Insurance For Small Businesses With Remote Workers

Remote Working

As people work remotely more and more, it’s becoming important to think about how to protect your business from the risks associated with remote work. The risks are not just limited to things like liability and property damage. There are also social risks that need to be addressed. One risk is the worry that an employee will get hurt while working at home or traveling for work. That is why it is especially vital to make sure you have the right business insurance policy in place.

Business Owners Insurance

Business owners insurance is not a single type of insurance policy or product. Instead, it is an umbrella term for a number of different types of policies and products.

The purpose of any business owners commercial policy is to protect the business from losses. There are a number of categories of commercial insurance: commercial property, commercial liability, commercial auto, workers compensation, and business interruption. For remote work, the most important insurance policy to have is general liability insurance.

  • General Liability Insurance: Liability coverage is very important for businesses that work with independent contractors. This type of coverage will pay for legal fees and other expenses related to your company in the event of a lawsuit.
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Prince Insurance can advice you on the appropriate insurance policies you should be looking at to make sure your remote employees are covered.

Insuring Remote Workers

Getting a business owners policy is the best method for insuring remote workers. For at-home workers, make sure that your homeowners policy will allow you to operate your business from home. For businesses, have remote workers agree to work-from-home protocols, including implementing safety measures, having the proper equipment, and using a secure network.

Contact an agent at Prince Insurance to find the right business owners insurance, such as liability insurance for insuring remote workers.

Avoid Liability Risks When Employees Return to Work

Insurance Broker

As the pandemic’s at-home restrictions are lifted, many businesses, including restaurants and offices, are re-opening their doors to both customers and employees alike. Even though businesses are doing their best to comply with the government’s regulations regarding COVID-19, some are still concerned about the liability risks associated with the pandemic. Fortunately, having proper protection is possible through business insurance, including business liability insurance.

Liability Risks

Business liability insurance is essential because there are more liability risks associated with bringing employees back to work after the pandemic. The first step is getting the office ready to re-open by having the space professionally cleaned and disinfected to remove pathogens and bacteria. Businesses must exercise proper sanitary measures to help prevent the transmission of COVID-19. Since specific businesses have higher traffic levels, such as those in the hospitality or retail sectors, they have to be creative and safe in implementing new ways to welcome back their staff and employees.

No matter your industry, your business needs to be extra careful to make sure they are prepared to handle the ripple effects of the pandemic, such as having proper business liability insurance.

Discrimination and Harassment Claims

Be careful about deciding layoffs if staff reduction was or will be required because of the pandemic. Even if these decisions are made carefully, employees may respond with discrimination claims. Further, employees may retaliate with potential harassment claims, if they suspect that they were let go because of reasons associated with the pandemic.

Be careful not to discriminate against employees as you decide who to bring back. Don’t judge by age, race, gender, or supposed health risks. If employers are not careful about the way they make decisions, they might face discrimination or harassment claims in the future.

Contact an insurance agent at Prince Insurance to get more information on business liability insurance for your business.

Pandemic Insurance Risks for Retail and Brick and Mortar Business Owners

Insurance Brokers

Brick-and-mortar stores, a major player in the insurance industry for the past century, are on the brink of extinction. With the rise of e-commerce, stores like big-box stores, specialty stores, and small mom-and-pop stores are all closing down at an alarming rate. Additionally, brick-and-mortar businesses were some of the hardest-hit establishments during the pandemic. As a result, these businesses have increased pandemic insurance risks and require specific business liability insurance.

How to Safely Reopen

The pandemic has increased the need for business liability insurance risks for brick and mortar and retail shop owners. When reopening, businesses have to move forward responsibly by mitigating liability exposure. This means ensuring that the business stays compliant with government regulations and by paying extra attention to changing policies, developments, restrictions, and reopening timelines. As there are increased pandemic insurance risks, merely following the rules might not be sufficient. Businesses will be expected to uphold a higher standard of care due to the serious nature of the health crisis.

As businesses begin to reopen their doors, employers have to take the necessary steps reducing liability risks related to the pandemic.

Re-evaluating Exposure

With stores reopening, it’s time to re-evaluate your business’s exposure. Due to less customer traffic and closure, exposure may have diminished, reducing rates. However, general liability may increase as you begin to open up again. Either way, businesses must reopen according to COVID-19 guidelines, with safety and health in mind to reduce exposure and pandemic insurance risks. For example, businesses must ensure that their premises are as safe as possible, and to warn of the spread of COVID-19 if their business becomes aware of cases through their contact tracing.

Contact Prince Insurance to start planning your business insurance and for advice on how to mitigate pandemic insurance risks.

