Business Insurance & Risk Management

Business Insurance & Risk Management

Protection for Pregnant Workers

Pregnancy is not a disability, but pregnant workers can still need protection. Pregnancy is specifically not covered under the Americans With Disabilities Act, which requires that employers provide reasonable accommodations to disabled employees who need…

Toole AdminMay 13, 2012

Business Insurance & Risk Management

3 Employee Errors That Cost Businesses Big-Time

Managing employees comes with hidden costs. Find out how to protect yourself from situations that can emotionally and financially devastate a business. It’s a given that all employees will make an honest mistake that will…

Toole AdminMay 10, 2012

Business Insurance & Risk ManagementBusiness Monthly Email

American with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA)

Last month we discussed your obligations to employees under FMLA. We now turn our attention to ADAAA and the protection it extends to employees and obligations it imposes on you. One of the protections of…

Toole AdminMay 2, 2012

Business Insurance & Risk Management

Business owners advised to unplug electronics when not in use

Because electronic equipment can be a key component of a company's function, business professionals generally have it insured under their business owners' policy. However, in order to avoid filing a claim, an electronic assessment company…

Toole AdminApril 27, 2012

Business Insurance & Risk Management

More American workers sue employers for overtime pay

Americans were pushed to their limit in the recession and its aftermath as they worked longer hours, often for the same or less pay, after businesses laid off almost 9 million employees. Now, many are…

Toole AdminApril 20, 2012

Business Insurance & Risk Management

Nonprofit Coverage Needs: Blind Spots and Misconceptions

Nonprofit organizations and charities have distinct needs compared with other sectors of the economy. To get perspectives on the risk management and insurance problems that nonprofit managers face, I turned to several independent insurance agents…

Toole AdminApril 17, 2012

Business Insurance & Risk Management

Screen insurance: risky business

The box jellyfish is one of the world’s deadliest creatures. With tentacles up to three metres long and venom that attacks the skin, the heart and the nervous system, swimmers that are unlucky enough to…

Toole AdminApril 14, 2012

Business Insurance & Risk ManagementPersonal Insurance & Risk Management

Protection from Wildfires

Dry conditions and high winds in New Jersey helped increase the size of a wildfire in Burlington County that has now burned more than 1,000 acres since starting Monday morning, reports the Star-Ledger. The fire…

Toole AdminApril 11, 2012

Business Insurance & Risk ManagementPersonal Insurance & Risk Management

Cyber & Data Security: Protecting your business against an invisible enemy!

  * Is your intellectual property safe from viruses, hackers and dishonest employees? * Is your business compliant with Massachusetts' stringent standards for handling personal information? * Could a disgruntled employee use Facebook or Twitter…

Toole AdminApril 8, 2012

Business Insurance & Risk Management

Facebook May Sue Employers Asking for Passwords

Facebook, and the ACLU, have both had enough of employers asking for the login credentials of current and prospective employees. Facebook, the world's most popular social networking site, has recently revised its "Statement of Rights…

Toole AdminMarch 30, 2012

Business Insurance & Risk ManagementBusiness Monthly Email

Family Medical Leave Act of 1993

How do you handle: learning that a serious illness is the underlying cause of your building maintenance person suddenly dropping tools and falling asleep? your finance manager's 24-year-old married daughter, in the late stages of…

Toole AdminMarch 16, 2012

Business Insurance & Risk Management

Making an Independent Film: Advice from Sundance and Oscars Experts

We talked to one of the founders of Sundance and an Academy Award-nominated producer about digital filmmaking. Ever since filmmaking began co-starring with technology, it hasn't followed the Hollywood formula, but that doesn't mean there…

Toole AdminMarch 7, 2012

Business Insurance & Risk Management

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts has archaeological pieces stolen

MONTREAL — Two archaeological pieces worth hundreds of thousands of dollars have been stolen from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. A Persian bas-relief and a marble head dating from the Roman Empire were taken…

Toole AdminFebruary 21, 2012

Business Insurance & Risk ManagementBusiness Monthly Email

Professional Liability

  * Is any aspect of your operation - no matter how minor - deemed a "professional service"? * Will your general liability policy respond to claims arising from "professional services"?   * Can a…

Toole AdminFebruary 17, 2012

Business Insurance & Risk Management

Court Okays Facebook Party Photos in Workers Comp Claim

An appeals court has ruled that photos on Facebook and Myspace of a man “drinking and partying” can be used as evidence to deny him further workers compensation claims. At the center of the suit…

Toole AdminFebruary 9, 2012

Business Insurance & Risk Management

What is professional liability insurance?

