With unemployment rates at a historic low, it is increasingly more challenging for business owners to find and keep employees.
To provide employees with more flexibility, many business owners are changing their company culture to become more attractive to employees who desire to work remotely—from somewhere other than the confines of the company’s office.
According to a 2018 Forbes article, as much as 50% of the U.S. workforce works remotely. Although remote employees may have less liability exposures in some regards, there are other areas where liability is increased.
General liability insurance is normalÂly based off of gross sales or payroll, which does not change based on whethÂer an employee works in the office or remotely. Workers compensation is also based on payroll. However, if an employee is working from home, does his address need to be added to the workers compensation policy? Does it need to be added to the general liability policy depending on his scope of work?
Other insurance concerns include adequate insurance on the business’s tools and/or equipment while at an employee’s home, as well as the employee’s use of a personal auto for business purposes. Contact your insurance agent or broker to make sure your remote workers are properly covered on your important business insurance policies.