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Best In-Class Business Insurance for Technology Firms & IT Consultants
You may have the title and the corner office. However, if you have yet to consider or deal with all of your legal risks, you run the risk of putting your entire company in jeopardy over a single unexpected accident.
These days, companies often run into trouble when it comes to email. For many fields, it’s the preferred mode of communication over phone or face-to-face conversations. Your employees are communicating with clients, vendors, and other employees all day, every day.
Are you sure you know what they are saying? More importantly, what are they not saying?
It’s a good idea to review with all your employees the proper way to communicate with your clients and vendors, as well as amongst themselves. Your company is responsible for their actions, and more times than not, an email with a joke, meme, or inappropriate attachment might not be taken the same for everyone.
There is a type of business insurance to cover such issues when they arise, but something as simple as setting a company email and communication policy can be an effective deterrent against any of the liability issues that might arise.
Are you aware of every email that comes from your servers? Can you keep track of everything that every employee says during every minute of every workday?
Of course you cannot do this. However, the law looks at you like you can and places an undue burden on you as the business owner that truthfully cannot be upheld without the proper insurance.
A good insurance partner has the ability to insure your company the right way, adding to it the weight that comes with insurance protection. The first step to communications control is this email policy. However, it means nothing without a proper financial backing. If the policy is in compliance with federal and local regulations and protects your company on paper, your insurance company can make sure that it protects your company in court as well.
One of the first protections that you can incorporate immediately is placing a disclaimer in the signature of your outgoing email. Make sure that all employees implement this disclaimer footer in every email as well. This is actually done automatically in many of the best email aggregation programs.
Make a formal company draft of the format that you prefer for the correspondence between company employees and customers or company employees and suppliers. Create a separate template for each type of communication. Make sure that employees have an email format for the correspondence between themselves in the office as well.
Not everyone has the same sense of humor. This is especially true if you are doing international business. You must keep company emails as straight-laced as possible in order to protect your company from a joke that gets misinterpreted or a bad translation from correspondence.
International business increases the need for protection. Cultural differences across the world means that many words, phrases, and pictures that are completely acceptable in one society are highly offensive in another society.
Your employees must accept the tone of your company as well as the template for the format of the emails. Keep everything completely professional.
You may also opt to not allow employees access to personal emails on company computers, even on break. You may be held legally liable if a personal correspondence creates confusion because it came from your business network, and all it takes is one misplaced “send” for a funny joke to become a company nightmare.
The better your company email policy, the lower your insurance rate is. Take the time to craft an insurance policy that protects your company legally along with the right insurance. Feel free to contact us when you are ready to insure your company against many of the liabilities that you may face and stabilize your business for years to come. We offer specialized insurance packages that helps your company to navigate the potential legal issues that might otherwise bring your growth to a grinding halt.
Advertising your small business can be a difficult proposition. Faced with limited funds, small business owners tend to gravitate toward saving budget and focusing on face-to-face interactions to spread the word about their products and services. While these interactions are undoubtedly important for businesses in any industry, they are not enough to allow your business to grow and prosper.
Fortunately, there’s a solution! Small business advertising doesn’t have to be expensive, so here are 3 ways to get the most out of it without breaking the bank.
The first tip requires nothing but strategic thought. Especially among small businesses, advertising tends to be a spur-of-the-moment decision. A local paper offers ad space, you can sponsor a small event, or other opportunities pop up. When that happens, it’s easy to fall into the trap of simply creating a quick ad or logo that fits the specific opportunity.
Unfortunately, that also means you lose one crucial aspect of any successful marketing effort: message consistency.
The importance of marketing message consistency cannot be overstated. Just imagine being a member of your target audience who comes across the aforementioned ads in the local paper and at a local concert. You may even stumble across the business on social media. If the messages presented on each of these outlets are not consistent and don’t present a unified identity, they will not last in your memory. In fact, you may not even realize they come from the same business.
If, on the other hand, they present a unified brand identity, you’ll be significantly more likely to turn from a curious consumer into a customer.
