General Industry
June 25, 2021
7 Key Trends Affecting 2021’s Hard Insurance Market
Around the one-year mark since the start of the pandemic, markets began to experience the lasting effects of the challenges presented to them in 2020. While I’m hopeful that there is light at the end of the COVID-19 tunnel, we’ll likely see hardening market conditions persist throughout 2021. Below, I explore in-depth some of the...
June 21, 2021
8 Policies to Review Before Returning to Work
Returning to in-person work is a top priority for many workplaces. As the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic lessens, employers are eager to get employees back in their buildings. But that comes with a series of complications. The most significant complication is the fact that every workplace decision in the immediate future will be viewed...
June 17, 2021
How to Evacuate a High-Rise Building
When asked, most people would say that they should “stop, drop, and roll” if their clothes caught fire. There are a few other basic rules most people know to follow, such as crawling on the ground because smoke rises. But many residents of apartment buildings are fuzzy on the details when it comes to emergency...
June 7, 2021
Industries That Experience the Most Fatal Work Injuries
During 2019, a total of 5,333 fatal occupational injuries occurred, marking the largest annual number since 2007, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), which reported an American died every 99 minutes from a work-related injury. Overall, fatal work injuries increased by 2% nationwide during the year. Further, the fatal work-injury rate did not change...
May 28, 2021
The Demonstrated Value of Consumer-driven Health Plans
Employers may be familiar with high deductible health plans (HDHPs) and health care accounts, such as health savings accounts (HSAs). A CDHP is simply the combination of those benefits—an HDHP paired with a health care spending account. CDHPs can be an excellent way for employers to control health care spending. In fact, CDHPs are often...
May 24, 2021
Amenities Are Reopening, With Technology At Their Core
Last year, once-bustling amenities in multifamily properties fell silent as residents stayed socially distanced in their units. Meanwhile, property managers sought alternative ways to engage residents and empower them to take advantage of the amenities they pay for while still feeling safe. They found that technology provided the bridge they were looking for. “In the past year, we’ve seen a rise...
April 14, 2021
OSHA Prepares to Issue Emergency Regulations to Protect Workers from COVID-19
Mask mandates are coming down across the country, even as COVID cases are rising in most states. But the Biden administration appears poised to reinstate masking and other social distancing rules for recalcitrant governors — at least in the workplace. The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is preparing to issue new short-term regulations to...
April 8, 2021
Employee Benefits in the Post-Vaccine World are Changing
As spring weather and increasing availability of coronavirus vaccinations brighten the horizon, many employers are starting to make plans to bring employees back to the office, at least part time. It’s less a return to normal than an evolution to a new idea of what normal looks like — including rethinking what kinds of perks,...
April 6, 2021
Emerging Risks in 2021
Over the past few years, several new and different exposures have developed that have unique or unusual insurance needs. Coverages for some of these have been developed over time. For some, exclusions have been created for use until the risk becomes better quantifiable, while other emerging risks are still developing, so coverage needs are not...
March 30, 2021
New California COVID-19 Leave Law is Retroactive to Jan. 1
Under a new law, California employers with more than 25 employees must provide up to 80 new hours of supplemental paid sick leave for specific COVID-19-related reasons. The leave requirement takes effect March 29, 2021, but is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2021. Reasons for Leave Employees may take leave if they cannot work or telework because...