|
Your monthly update from West Craven
Welcome to the West Craven Insurance September Newsletter. This month we provide some helpful advice to keep you updated with the latest industry changes.
In particular, we take a look at:
- What you need to do when the threat of cybercrime is higher than usual
- How to establish what insurance your business needs
- Ways you can set achievable goals for your business
- Top tips to deter burglars from your home this September
We hope you enjoy this month's edition!
‘Inexpensive’ ways to protect your home as winter approaches
HEATING your home in the winter is a necessity for most Britons as temperatures are predicted to plummet over the next few weeks. But is your boiler up to it? Here's how to prepare and protect your system and avoid costly repair jobs.
Click here to read ‘Inexpensive’ ways to protect your home as winter approaches.
How workplace safety will evolve this year
Many firms are asking staff to return to work in the office. We are no longer required to self-isolate with Covid and there is no obligation for staff to tell employers if they test positive. So what does this mean for workplace safety in 2022?
Infection prevention
Many employers are experiencing an increased expectation from their workforce to keep staff safe and well. Employers should continue to prioritise infection prevention and control, where possible increasing ventilation, reducing contact between employees and keeping the workplace clean.
Remote working obligations
Now that businesses of all types have adapted to remote working, many have embraced it. Some have even altered recruitment policies to widen the pool of talent and actively recruited people on remote-working contracts.
In the rush to shift to remote working in 2020, a large number of employers may not have taken the time to complete home-based working risk assessments. Now that remote working is here to stay, it is important that risk managers take seriously the health and safety responsibilities of people working at home. From electrical equipment to posture, employers have a legal duty to take appropriate measures to ensure their staff have a safe working environment outside of the workplace.
Mental Health
Employers across the country are placing mental health and wellbeing high up on their agenda, offering training to line managers and appointing roles such as a mental health first aider. In 2021, The Health & Safety Executive’s annual report on workplace health and safety statistics, showed 451,000 people suffering from a new case of work-related stress, depression, or anxiety. That was a 30% year-on-year increase and we expect that figure to rise again.
Some employees will not feel comfortable returning to pre-pandemic working patterns. They may need help managing a phased return to the workplace, along with psychological support around coping with anxious thoughts.
For others, the last two years working from home may have taken a toll on their mental health. Employees working from home are more likely to feel isolated compared to those in a workplace, sometimes resulting in anxiety, depression and a significant lack of motivation. Employers should be reassuring employees that they can ask for help and receive support if they need it.
Disputes linked to safety concerns
Risk managers need to be aware of the potential for unrelated disputes to play out in a workplace safety context. An employee with a grievance about terms of employment, a flexible working request or even a performance-related issue, could latch onto workplace safety as a justification for a certain course of action.
It is more important than ever for risk managers to work in partnership with Human Resources departments as well as individual line managers, ensuring processes are well-documented and paper trail management is scrupulous.
Now is a great time to ensure your insurance policies cover you for all the risks to which you may be exposed. To discuss any aspect of your company’s insurance policy portfolio, get in touch.
Have you sufficiently prepared your car for the spring season?
As the warmer weather sets in, days become longer and the evening skies are brighter, we know spring has arrived.
Throughout the winter, we’re all guilty of neglecting our cars’ needs. After all, spending time out in the cold, snowy weather, checking fluid levels, testing brakes and cleaning from top to bottom is not everyone’s cup of tea.
So, why not treat your car to its very own spring clean this month? Here are three things you can get started with.
Do you need new wipers?
The snow, rain, and icy weather that we encounter throughout the winter can mean that you need new wipers by the time spring arrives. If you notice your windscreen is streaky or still dirty after you have cleaned it, this may be a tell-tale sign that now is the time to invest in some new wipers.
Have you tested your brakes recently?
Signs that show your brakes may be wearing include squeaking or grinding noises when applying pressure to the brake pedal. Brakes can be professionally tested and fixed during a routine service, ensuring you, your family and your car are all safe!
Did you know that leaving your car dirty can cause damage?
With gritted roads and melting ice, your car can get particularly dirty during the winter. Now that spring has arrived, why not get your cleaning products out and make your car look new? Leaving dirt on your car can lead to micro-scratches and rusting paintwork – not something any car owner wants!
