Sparrow has with our employees and the communication they have with us, keeping us up to date with employee transitions and news.”

Sparrow Leave Specialists are there to handle every question and concern, no matter how big or small. “Their response times are quick and they handle any issues very efficiently,” she said.

The result: More time to strengthen and expand existing benefits

Sparrow has saved Rémy Cointreau employees significant stress and given Cruz and her team nearly 20 hours a week back. As a result, Cruz is able to re-focus on other key initiatives.

“I’ve been able to dedicate more time to enhancing our existing benefits, like our family planning concierge services, and getting new benefits out,” she explained. “Just being able to give my time and services to our employees, to be present with addressing their needs, it’s great.”

Looking ahead, she’s committed to continuing to raise employee happiness at Rémy Cointreau. “We want our employees to know that benefits are a total package, that they have options and resources. And drive home the message that we care about them in everything we do.”

Want to level up employee leave without adding to your to-do list? Try Sparrow. See our offerings or book a demo today.