The holiday season offers opportunities to literally “deck the halls” with festive lights and other decorations while entertaining friends and family. But these popular traditions may also increase the risk of accidental fires as candles, Christmas trees and the bustle of holiday cooking contribute to the most common incidents. Know what to do to help avoid the common fire mishaps.
Be prepared before a storm hits:
Going online has become part of everyday life, whether it is for everyday activities such as shopping, sending email or paying bills, and managing your accounts. But data breaches, in all their forms, can potentially expose the personal information that we share online, putting consumers at risk of identity theft.
According to the 2017 Travelers Consumer Risk Index, 57% of Americans worry about online identity theft. Fortunately, there are steps that consumers can take, including not opening unsolicited emails and avoiding unsecure websites, to protect their personal information while online.
The following tips can help you learn how to help stay safe online:
Reposted with permission from the original author, © 2018 The Travelers Indemnity Company. All rights reserved.
Statistically, it’s three times more likely to happen than a fire. But like a devastating blaze, it could destroy your business. It’s an employee lawsuit.
If you own a small business, the risk of being sued by an employee is very real. According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), employees of businesses big and small filed over 90,000 employment-related claims in 2016 alone.
Offered on a stand-alone basis or combined with an existing policy, EPLI helps safeguard businesses against employee claims and lawsuits alleging inappropriate or unfair acts. Even when done unknowingly, violating an employee’s (or contractor’s) rights can have devastating consequences. Common employer missteps include:
EPLI can help protect you and your business from potentially costly claims. Increasingly popular, EPLI coverage includes legal defense fees and settlement costs or damages – up to your policy’s limit – whether you win, settle, or lose a case
The following five industries are prime candidates for EPLI coverage:
Whether selling clothes, cell phones or sporting goods, most retailers have a workforce that spans the age spectrum, from teens to seniors. Therefore, retail storeowners must face a number of potential employee claims, including age discrimination, harassment, failure to promote, and wrongful termination.
Profile: Game Day Gabby
Gabby, a high school senior, worked part time at an independently owned sporting goods store in her hometown. On a couple of occasions, Gabby was the target of some inappropriate comments made by two of her male coworkers. After each incident, Gabby discreetly shared her concerns with the store manager, who relayed Gabby’s concerns to the store’s owner.
Despite Gabby’s efforts to address the situation, the two employees continued to harass Gabby. After a third incident, Gabby quit her job at the store and explained her reason to her parents. Gabby’s parents filed a harassment suit on her behalf against the owner of the sporting goods store.
Gender discrimination, retaliation, harassment and unfair wage practices can occur in a food service environment. Denying an employee an advancement opportunity and failing to accommodate employees or customers with disabilities are actions that would be grounds for a lawsuit.
Profile: Pepperoni Pete
Pete, a college student, works at a family-owned Italian restaurant near campus. After starting as a kitchen prep worker, Pete quickly advanced to assistant chef. An accounting major, Pete offered to help the owners create a new operating budget for their business. Soon, sales grew and so did the business.
Six months later, the owners posted an assistant management opportunity in the local paper and online. Pete applied for the role, but wasn’t considered. When he asked the owners why, they told Pete they thought he was too young to assume such a role. Pete filed an age discrimination complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission the next day.
Most white-collar employees have high career aspirations. Their expectations of their employer are usually equally as high. Being denied an advancement opportunity – or experiencing unfair treatment of any kind – won’t sit well with today’s professionals, especially millennials, according to the Insurance Journal. Harassment, gender and age discrimination, failure to promote, and wrongful termination are all common claims in this industry.
Profile: Molly Millennial
Molly, a 25-year-old junior account manager, worked for a small ad agency. After just three months on the job, Molly approached her boss about the opportunity to work on some of the agency’s larger accounts. Molly’s boss told Molly that her work spoke for itself, and he would do his best to oblige. A few weeks later, the agency hired Joe, another junior account manager, who, like Molly, is in his mid-20s.
Two months later, Joe was promoted to account manager and given some of the agency’s biggest accounts. Molly requested a private meeting with her boss to revisit her request to expand her role. Molly’s boss explained that he had a good feeling about Joe and believed Joe would be better suited to manage the agency’s blue-chip accounts. Molly then met with an agency partner and was let go a few weeks later. She immediately sued for wrongful termination and gender discrimination.
