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Thousands of workers suffer abuse at home and, all too often, this violence spills over into the workplace. According to the American Bar Association Commission on Domestic Violence, there are 30,000 to 40,000 incidents of on-the-job violence a year in which the victims knew their attackers intimately. More than seven in ten (71%) human resources and security personnel surveyed have seen domestic-related violence at work.

A violent episode on the job can endanger co-workers, as well as the victim. What’s more, female workers abused at home have higher rates of absenteeism, drug abuse, and depression that increase health insurance costs and lower productivity – costing businesses more than $4.5 billion a year.

The law requires employers to provide all employees with a safe workplace. Failure to act on the knowledge that domestic violence could threaten workers makes your business legally liable.

In deciding whether an employee might be a victim of domestic violence, beware if the worker:

• has unexplained bruises that don’t fit their injuries
• wears inappropriate clothing that might be covering up injuries
• seems distracted, anxious, upset, or depressed
• has a high rate of absenteeism
• receives repeated, upsetting telephone calls

If you notice any of these signs, talk to the employee privately, expressing concern about possible abuse. Be supportive and keep this information confidential, except for individuals who need to know, such as security personnel. Offer company and community support and be flexible with the employee’s working arrangements.

According to the Family Violence Prevention Fund, supervisors are usually the first people to become aware of an employee who might be a domestic violence victim. Supervisors should refer potential victims to the Employee Assistance Program or a community domestic violence program. The National Domestic Violence Hotline number is (800) 799-SAFE (7233).

A word to the wise!

Social media rules! In 2012, Twitter, Facebook, and Tumblr users sent tens of millions of messages every day– and new players keep entering the marketplace. Although these platforms provide significant benefits for businesses of all sizes, they also pose a variety of risks. Everything from employment, privacy and security, through intellectual property to media-related liability.

Chances are your employees are using social media, either at home or work, in ways that could put your business at risk. To limit this exposure, experts recommend creating social media guidelines based on a five-point checklist:

1. Assess both your company’s general social media activities and individual social media campaigns, weighing potential risks against benefits as accurately as possible.
2. Designate specific individuals and departments to develop, execute, and monitor a comprehensive and proactive social media strategy – and make a senior executive responsible for implementing it in a timely fashion.
3. Have the policy reviewed by the relevant departments (human resources, IT, communications, and legal) and by an outside law firm.
4. Because employees pose the biggest risk to a company, although often unwittingly,,provide educational programs about the danger of damage to the company by using social media on the job or at home.
5. Create a social media agreement for employees to review and sign as a condition of employment and part of their employment contract. Update the agreement annually, or as often as needed, to address changes in social media that might impact your risk in new ways.

Following this checklist will help position your business to reap the enormous benefits that participationin social media offers.

As always, we’re here to help you– just give us a call!

Every business is vulnerable to disruptions. Most companies have taken steps to mitigate the impact of major hazards. However many businesses have neglected smaller, more probable perils, ranging from inadequate fire protection and offsite data backup, through the death or disability of key personnel, to over-reliance on a limited number of vendors.

While you can transfer many risks that could disrupt your business to insurance companies (through such coverages as Business Interruption and Extra Expense policies), this probably won’t be enough to ensure that the company will survive or continue its long-term growth and profitability. To prevent and/or reduce the impact of such a mishap, it makes sense to implement Business Continuity Planning (BCP). This process involves three key steps:

• Pre-disruption planning. Assess the “risk and threat environment” of your business and take steps to reduce these hazards and weaknesses.
• Disruption response. The extent and nature of losses will depend on the effectiveness of the emergency plans that you implement during the incident to provide a methodical, rational, and coordinated approach to dealing with the disruptions.
• Post-disruption recovery. While the first two steps can reduce or mitigate risk, the recovery process focuses on rebuilding and restoration. Although many businesses depend heavily on central and distributed computer resources, a comprehensive BCP involves a wide variety of crucial activities that need to continue with minimal interruption.

Your BCP should not be a one-time project that involves creating a plan and then moving on to “business as usual” – but a long-term commitment to design, develop, implement, and maintain a comprehensive, company-wide strategy to keep your business running effectively..

We’d be happy to review the risks facing your business and tailor a Business Continuation Plan to your needs.

Chances are that you outsource most risk management functions to an insurance company representative or agent. However, to protect your business against the risks you face at a price you can afford, you need to control the presentation of your loss and coverage information to insurers. In other words, it makes sense to provide what an underwriter needs to write your business: a “risk profile” that shows a historic record of your exposures, loss data, and insurance contracts.

Your profile should include these items:

• A history of the firm that’s positive and realistic. The more effectively you’ve adapted to the recession, the better your chances of getting a competitive rate.
• Résumés of key management— to show that you and your team know your business.
• Marketing materials and Web page(s).
• A D&B Report. Without one, you might get a lower grading. If you’ve had financial problems, some insurance companies might be willing to write your business, as long as you provide this information upfront.
• Audited financial statements, if applicable.
• Estimated values, including sales, workers compensation payroll, automobile fleet, property and equipment.
• Sales and payrolls for the past five years.
• Insurance loss runs and claim runs during the past five years for all policies, valued within 90 days of renewal.
• An outline of your workplace safety plan(s).
• Fleet maintenance schedules, if applicable.
• Your workers compensation experience modification factor.

Be sure to review all data on your company in the files of your insurance company and add it to your database.

Maintaining a comprehensive, accurate, and updated risk profile, and staying on top of how you present this information,will play a key role in securing a comprehensive and cost-effective insurance program.

Our risk management specialists stand ready to offer their advice at any time.