Is your car insurance policy up for renewal soon? Our knowledgeable experts are here to ensure you take out a sufficient policy that covers all your needs. Get in touch today to find out more.
How workplace safety will evolve this year
Many firms are asking staff to return to work in the office. We are no longer required to self-isolate with Covid and there is no obligation for staff to tell employers if they test positive. So what does this mean for workplace safety in 2022?
Infection prevention
Many employers are experiencing an increased expectation from their workforce to keep staff safe and well. Employers should continue to prioritise infection prevention and control, where possible increasing ventilation, reducing contact between employees and keeping the workplace clean.
Remote working obligations
Now that businesses of all types have adapted to remote working, many have embraced it. Some have even altered recruitment policies to widen the pool of talent and actively recruited people on remote-working contracts.
In the rush to shift to remote working in 2020, a large number of employers may not have taken the time to complete home-based working risk assessments. Now that remote working is here to stay, it is important that risk managers take seriously the health and safety responsibilities of people working at home. From electrical equipment to posture, employers have a legal duty to take appropriate measures to ensure their staff have a safe working environment outside of the workplace.
Mental Health
Employers across the country are placing mental health and wellbeing high up on their agenda, offering training to line managers and appointing roles such as a mental health first aider. In 2021, The Health & Safety Executive’s annual report on workplace health and safety statistics, showed 451,000 people suffering from a new case of work-related stress, depression, or anxiety. That was a 30% year-on-year increase and we expect that figure to rise again.
Some employees will not feel comfortable returning to pre-pandemic working patterns. They may need help managing a phased return to the workplace, along with psychological support around coping with anxious thoughts.
For others, the last two years working from home may have taken a toll on their mental health. Employees working from home are more likely to feel isolated compared to those in a workplace, sometimes resulting in anxiety, depression and a significant lack of motivation. Employers should be reassuring employees that they can ask for help and receive support if they need it.
Disputes linked to safety concerns
Risk managers need to be aware of the potential for unrelated disputes to play out in a workplace safety context. An employee with a grievance about terms of employment, a flexible working request or even a performance-related issue, could latch onto workplace safety as a justification for a certain course of action.
It is more important than ever for risk managers to work in partnership with Human Resources departments as well as individual line managers, ensuring processes are well-documented and paper trail management is scrupulous.
Now is a great time to ensure your insurance policies cover you for all the risks to which you may be exposed. To discuss any aspect of your company’s insurance policy portfolio, get in touch.
Actions to take when the cyber threat is heightened
Remaining vigilant and teaching your employees this same value has become important now more than ever, as the threat posed by cybercriminals has increased significantly since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic. Keeping one step ahead is all about being aware of procedures, so here is a list of measures your organisation should take regularly, and more urgently in the event of a heightened cyber threat.
Balancing cyber risk and defence
The threat to an organisation can vary over time, however, it’s important at all times to create a balance between the current threat, the measures needed to defend against it, and the overall risk the threat poses to the organisation.
In the event that a cyber threat to an organisation is greater than usual, moving to a heightened alert can:
- Help prioritise necessary cyber security work
- Offer a temporary boost to defences
- Give organisations the best leverage for preventing a cyber attack when it may be likely, and recovering quickly when it happens.
Check your system patching
Make sure your user’s laptops, desktops and mobile devices are all patched. This also includes third-party software such as browsers and office productivity suites. Ensure your internet-facing services are patched for known security vulnerabilities, as internet-facing services with unpatched security vulnerabilities are an unmanageable risk.
Verify access controls
It’s a good idea to ask staff to ensure that their passwords are unique to your business systems and are not to be shared across other non-business or personal systems. Make it a regular habit to review all user accounts and disable any old or unused accounts. It’s also important to check over any accounts that have privileged or administrative access and ensure that they’re carefully managed, as these accounts have access to sensitive recourses and confidential information which will need to be adequately protected.
Ensure defences are working
Ensure antivirus software is installed and complete regular checks to confirm that it is active on all systems and that signatures are updating correctly. Firewall rules will also need regular checks, as temporary rules can expire and be left in place beyond their expected lifetime.
Review your backups
Perform test restorations from your backups to ensure that they are running correctly and that the restoration process is familiar to you and your colleagues. Make sure there is an offline copy of your backup, and that it is always recent enough to be used if an attack results in loss of data or system configuration.