Don’t just take our word for it, though. While studies differ on just how many times a consumer has to come across your business in order to buy from you, they all agree that it takes more than one and at least 3. And they’ll only count if these touches all make sense together and promote the same core message, which is why consistency is so important.
Another way to maximize your marketing dollars is to subscribe to the inbound marketing philosophy. Industry leader HubSpot defines inbound marketing as “creating quality content that pulls people toward your company and product, where they naturally want to be.”
In other words, marketers engaging in inbound marketing move away from the traditional (and expensive) “push” strategies of getting the word out, instead engaging in efforts that “pull” their potential customers onto their website.
Once they’re there, you can turn them into leads by offering the above-mentioned quality content only in exchange for some basic contact information. And once anonymous visitors become identified leads, you can use emails and other free methods to nurture them toward becoming sales-ready.
We won’t go into details on the concept on this blog, but business owners should know that inbound marketing significantly increases your marketing ROI, making it perfect for small businesses on a tight budget.
As a small business owner, it’s easy to fall into the trap of prioritizing the acquisition of new customers above all else. But in reality, making sure that your existing customers remain loyal is just as, if not even more important.
As it turns out, businesses whose customer base consists of 40% repeat customers generate 47% more revenue than those who could only count on 10% repeat customers. That’s because repeat customers spend 67% more than new customers, while a 5% increase in customer retention on average improves your profitability by 75%.
Of course, we’re insurance specialists, not marketing experts, but we’ve been in the business long enough to know that business growth typically precedes the need for insurance. Optimizing your advertising as a small business does not necessarily mean increasing your spending. Integrating your message, generating and following your leads, and shifting gears to focus more on customer retention will not increase your budget, and it can significantly increase your return on investment.
There may come a time when you might need to take out a small business load to help build momentum so you can succeed in the marketplace. Yet, no matter the size of your business, it’s never an easy accomplishment.
It’s easy to blame the lenders for this, but in many cases, it’s usually the fault of the business for not preparing adequately. Business lenders look for specific things that prove they aren’t giving money out for an already doomed venture.
Most of all, you can’t underestimate the amount of documentation you need to provide when working with a lender. Some businesses don’t provide enough information on their initial visit and end up wasting time, having to come back and bring in more paperwork. Or, they may have to take time to find said documentation if not readily available.
But you don’t need to feel doomed to make the same mistakes. You have methods available that can make the process a little easier. Thanks to numerous business organizations out there as well, you can get some help and tips on how to get a small business loan.
The Small Business Association says that being thorough and truthful are some of the key things to getting yourself prepared before even approaching a lender. Part of this requires more than just gathering all of your financial papers, including which bank you go to.
If you try to obtain a loan from a bank you’ve never been to before, it’s frequently a much tougher path based merely on the fact that they don’t know you. You’re better off obtaining a loan from the bank where you do all your personal banking. Most banks try to get to know their customers, and if they already know you well, asking for a loan isn’t like a cold call.
Remember that it’s best to stay away from larger banks since they don’t typically give loans to small businesses. Going to a credit union or a small community bank is better because they’re more apt to want to fund small business ventures. Community banks are generally more focused on locals since they don’t adhere to a corporate structure.
Once you start working with your bank, listen carefully to what they want in the way of documentation. You’ll sometimes have to bring more than you think, including information linking back in time if you’ve already been in operation for at least a year.
You already know that you’ll need to bring your business’s credit history with you, though banks want to see your personal credit history as well. Plus, don’t forget personal and business financial statements with complete projections. A detailed business plan is equally essential, and this should include your credentials like education and past experience.
Banks additionally want to know what your cash flow projections are for a year since this is a true barometer on whether a business can stay afloat. Have this carefully delineated in chart form so it’s easy to read. Don’t forget the personal guaranties of your business’s owners.
Afterward, you can expect to obtain around $250,000 at most for your loan based on median figures from the SBA above.
The Small Business Administration itself works extensively with small businesses on more efficient ways to get a loan. So does SCORE, which the SBA supports. With 300 SCORE chapters across the country, they have counselors who can help you deal with the complexities of small business loans.