When people decide to start a business, they have to take into consideration accidents or incidents that may happen in which they're responsible. Professional liability insurance may be one of these protections that can help…

Toole AdminFebruary 6, 2012

Business Insurance & Risk Management

3 Simple Questions to Ask Before Crafting Social Media Policies

Social media policy considerations for employee manuals are a growing concern for employers. Personal internet use costs American corporations nearly $200 billion per year. Employees spend approximately 25 percent of their work days surfing the…

Toole AdminJanuary 15, 2012

Business Insurance & Risk Management

Littler Unveils Eight Challenges for Global Employers: Dangerous Workplaces and Social Media Among Greatest Threats

Garry Mathiason, chairman of the board at Littler, gives his outlook for the global employment trends that will fuel 2012. San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) January 04, 2012 Littler Mendelson, P.C. (Littler), the nation's largest employment…

Toole AdminJanuary 12, 2012

Business Insurance & Risk Management

What is workers compensation insurance?

If consumers have just embarked on starting their own business, they may be unfamiliar with some of the insurance aspects they need to take care of to get their company up and running. To help,…

Toole AdminJanuary 6, 2012

Business Insurance & Risk Management

Your Updated Employee Manual

Amending Your Company’s Policies to Reflect Changing Times Everybody recognizes that technology is rapidly changing the workplace. Most employees have access to the Internet during business hours from their work computers, and even those who…

Toole AdminDecember 31, 2011

Business Insurance & Risk ManagementBusiness Monthly Email

Fiduciary Liability

Are Fiduciaries' Personal Assets at Risk? Are Fiduciaries subject to Lawsuits, Fines, and Penalties? Are Fiduciaries liable for acts, errors, and omissions of outside entities that provide administrative and related services for pension and benefit…

Toole AdminDecember 4, 2011

Business Insurance & Risk Management

Wellness programs adapted for workers comp

Large, cutting-edge employers are introducing their workers compensation and nonoccupational disability claimants to wellness programs originally launched to reduce illnesses treated through their standard health care plans. The trend represents a form of benefits integration…

Toole AdminDecember 4, 2011

Business Insurance & Risk Management

Unpaid interns strike back by suing Fox

While unpaid internships are obligatory for many college students hoping to spruce up their resumes and get a leg up on job prospects, a stagnant labor market has meant that many college graduates are accepting…

Toole AdminNovember 20, 2011

Business Insurance & Risk Management

Are Lawyers Independent Contractors Or Employees?

Are lawyers independent contractors or employees? If you hire a lawyer for a few hours of consulting, a flat fee assignment or a contingent fee case, you won’t think twice. Your lawyer is surely an…

Toole AdminNovember 12, 2011

Business Insurance & Risk Management

Opioid testing helps curb workers comp claims

When Jacobsen Construction Co. Inc. started an opioid drug testing program last year, the firm gained a tool to help its 400 workers avoid accidents. Mat Guerrero, safety manager for the Salt Lake City company,…

Toole AdminOctober 28, 2011

Business Insurance & Risk ManagementBusiness Monthly Email

Fire Risk Management

October is fire safety month and a great time to review your operation's risk. Have you implemented necessary precautions to protect your business from a fire loss? Do you have an updated Fire Safety Plan?…

Toole AdminOctober 25, 2011

Business Insurance & Risk Management

Hardy vanishes from Harry Potter… because it’s too expensive to insure him at 85

Veteran actor Robert Hardy has revealed that he was written out of the Harry Potter film series because, at 85, the cost of life insurance for him became too expensive. Mr Hardy told an audience…

Toole AdminOctober 11, 2011

Business Insurance & Risk ManagementBusiness Monthly Email

Property Valuations

With the influx of natural catastrophes, one of the main issues is not that property owners lack insurance but instead lack sufficient limits. Understanding the current value of your critical assets (i.e. building or a…

Toole AdminSeptember 23, 2011

Business Insurance & Risk Management

At-home workers create new risks for employers

As more companies allow their workforces to move from cubicles to home offices, outdated risk management plans may not be keeping up with the exposures related to at-home workers.   “A lot of companies are…

Toole AdminSeptember 17, 2011

Business Insurance & Risk Management

Israel Offers Incentives to Lure Filmmaking to Jerusalem

Israel is pushing for more authenticity in Hollywood films. Because of the country’s volatile political environment, movies which feature Jesus’ crucifixion are often filmed in Italy while Morocco takes place for the Holy Land. But…

Toole AdminSeptember 5, 2011