Commercial property investors and property managers are bracing for the return of their tenants in 2021. Whether they’ll need to wait until the summer or fall is largely undetermined at this point. The major pushback to the office is dependent on how quickly the population can be vaccinated and reach herd immunity. What is clear...
Roughly a year after the COVID-19 pandemic spread rapidly around the world, many employees in various industries are working from home to avoid contracting or spreading the virus in the office or on their daily commute. This has made it harder for organizations to secure their networks, and cyber insurance policies that used to be...
In recent years, the general liability market has consistently underperformed, resulting in heightened underwriting losses and subsequent rate increases. As worsening social inflation concerns, surging medical expenses and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continue to contribute to a rise in liability claim frequency and severity, the market has preceded to harden. Due to these market conditions,...
COVID-19 has been the biggest disruptor in the health care sector in years, catapulting change in the delivery of care and putting greater focus on the emotional and financial well-being of employees as part of a broader business resiliency effort. To manage this more expansive set of benefits, companies are increasingly turning to captives for...
More than 90% of employers are concerned about mental health and chronic stress impacting their workers’ fitness for duty, according to the results of a survey released Monday by the National Safety Council. The Itasca, Illinois-based council surveyed employers about workplace impairment in 2020, finding that 93% of employers believe that fitness for duty extends...
On Jan. 29, 2021, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued guidance on mitigating and preventing the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace. The guidance is intended to inform employers and workers in settings outside of health care of the risks of being exposed to or contracting COVID-19 at work. This guidance is meant...
The property insurance market will continue to harden through 2021, with rising exposures and reinsurance costs driving primary rates higher, according to a report from wholesale broker Risk Placement Services (RPS). RPS expects rate increases in the high-single digits to 15% range on clean accounts. Increases are expected to be higher on accounts with losses....
Recently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) launched a webpage providing guidance on ventilation in buildings to reduce COVID-19 exposure indoors. The CDC provides recommendations on what heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) strategies employers should use to lower the risk of exposure to COVID-19 throughout the workplace. One of the recommendations is...
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans have reported increases in anxiety, depression and thoughts of suicide. The toll that the pandemic takes on mental health increases daily. Before the pandemic, 5% of employed workers reported poor or very poor mental health. Now, 18% of employed workers struggle with mental health issues. The COVID-19...
While there has been a lot of positive news recently about the COVID vaccines, there are varying reports on the public’s concern and willingness to take it. That hesitation, along with vaccine access, will determine how quickly life returns to normal. We will need more than 70% of the population vaccinated to get back to a pre-pandemic society, and...