Read more – All About SCORE: A Small Business Networking Resource
If you feel overwhelmed by the prospect of taking out a small business loan, don’t worry. We can help lead you in these right directions related to loans, insurance, and other business documentation here at InsureYourCompany.com.
Do you know about SCORE and its promise of providing a large network of business mentors to get your small business off the ground? If not, you need to look into this non-profit organization supported by the Small Business Administration. They’re out there to help you.
Once an acronym for “Service Corps of Retired Executives”, it’s no longer recognized under that title. Because it consists of volunteers who provide business mentoring for small businesses nationwide, it now comprises both retired and employed business people.
Having mentors in business is absolutely essential, and that’s the true heart of SCORE. They have over 11,000 volunteers nationwide, plus 320 chapters available, so you can have the certainty of finding help no matter where you live.
What makes it even better is that while you can work with mentors for the life of your business, SCORE has plenty of resources where you can get immediate education on specific topics. They provide the perfect balance of both online and offline mentoring, and you shouldn’t hesitate to use all their resources.
Even so, you’re probably wondering how to sign up and how the mentoring works. Let’s take a look at how easy SCORE makes it for you. They also want you to share your success story with others as part of a symbiotic process in making all of today’s small businesses successful.
SCORE makes searching for a mentor across the country a simple process. You simply type your zip code in their search box and they’ll show you listings of mentors in your area that are readily available for consultation. You can submit a request to work with a mentor, which doesn’t always mean working in person. You can submit business questions you need answered immediately with guaranteed expert answers.
These mentors are there to work long-term as well where they’ll help you with all of your business goals. As long as the mentor stays active, they’ll also work with you indefinitely, which is invaluable considering you don’t pay anything.
Your biggest challenge is coming up with a business plan you know will propel you to a successful level within your first year. SCORE is there to help you find the right approach toward the above goal.
Thanks to SCORE having a huge library of updated workshops and webinars, you can have amazing access to expert tutorials on creating a perfect business plan. Mentors will work one-on-one with you as well if necessary, though the Web content is great when you need answers in a hurry.
You’ll learn everything from the basics of business plans to creating well-organized financial statements. Many courses are even in other languages (especially Spanish), so you have bilingual lessons at the ready.
Keep in mind your mentors can additionally help you with an expert business outlook for the industry you’re in. This helps immensely in crafting a business plan that deals in reality.
It’s not just the basics that SCORE provides for you. They cover all ground in small business, including marketing advice, all aspects of financing, plus acquiring the right technology. You’ll even have thorough mentoring in business management, which includes guiding you to the right path on customer service to life/work balance.
You’ll find plenty of inspiration through other business success stories on SCORE’s site. However, they want you to submit your own success story, as mentioned above. You can even become a volunteer yourself in a local chapter after submitting your own or a similar success story to help others.
Timing is a key component when adding a spouse to your health insurance policy. If you carry coverage through your employer, adding a spouse wholly depends on the type of coverage offered. While most companies do offer health insurance coverage to employees, they are not under any legal obligation to extend benefits to spouses or children.
Understanding the terms of your policy is paramount. If your company-sponsored health plan offers an “employee and spouse” option, then it is possible to extend coverage to a spouse.
At the time you enroll yourself in a healthcare plan, you may also elect to cover your spouse. Keep in mind that “employee and spouse” coverage will cost you more than the “employee only” option.
This is the time to exercise due diligence. If your spouse is also employed and has current coverage with his or her employer, do a cost comparison. Would adding them to your plan save your family money? The cost may actually be less if you each keep individual policies. Does your plan offer a wider range of benefits?
Once you decide to add a spouse, you usually need specific documentation to prove eligibility. You may need a copy of your most recent federal tax return (obliterate financial information), your marriage certificate, and proof of joint ownership. This is either a mortgage or bank statement, property tax bill, or a lease agreement. It is likely that you will need these documents no matter when you add a spouse to your coverage.
