Imagine several small businesses located around the country. Each is well-established and profitable. Each of them bought business insurance – property, liability, automobile and workers’ compensation. They told their agents they wanted the lowest possible price for coverage, and the agents came through. But they didn’t also take their agents’ recommendations to purchase additional coverage. […]
All year long you have been reminding your employees to “work safely … don’t take short cuts … prevent accidents.” To do this they have to keep their minds on their work, but this time of the year as the holidays near, their minds might be everywhere else but on work. They may be thinking […]
One outgrowth of a new California law that applies more stringent criteria for what constitutes an independent contractor is that many employers are likely to see more audits and calls for additional premium from their workers’ comp insurers. In fact, it’s already happening in some industries, according to the insurance industry trade press. More and […]
As a business, you have to keep employees happy but still maintain workplace discipline. And it’s important that you protect your customers and your assets without making it seem you don’t trust your employees. Companies employ a variety of methods to make sure their workers stay on task and aren’t goofing off. But you don’t […]
More than 35% of workers in the U.S. are not getting enough sleep, a new study has found. That can lead to serious workplace safety issues, especially for occupations that use heavy machinery, people who work in factories or warehouses, construction or as drivers. Among workers in other occupations it can lead to costly mistakes, […]
After years of trying and rejections by former governors, a bill banning mandatory employment arbitration agreements in California has become law. Gov. Gavin Newsom on Oct. 10 signed into law Assembly Bill 51, which prohibits almost all employment arbitration agreements, starting Jan. 1 next year. But because the new law conflicts with federal law, it […]
As attacks on businesses’ networks continue increasing at unprecedent levels, cyber risks have become the top concern among organizations of all sizes for the first time, according to a new survey. The “Travelers Risk Index” found that 55% of executives surveyed said they worry “some” or “a great deal” about cyber risks. That’s more than […]
As you should already be aware, any employer with five or more workers is required to conduct sexual harassment prevention training for their staff by the end of 2019 under a California law passed in 2018. Due to concerns that many employers in the state may not be ready to comply, Gov. Gavin Newsom has […]
Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a measure into law that will greatly expand when employers are required to report workplace injuries to Cal/OSHA. The new law, AB 1805, broadens the scope of what will be classified as a serious illness or injury which regulations require employers to report to Cal/OSHA “immediately. As of yet, there […]
Every employer, no matter how small, faces the specter of being sued by a past, present or prospective employee at some time. In fact, such employment practices claims are widespread – so much so that most businesses are much more likely to have an employment practices liability claim than a general liability or property loss […]