Incident plan
Your incident response plan should be up to date and contains clarity on who has the authority to make key decisions, including outside of office hours. The incident response plan should be available at all times, even if your business systems are not.
Check your internet footprint
Check that the records of your internet-facing footprint are up-to-date and correct, this includes IP addresses your systems use while browsing, or which domain names belong to your company. Ensure that domain registration data is held securely and that any delegations are as expected. You can also perform an external vulnerability scan on your entire internet footprint to check that everything that needs to be patched has been patched.
Find out how a cyber insurance policy could protect your business. Contact us today for more information.
How to know what business insurance you need
Insurance is essential for your business, from covering expenses to providing your workplace with stability, it’s important to choose the right insurance package which sufficiently covers all your foundations.
Here we look at the ins and outs of business insurance, to help you decide what policy would suit your business best.
Deciding what type of insurance your business needs
The right insurance plan will depend on your business, its size and how it operates. There are numerous policies on offer, and you can tailor your package to cover specific areas of your business.
Public liability insurance
Businesses which encounter members of the public, whether on company premises or elsewhere, will most likely need public liability insurance. This coverage protects a business against compensation claims for injury or damage made by clients, customers, suppliers or other third parties. Examples of businesses which require this insurance include shops, restaurants, hairdressers, builders and tradesmen. Check your client contracts to see if a particular level of public liability insurance is required.
Professional indemnity insurance
For businesses that provide advice to customers, deal with intellectual property and confidential data, professional indemnity insurance is a must. Bad advice, faulty service and negligence can cost money and lead to legal trouble. Professional indemnity insurance will cover your legal defence fees and compensation payments, which can be hugely detrimental pay-outs if your business isn’t covered. Some professional bodies and regulators require their members to have this insurance, including bodies for surveyors, accountants and architects.
Employers’ liability insurance
Most employers are required by law to insure against liability for injury or disease to their staff resulting from their employment. Employers’ liability insurance covers your business in the instance of an employee making a claim against you and your workplace. Certain companies are exempt from the legislation, for example, if a business only employs close family members this insurance may be unnecessary.
Business buildings insurance
Business buildings insurance can cover the cost of repairing or rebuilding your property if it’s hit by a disaster like a storm, fire or flood, or if it’s damaged by something like vandalism or subsidence. Whether you work from home or have separate business premises such as a shop, office, or pub, business buildings insurance is usually a necessity. If you rent the premises, make sure to check with your landlord to see what’s already covered.
Business contents insurance
Business contents insurance will protect the contents of your business premises, your equipment and tools. In the event that any of these are damaged, destroyed, lost or stolen, contents insurance will cover the cost of replacements or repairs.
Product liability insurance
Product liability insurance protects you and your business should a customer suffer damage due to a faulty product provided by your company.
Personal accident insurance
Personal accident insurance can pay out compensation to people with serious injury as the result of an accident.
Business interruption insurance
Business interruption insurance covers you for any loss of income during periods when you’re unable to carry out business as usual, due to an unexpected event such as a flood or fire.
Business legal protection insurance
Legal protection insurance facilitates access to law and justice, by providing legal advice and covering the legal costs of a dispute, regardless of whether the case brought by, or against your business.
Find out how we can cover and support your business this quarter, with a business insurance policy that’s tailored to you.
How to set achievable goals for your business
Business goals are precise and informed articulations of what your business can, and will achieve within a particular time frame. While reaching for the stars is never a bad thing, it’s important that your goals are realistic, achievable and grounded.
If your goals are too ambitious, you may need to adjust them so that your business has a clear sense of direction.
Set goals that are clearly defined and not overly complicated
It’s impossible to achieve a goal that hasn’t been clearly thought out or established. For example, if your company’s goal is to make a profit, make sure you outline a figure, a measurable outcome and a reasonable time frame.
The same goes for overly complicated goals, without being succinct and clear, the message holds little weight, meaning it will do nothing to boost morale, and results will be difficult to measure.
Establish both short-term and long-term strategies for your business
Your business can benefit from both short-term and long-term goals. Long-term goals should be more generalised and wide reaching, as once you’ve established them you can break them down into individual business objectives and progress points along the way.