If you marry after you enroll in the plan, you have a limited amount of time to notify the insurance carrier about your change in marital status, and your desire to add your spouse. Be certain to check with your HR manager and your company’s insurance carrier so you don’t miss important deadlines. Allow enough time to get and complete the required enrollment forms.
Open enrollment is a period of time each year, determined by the company that sponsors your work-based healthcare plan, during which you may sign up for coverage, add additional coverage, or change carriers. Most large companies offer the open enrollment option in the fall so that the coverage will begin at the start of the calendar year.
Qualified applicants who apply during this period are not subject to underwriting restrictions. If you wish to add a spouse to your policy, make sure you know the open enrollment dates, and plan accordingly.
You may also add a spouse to your policy if you show proof of a “qualifying event”. In the case of health insurance, this would be the loss of spouse’s employer-sponsored coverage. This could be either because they lost the job, or because a reduction in work hours made them ineligible. Electing to terminate coverage or failure to pay the premium does not qualify for the special circumstance or as a qualifying event.
Removing a spouse from your health insurance plan has time sensitive requirements as well. You may change your coverage from “employee and spouse” to “employee only” during the stated open enrollment period. If the change is because your spouse wishes to enroll in his or her own company’s plan, be certain the open enrollment times for both businesses coincide.
Death or divorce would both be “qualifying life events’ and terminating spousal coverage can take place outside of the open enrollment period.
Adding a spouse your health insurance (or removing one, for that matter) requires spot-on timing and professional expertise. If you’re a business owner, partnering with a trusted team of experts in the insurance industry will give you and your employees peace of mind and the tools to do things right.
Business growth is always an exciting experience, but with it comes a new set of responsibilities that many business owners don’t account for or may not even know about. A perfect example of this is expansion outside of the United States. Many of the clients we serve have operations in the US, especially in the New Jersey area. What is happening more and more is that they’re starting to get assignments outside of the country.
That’s where international business insurance comes in. This is especially true if you:
If any or all of these are the case for your business, international business insurance could be a valuable asset for your company.
While often this is for coverage in the US, general liability insurance extends to Canada as well. This insurance protects the assets a business has and pays for damages a company may incur.
For example: If someone is hurt on your property or someone causes injuries or property damage, the insurance will pay for monetary damages. In addition, this insurance will pay for your legal defense and for any award or settlement if someone sues you. Such damages can include compensatory damages, which is money paid for a loss or injury caused by an unlawful action of another or non-monetary losses.
Such insurance protects your business against many other types of claims too, such as slander, libel, misleading advertising, and copyright infringement. Often, insurance carriers offer an overriding policy that will extend coverage internationally for general liability insurance or workers compensation.
Businesses that open an office in another country may obtain local coverage, in addition to the available international policy. A local country contract might even require international insurance.
Professional liability insurance is often international. It can protect a small business against a claim that the company’s work didn’t meet the client’s expectations. A company can—and in most cases, are required to—obtain the insurance before entering into a contract.
This coverage can provide protection against both actual negligence and alleged negligence. This would cover a business from actual or alleged omissions and errors made when providing professional services. This could include such things as failing to deliver a service, giving incorrect advice, or an omission.
Professional liability insurance also pays for a legal defense for a covered claim, for personal injury in cases of slander and libel, for acts committed as a part of the professional services of a business, and for damages caused by copyright infringement. It can provide coverage for claims for services provided anywhere in the world.
International worker’s compensation is beneficial for many companies because US worker’s compensation doesn’t always automatically provide international coverage. For this reason, a dedicated international workers’ compensation package is a necessity if you have employees who work long or short-term in another country.
Such insurance is especially necessary if you do business or have employees in a Third World country. Businesses are not usually required by state law to have such insurance, as they are to carry domestic worker’s compensation insurance, but it is often the wisest thing to do.
Traditionally, if one of your workers is injured in another country, such insurance will pay benefits based on the state where the person was hired. Foreign voluntary workers’ compensation covers endemic diseases, including malaria and dengue fever, besides standard medical and indemnity benefits.
