Category Archive for : ‘Business Risk’

“How important is communication in…”

Typing the above into a Google search, and reviewing every example could cure anyone’s insomnia. Living in an organized society and having all worked on at least one group project this should not come as a surprise to anyone.  You would be hard-pressed to find an example of everyday life where communication is not important.  We have all experienced incidents where a single detail is overlooked or miscommunicated, starting a snowball effect to greater inconvenience, frustration, or an actual crisis.

Effective communication keeps our relationships, careers, businesses

When companies finalize their new merger or acquisition they, understandably, pour over pages and pages, containing years of data and information. However, one important piece of information is often over looked. That piece of information would be the workers’ compensation history. Specifically the current workers’ compensation experience modification factor (EMR) and claims analysis of the company being acquired or merged.

Workers’ Compensation Experience Modification Factor

As a reminder, a work comp EMR is a factor or multiplier based on a company’s past actual losses versus their expected losses. An EMR of 1.00 means

The Massachusetts Paid Family Medical Leave law has been in effect for a month now, but many employers and employees are still looking for answers and additional information.

The Basics

Beginning in January and July 2021, depending on the type of leave, all employers must provide eligible employees with up to:

12 weeks of paid family leave (26 weeks to care for a service member);
20 weeks of paid medical leave; and
26 weeks of combined paid family and medical leave.

The state PFML program is financed by a payroll tax (0.75% on the first $132,000

As I navigate cautiously through the first month of 2021, testing that my footing is secure and that the path ahead is still the right way forward, I’m reminded of some of the lessons I’ve learned from the many businesses I work with over the past twelve months. Lessons about creativity. Lessons about strength in teamwork. Lessons about flexibility and determination.

Luckily, the team I work with hit the ground running. You know the story – our coworkers are now our kids, we are now teachers, and meal preppers, along with

At the end of the calendar year, workplace holiday celebrations are an experience that many employees look forward to as a highlight of the season. These celebrations are often a long-standing tradition allowing employees to celebrate with their colleagues—and sometimes family and guests.

However, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, many organizations are evaluating how to engage employees safely this holiday season. Employers find themselves tasked with deciding whether they should cancel, postpone or offer an amended celebration that prioritizes safety—with many choosing to offer a virtual holiday party.

Virtual holiday parties

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. During this annual event, government and industry leaders come together to raise awareness about the important of cybersecurity across our economy.

“Do your part. #BeCyberSmart.”

The theme was  selected to empower both individuals and organizations to take ownership of their unique role in promoting cyber security with the key message being, “If you connect it, protect it.” With more employees working remotely than ever before, and in control of their connections and set up, it’s important to highlight how critical it is for each employee to

From an insurance and risk management standpoint, what snow and ice contractors cannot do enough of is document, document, and document. This unexpected, yet critical contractor tool In this highly litigious society we are living in it has never been more important to keep track of all the information you can. Recently insurance carriers have moved to much stricter guidelines when underwriting potential businesses.  They now require certain documentation, such as logbooks. Lack of documentation will cause insurance carriers to offer higher premiums or decline coverage altogether. Proper documentation will

Now that the initial dust has settled and your employees are regularly working from home, you are coming to grips with the fact that your business now has an increased cyber liability exposure. This type of exposure could quickly have a significant financial impact on your business. With equipment and networks extended beyond the office, employees using personal devices and unsecured or outdated software a situation has been created rife for technological exploitation. What can you do to mitigate these risks?

Step 1 – Identify the Exposures

Conduct an in depth analysis

Of all the things business owners have to plan and deal with, key man insurance is one of the most overlooked and important items. Getting key man insurance will never be a top of mind, urgent issue until, unfortunately, it is too late. That is why it is so critical to take a few minutes and establish a policy for yourself, and other vital employees, to protect the financial well-being of your business.

What is Key Man Insurance?

Key man insurance is life insurance on the owner, founder or other key employee

If you’re like me, your kids are constantly filling your heads with the latest vernacular. You watch them. You listen to them. You pick up on their terminology. Have you heard, “Don’t be soft”? This is the statement used when one of my kids doesn’t want to take out the trash because it is raining. The others chime in with, “Don’t be soft”.

I bring this up to set the table for this blog – you can be soft in the hard market. If it helps in any way, you have