The COVID-19 pandemic has brought mental health to the forefront for many people, as they tried to cope with abrupt changes to their work and social lives, isolation, fear of getting sick and losing loved ones to the disease. Even now, as the pandemic ebbs, the mental health crisis has not. A recent National Safety…
When you have driving employees, you have to ensure they drive safely not only to avoid an accident and injuring themselves, but also injuring other drivers or pedestrians. While your workers’ compensation insurance will cover an employee’s injuries, your commercial auto insurance would have to cover any claims for third party injuries. An accident can…
As the labor market remains tight and businesses struggle to find staff, more small firms are starting to offer employee benefits, particularly health coverage. But the costs of coverage can be daunting and many employers worry about whether they can afford benefits programs and struggle to set a budget that won’t deplete or severely dent…
Inflation is not just affecting the cost of food and fuel. It’s also spilled over to the price of almost every industrial item, as well as building materials and services. Anybody running a business, particularly one that carries inventories or has to invest in machinery or electronics, has seen prices increase on top of wage…
This is the first of a two-part series on joining a cluster and what you should look for if you’re considering taking that route. There are a number of different insurance brokerage models that thrive in the U.S., but a small agency that goes it alone may sometimes find it difficult to get agency assignments…
The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to not hear an appeal of the sweeping California independent contractor law known as AB 5 is likely to cause serious personnel headaches for motor carriers in the Golden State. While the law is already in effect, there had been an injunction exempting trucking companies after the California Trucking Association…
Even though the majority of workers receive health insurance coverage on the job, a new survey has found that many of them understand surprisingly little about their health plans and are leaving money on the table. The “Health Insurance Literacy Survey” by Healthcare.com found widespread misunderstanding about how copays and deductibles work, and what premiums and…
As inflation drives up salaries in all sectors, the workers’ compensation wage thresholds for construction dual class codes in California have increased as of Sept. 1, 2022. State Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara in July approved the recommendation by the Workers’ Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau to increase the wage thresholds for high-wage workers. The new rates…
With COVID-19 cases spreading fast throughout the country in what experts say is the biggest surge since the pandemic started, employers who regularly test their workers may have to change their policies. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in July 2022 issued new guidance for when employers can test their workers in order to comply with…
Now more than ever, employers need to step up their employee benefits game beyond providing group health insurance. Thanks to the Great Resignation, employees are demanding more from their current and prospective employers. And those that don’t deliver lose employees or have trouble attracting new talent, as long-time colleagues head for the exits. Good pay…