In addition to the aforementioned specifics, international business insurance pays emergency medical expenses for management or employees traveling abroad, as well as some expenses for evacuation. If you happen to open an office in another country, we can provide local coverage on top of your current international policy. Your local country contract might need such a service.
Contact Jason Levenson to get a low-cost quote for the international coverage.
With reports of increasing obesity and diabetes being prevalent in nearly 50% of all Americans, you probably worry about the health of your employees and how it affects your overall group health insurance costs. From your employees’ point of view, work life doesn’t seem conducive to a healthy lifestyle. Temptation to eat fast food on the go, plus too much sitting at a desk all day gets scoped out as reasons why bad health is inevitable.
But what if you, as a business owner, can curb some of those negative effects? After all, the fewer times an employee has to use their health insurance, the lower your rates could get. So maybe it’s time you find some ways to incentivize healthy employee initiatives so you can have a healthier staff and keep your insurance premiums down.
Many of the best incentives for employees aim toward ingenuity and the use of psychology so employees feel inspired getting involved in your initiatives. It doesn’t necessarily mean being motivated by money, though any idea that forces employees to pay for their bad health habits can bring quick changes in attitudes.
When it comes to breaking some unhealthy habits, some people need more dramatic means before they commit to getting healthy. With that in mind, take a look at ways you can get your employees to join your health initiatives and stick with them for the rest of their careers.
Creating subsidies for employees to attend health classes is a great integration of financial and health rewards. Years ago, you probably remember health initiatives that involved memberships to expensive gyms. Most people consider this contrived today, especially when some luxury gyms don’t have the best atmospheres for everyone.
Subsidies for yoga programs or exercise classes can occur during normal work hours. A yoga class, for instance, could take place during a lunch hour for a way toward physical health awareness before finishing the day.
The New York Times did a report on this controversial incentive a couple of years ago, and they noted how it’s brought lawsuits for being overly invasive. This hasn’t stopped many companies from imposing consequence programs when other initiatives don’t motive employees enough to take action.
Financial penalties are sometimes just what someone needs to finally quit smoking or lose weight. In the New York Times piece, they cite CVS enacting a health incentive program that imposes stiff fines every year if employees don’t comply. They aren’t the only ones, with Wal-Mart and Pepsi getting into the mix in recent years.
The good news about health food is that it’s not just about rice cakes and carrot sticks. You can buy numerous health foods now that still taste good. Some products put considerably less sodium into their foods, and some snacks have at least 50% less sugar.
Go to your local grocery and stock up on the best foods for your break room, including more fruits and vegetables. Employees tend to forget that many fruits and veggies taste amazing and beat eating processed foods for a sugar fix. And if you’re concerned about the cost of stocking healthy food, consider how much more you and your employees might end up spending on medical expenses in the long term.
Sometimes you’ll have employees who volunteer to get healthier with their own motivation. By providing health pools or contests, it gives employees a real goal to achieve. Weight loss pools are some of the most popular, where companies use NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” guidelines to set the goal line.
Having your employees losing weight does more good at once since it collectively helps lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar just for starters. Even if your employees don’t get down to a perfect weight, whoever loses the most should get a reward. Don’t discount those rewards being a financial bonus.
Whether you run a company of 5 employees or 500, the question of group health care and its related costs will always be on your mind. With these healthy employee incentives, you can do your part to not only lower your premiums in the long term, but take a sincere interest in the lives and health of your valued employees.
If you run a business of any type, regardless of its size or your industry, you probably need to have at least some form of business insurance. Unfortunately, there are many common myths about business insurance floating around out there that have left business owners misunderstanding the amount of coverage they need.
By understanding the truth behind these myths, you can ensure that your business is covered.
When it comes to business insurance, of course no business owner wants to pay more than they need to for coverage. At the same time, however, simply going with a policy because it’s the cheapest option isn’t going to do you much good.
Often times, a policy that seems too good to be true is exactly that; it will be missing important aspects of coverage, so be sure to read through a quote for coverage thoroughly.