Short-term goals are milestones that can help track progression towards overall business goals. For example, if one of the goals is to create a certain rate of positive feedback, a short-term objective would be the whole team completing a customer service training course.
Plan for any roadblocks
Make sure your business is prepared to face any hurdles or lulls by covering its most important foundations with insurance. Business insurance can help tackle any financial setbacks that make reaching your company’s goal seem further out of reach. Adding sufficient coverage, prevents unexpected events from slowing down your business’ progress.
Build a strong team
Building good habits around an established schedule is essential if you want to create a highly efficient team. Use a calendar for both you and your staff in order to keep on top of reminders. Use online to-do lists and spreadsheets to organise tasks, set deadlines and prompt for repeat actions. Display your key goals on the wall or in the staff meeting room to keep them visible.
It’s important to regularly review and analyse your progress and make sure your colleagues feel recognised and appreciated for pushing the team closer towards any goals.
It should be a team effort to achieve success, and your employees or colleagues are the people who can tell you what’s working and what’s not. So, once you’ve selected what you think should be your top goals for your business, sit down with your employees and get their feedback. They may agree or have some useful insights that you haven’t though of.
Set your KPIs
Once you’ve built your goals with your team and established a plan of action, you need to think about measuring your goals and setting timelines. The most common way to do so is by setting KPIs or ‘key performance indicators.’ These are numbers you can track that show whether your team is making progress with their goals or not. They also work as great motivators, and evoke a sense of healthy competitiveness.
You should also have separate KPIs for the business as a whole, such as overall monthly sales targets which every staff member can contribute to.
Find out how we can support your business, with an insurance policy that’s tailored to you.
How to deter burglars from your home this month
As the dark September nights roll in, burglars are given more opportunities to target properties in your area. With all types of crime, prevention is better than cure, and educating yourself on all the best security measures can help prevent you and your loved ones being stolen from.
Lighting
Lighting has been commonly used as a security measure for many years. Consider evaluating the lighting in your home, as it could be used as an effective security tool. Whether this means installing motion activation lights or simply leaving the TV on when you leave the house for a short while, lighting is a well know deterrent – especially in the darker months - and criminals will try to avoid it.
Windows and doors
Leaving a door or window open at night poses a huge security threat, but doors and windows with weak security measures can be just as easy to spot. If your house is vacant, it could be unwise to post holiday snaps on social media while you’re still away, as this will signal to criminals that your house is unattended.
Make sure your doors and windows are always shut while you’re away and consider investing in security locks. Most victims of burglary will take these measures after a crime has taken place. Stay vigilant, secure your home before a burglary occurs and you’ll drastically lower your chances of ever having to deal with theft.
CCTV
CCTV cameras are an almost infallible way to deter criminals; They’re easy to spot, they evoke a strong sense of consequence, and they alert the burglar that their crime will be documented. To reduce the odds of being targeted, you should consider investing in CCTV measures such as doorbells with built-in cameras, signs that warn of a CCTV system operating and live web cameras you can check on throughout the day via an app.
Let them know they’re seen and heard
It’s no surprise that criminals don’t like attracting unwanted attention and letting them know that their presence will gain your attention is a good way to keep them off your property. Man’s best friend can offer more than companionship, and a burglar’s least favourite sound is that of a barking dog alerting its sleeping owners. Even if you can’t keep pets, you can display warning signs that you do, and this will minimize the chance of your home being regarded as an easy target.
Stay vigilant
If your house was being monitored, a criminal would notice things like newspapers and parcels being left at the doorstep for long periods, or windows left ajar. Consider diverting your parcels to a trusted neighbour if you won’t be home to accept. Make sure your doors and windows are locked any time you’re away from the property – even if it’s just a short trip to the shop.
Home Insurance
Thankfully, home insurance does cover losses from theft, including instances that happen while you’re away. Therefore, it’s pinnacle for your peace of mind and financial security to make sure your home is fully covered. Home insurance allows you to stay one step ahead of criminals by protecting your most valuable asset and offering you a safety net if anything goes wrong. Burglars hate smart and responsible homeowners, so make sure you’re just that.
Thinking of getting home insurance? Let us help you protect your home, get a quote today.
<< News
|
|