From apparel makers to industrial equipment producers, businesses with employees of different ages, genders and ethnicities must respect their employees’ rights or face potentially damaging claims.
Profile: Jenna Gemstone
Jenna works for a small jewelry-making studio as a production artist. A full-time employee, Jenna has worked for her employer for three years. She is expecting her first child in the spring. Three months before her due date, Jenna notified the company’s owner that she would be taking a six-week unpaid leave of absence when the baby is born. To her disbelief, Jenna was let go. Jenna immediately filed pregnancy discrimination and wrongful termination claims against her employer.
Medical, dental and chiropractic care practices need protection from discrimination, harassment and wrongful termination claims.
Profile: Samantha Pearl
Samantha, a dental assistant, works for a family dental practice in her hometown. Despite being a loyal and talented employee, Samantha is regularly on the receiving end of verbal abuse from one of the senior dentists. The dentist likes to poke fun at Samantha for not finishing her college degree and would often belittle her for being “just an assistant.”
To make matters worse, the dentist likes to tell jokes around the office that are not only insensitive, but also offensive to women. Samantha expressed her concerns with another one of the dentists, but was told that the dentist’s comments and jokes are harmless. Samantha filed a lawsuit, claiming harassment and emotional distress.
The bottom line of small business owners: If you have employees, you need EPLI coverage. No matter the size or specialty of your business, your past, present, and prospective employees can file an employment claim against you. Contact us today to learn more about how EPLI can protect you and your business.
This material does not amend, or otherwise affect, the provisions or coverages of any insurance policy or bond. It is not a representation that coverage does or does not exist for any particular claim or loss under any such policy or bond. Coverage depends on the facts and circumstances involved in the claim or loss, all applicable policy or bond provisions, and any applicable law. Availability of coverage referenced in this document can depend on underwriting qualifications and state regulations.
The Internet and social media in particular have made it easy to share more of our personal lives with our friends. But, it’s also become easier to share with people we don’t even know.
Online privacy isn’t just about protecting your personal information (name, address and birthdate) to help prevent identity theft. It’s also about protecting you and your family from public embarrassment, from private conversations going public, and from stalking and bullying.
If you’re unsure whether you and your family are exposed or protected online, take a look at these four social media tips and adopt the ones that make sense for you. And, make this year more secure than last.
1.
Take an hour or so to evaluate and update the privacy settings on all the social sites you use. Facebook will probably require the most attention, because there are so many ways to share personal information (maybe more than you’re aware of) and so many options for limiting access to your info. You can control who sees your posts, who posts to your timeline, who contacts you, who looks you up and whether search engines can link to your timeline.Review the privacy settings on your other social media accounts, too, from LinkedIn down to Twitter, Snapchat and Pinterest.If you only use a site to connect with a small circle of friends, then you can probably select the most restrictive privacy settings for the greatest protection. For help, try these social media privacy setting tips from the Center for Identity at the University of Texas at Austin.
2.
Sharing information about yourself is the whole point of social media. But, once you’ve shared online, it’s very hard to un-share. Certain information may always be available to someone who knows where to look. And, even if your accounts are private, someone in your network may share what you’ve posted with their own network. You can truly never know how far your posts may travel, so think twice before posting:
3.
may be flattered by a pretty stranger’s interest, or blinded by your pursuit to reach 1,000 friends. But, it’s simply not safe until you know who they are and why they want to get closer to you.In a similar category are the casual acquaintances you just made at all those holiday parties. Let the relationships ripen before you give them access to your personal information. And, be careful about your real-life friends who connect with anyone and everyone via social media; your secrets may be available to strangers through them.
4.
Children of all ages can be naïve or just careless about the impacts of online sharing. It’s hard for them to grasp that something they share online today could impact their college or job opportunities long after the post was made. Plus, they could be putting their personal safety at risk by sharing too much with the wrong person.Even once you allow them freer access online, it’s wise to monitor them until you feel confident in their decision making. Discuss frankly the risks that come from sharing too much, and the practices that reduce those risks. By staying involved, you can have an impact on how your teens use social media even when you’re not looking over their shoulder.
The Internet is a big place, and, while our own social networks may feel familiar and secure, they sometimes aren’t. So, connect and post with care, and adjust your privacy settings before sending that next Tweet.
Reposted with permission from the original author, Safeco Insurance.
Top image by Flickr user Jason Howie used under Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.0 license. Image cropped and modified from original.