You wouldn’t hire an employee if you didn’t trust him or her, right? So why should you need to pay for liability insurance?
Wrong!
Unfortunately, you can just never be too safe in today’s business environment, especially considering employee practices liability is becoming one of the most common areas for litigation among all businesses. Spending a little bit on the extra coverage will give you a lot of additional peace of mind.
Read More: Protecting Your Company with Employment Practices Liability Insurance
Umbrella business insurance policies exist to save you the hassle of having to go out and buy multiple insurance policies that meet your needs. However, if you’re going to rely on a personal umbrella policy to protect your business, make sure you read through your coverage declaration thoroughly; specifically, take a look at your limits and exclusions page. You might be surprised by what you find isn’t covered.
You might think that you don’t need business insurance because you work with your clients on a contract basis. Therefore, you can simply write your contract tactfully to ensure that there’s a clause forbidding your client from bringing forth a lawsuit in the event of a disagreement.
Unfortunately, contracts are only enforceable or legally binding when the contract itself hasn’t been breached. Therefore, if your client believes you have failed to deliver on any of the agreements or promises made within the contract itself, you could very well end up being sued as a result. By having a business insurance policy in place, however, you can receive the legal assistance you need for the best chances of a favorable outcome on your part.
Read More: How To Read Your IT Consultant Contract: The Essentials
If your business involves you working from home the majority or all of the time, you might be under the assumption that you don’t need business insurance because your home insurance policy will cover you. Unfortunately, this simply isn’t how things work; your home insurance policy won’t protect you in the event that you’re sued.
In fact, it may not even protect the equipment in your home office in the event of a theft or fire. To ensure you’re covered, you really should spend the money on purchasing a sound business insurance policy for added peace of mind.
As you can see, there are many myths floating around out there when it comes to business insurance and the need for it in today’s business world. Essentially, if you’re running a business, it’s safe to say that you should have business insurance. For more information or assistance on protecting your business, feel free contact us.
As a business owner, you can’t prevent a disaster, but you can control how your business handles one. Going through some type of big financial loss, whether from a natural disaster or a major lawsuit, is chaotic—there’s no doubt about that. But in such a scenario, mistakes can be made that might delay reimbursement or keep your insurance from paying you at all.
Business insurance is meant to protect you when loss happens. For example, your commercial property insurance could help you recover money to repair the damage caused to your business from a fire, wind or hail storm, or even vandalism. Your product liability insurance could prevent financial loss from a lawsuit after an injury caused by a product defect.
But any major mistake, such as not documenting the damage caused by a particular incident, could be financially devastating if your company does not get all the money it deserves from your insurance company.
Here are some of the most common mistakes business owners make when filing an insurance claim.
Most providers make this simple by providing a 24-hour hotline for making claims outside of regular business hours, but you should contact your representative to determine how best to get in contact with your insurance agent. Some companies even provide apps for mobile.
Often, a business owner will clean up the damage before an insurance company representative comes to visit. As a result, there is confusion about how bad the damage really was. If you paid someone to clean up any mess, the insurance company may not reimburse you for the expense. Most insurance companies have a quick-response team that can come out to survey any damage.
If you clean your business before your insurance agent comes to view the damage, keep all damaged items. This can include flooring and insulation, in the case of physical damage to your property, as well as any water-damaged merchandise.
Even if immediate repairs are necessary to prevent further damage, be certain you take pictures of the original scene to document how it looked before your repairs. You should also take pictures of any repairs you make.
A policy may have perils you don’t know about. It is best to fully understand your coverage before anything bad happens so you can invest in an add-on policy for coverage in specific situations. For example, while many natural disasters are covered by basic insurance policies, coverage is not provided after an earthquake. If you live in an earthquake-prone state, you must obtain this coverage in a rider or second policy.
If you believe an estimate from your insurance company is too low, you have a right to appeal. If necessary, you should hire your own adjuster to make a second estimate. Often, an impartial third-party mediator will make the final decision on the amount of your payment.