Mitigate Business Insurance Risks of Working From Home

Business Insurance

With the increased popularity of remote work, companies are faced with a dilemma: do they allow employees to continue to work from home to save on overhead costs, or do they require employees to work in office environments? Either way, there are risks and benefits associated with both choices, and both choices require adequate business insurance coverage.

With remote working, there is a new wave of legal issues arising in regards to workers compensation and liability insurance for remote workers. For example, If your employees work from home, or at coffee shops, or in other remote locations, you need to make sure they protect themselves from hackers. They are more vulnerable than if they were sitting at their desks, and they need to know that their actions have real consequences.

An employer may still be found liable for events that occur to an employee in the course of employment. With the right business insurance accounting for remote workers, an employer can feel confident that their business is properly protected — regardless of where their employees are.

Working From Home Safety Risks

There are numerous safety risks associated with working from home, including the following:

  • Unsafe at-home work environments, such as environments vulnerable to events like fires, theft, and flooding
  • Injuries that occur in the home office
  • Cyber-security risks increased as remote workers may be viewed as soft targets to cybercriminals
office team
Unlike in the office space illustrated above, employers do not have control over the safety of an at-home work environment.

How to Mitigate Insurance Risks

There are many ways for employers to mitigate insurance risks and workers compensation claims:

  • Enforce at-home safety protocols
  • Instate cyber protocols to prevent cyberattacks
  • Enforce cybersecurity measures to prevent data from being compromised

Working from home for good? Discuss how to mitigate insurance risks and business insurance options with a trusted agent at Prince Insurance.

Reasons to Get a Liquor Liability Policy

wine bar

Liquor liability is a type of insurance that protects your business from the actions of intoxicated people. If you sell alcohol, this type of coverage is absolutely essential. This is true if you own a nightclub, a bar, a restaurant, or any other type of business that sells alcohol. Unfortunately, you could be held liable for auto accidents, fights, and injuries resulting from people who get drunk at your establishment. That is, unless you have a liquor liability policy. Here are some of the reasons you should add this policy to your coverage.

How it Works

This type of coverage is financial protection against the unknown. After all, you can’t be responsible for the behavior of people once they leave your business. But the law says that you can be directly connected to the outcome of their actions. There’s just no reason for you to risk your business — including assets and your reputation — on a stranger’s drunken mistake. A liquor liability policy protects your business against lawsuits that result from property damage or personal injury.

bar and liquor liability insurance
If you sell, serve, or manufacture alcohol, then you need liquor liability insurance.

Why it’s Important

You need this type of coverage if you sell, distribute, or manufacture alcohol. Otherwise, you could be tied legally to the accidents of anyone who purchased your products. For instance, someone could cause an auto accident after leaving your restaurant. Then, the victimized party could try to seek damages from both the driver and you, as the seller of the product. It’s important to realize that a liquor liability policy is separate from your typical general liability coverage. If you thought you had everything worked out, now is a good time to reevaluate your coverage and ensure that you have the protection you need.

Don’t risk your business because you didn’t have the right coverage. Reach out to Prince Insurance to get a quote and make sure you can operate confidently and safely with the right insurance policies in hand.

Liability Policies for Homeowners

It’s important to protect your home against natural disasters and other incidents. But it’s equally important to protect you, the homeowner, against future liability for events that occur on your property. Homeowners liability helps cover you when something happens at your home. If someone slips and falls, they could sue and seek compensation. They could argue that bad lighting or dangerous conditions inside the home contributed to their injury. This type of coverage helps protect you and your family from outsized bills if someone happens to be injured while in your home.

Make sure you’re protected from liability claims if someone gets injured on your property.

Popular plans

There are a variety of coverage levels when it comes to homeowners liability. You can access policies that protect you against claims for property damage. You could get protection against claims for injury to others. Your policy can protect you against having to pay out medical fees for the care of someone who was injured on your property. Most importantly, you should ensure that your policy covers liability defense costs. If you need to hire a lawyer to go to court and defend you, the insurance company could cover that cost if you have homeowners liability protection.

Understanding coverages

For a comprehensive home protection plan, you should also look into flood and fire insurance. This type of property insurance can protect you from acts of God as well as human acts of violence. It will cover the cost to repair your home if something happens. There is also home-sharing coverage and scheduled personal property insurance. It’s okay if you don’t know which policies are right for you. What’s most important is that you speak with someone who can help you make sure you’re covered in the right ways.

If you’re ready to explore homeowners liability insurance, we’d love to help. Get in touch and we’ll figure out a plan that works for you and your family.