Just ask any survivor of Hurricane Katrina how fast he or she received help from FEMA for home or business after that disaster. While the government may help after major natural disasters, your private insurance will probably provide the fastest assistance so you can reopen before you lose all your customers.
Make sure now—before anything catastrophic happens—that you have enough coverage and the right kind of insurance. Make sure you know where your insurance policy is kept. Do you have an extra copy in a deposit box, in case the original is destroyed in a fire or some other kind of disaster? Is your insurance agent’s phone number programmed into your phone?
Anything can happen—everyone knows that. As a business owner, it’s your responsibility not only to prepare your company for the worst, but to know exactly what to do should disaster strike. By avoiding these common mistakes when filing a business insurance claim, you can avoid delays and ensure that your business will be back up and running in no time.
Everybody’s heard the phrase that dogs are a man’s best friend, but can they also be man’s best coworker? The number of American offices going to the dogs is increasing. According to a survey from the American Pet Products Manufacturer’s Association nearly 20% of companies are now pet friendly.
So, why are furrier companions making their way into the workplace and what do you need to know about having a pet-friendly office?
First, let’s go over the multiple benefits of allowing pets into the workplace. We’ll use the term pets because as the survey shows, dogs are not the only furry companion allowed. In addition to dogs, companies are making friends with their workers’ cats, hamsters, fish, and even the occasional rabbit.
Many employees view their pets as part of the family and when they are at work, it means their pet is sitting at home alone all day. Allowing pets into the office means employees are not worrying about their elderly pet or puppy suffering from isolation and being in pain alone. Employees are also willing to work longer hours or stay later since they don’t feel the need to rush home to their animal. After all, nobody wants to get stuck at work only to know they’ll arrive home to a large mess in the middle of the floor.
Animals are known to attract people and stopping to pet the cute dog or scratch behind the ears of a tabby cat leads to more conversations between coworkers. People are better collaborators and report having a higher trust level.
No matter the job, everyone gets a little bored and stifled once in a while. A quick mental break helps workers recuperate and actually increases productivity. Pets in the workplace provide a perfect opportunity for a brief getaway and creativity boost.
Spending time with an animal has actually been shown to lower the stress hormone cortisol and increase oxytocin levels. In turn, this leads to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels which actually leads to healthier workers.
Many pet-friendly offices report that animals in the office have actually led to better relationships with their customers and vendors. Consumers remember the office that had the friendly dog and define pet-friendly workplaces as more approachable and trustworthy.
On the surface, the benefits of a pet friendly office are pretty convincing, but what other things should you consider?
First, are you leasing your workspace? If so, review your lease requirements and check with the landlord before considering a pet friendly policy. A number of commercial real estate leases ban animals from the building. Disregarding this rule can lead to large fines and even eviction.
Increased noise, pet odors, and mess are another concern. We all like to believe our pets are well behaved, but even the most disciplined animals have accidents. If an employee gets caught up on a phone call and a pet needs to go out, you could end up with a foul odor in the office and carpet stains. What’s a client going to think if in the middle of your phone call, a dog starts barking?
Setting ground rules for animals and properly preparing your office to be animal friendly can help offset some of this. Many offices suggest providing litter boxes, pet water fountains, and designated walk times.
What about allergies and liabilities? Not everyone is a pet lover and worse some are allergic to dog and cat dander. Making one coworker’s life easier by allowing a pet can make another coworker’s miserable. Consult with everyone in the office before deciding on a policy. Some workers may agree to a pet-free zone while others may require a pet-free workplace to remain healthy. Furthermore, if an animal bites or scratches someone in the workplace, as the employer you may be held liable.
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InsureYourCompany.com has been treating clients like family for over 15 years. You’ll never have to talk to an automated phone system—we have business insurance experts ready to provide personalized customer service, not only helping you with your insurance and employee benefits needs, but showing you how to be a smarter business owner.
If you are in the IT industry InsureYourCompany.com is the insurance agent you want to work with, we are technology insurance experts and have changed the way you do business. See below a list of professionals who we help today.
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