Staffing Agency Insurance: Reducing Holiday Liabilities
Who doesn’t love a good party, especially on the boss’s dime? Holiday parties are a unique and festive opportunity to foster corporate identity, bonding and boost employee morale. Unfortunately office parties also come with additional liability and loss exposures, especially when alcohol is involved. When planning your office’s holiday extravaganza there are a number of things to consider which can dramatically impact your exposures to losses.
For example, providing alcohol can be a traditional and festive part of the holiday season. However it might not be suitable for every office party, company or setting. Corporate hosts of holiday parties are subject to common “social host” laws which can hold employers liable for drunken guests or employees who may cause damage, defamation or other loss exposures. Providing alcohol to employees opens up employers to a host of concerns such as facilitating sexual harassment, damage to office property, injuries and a host of other mishaps.
One common solution is to hire a provisional bartender or catering service, doing so will pass some of the responsibility onto those professionals who can monitor employees’ consumption. Professionals will have liquor liability insurance which covers the costs of any damages or injuries caused by intoxicated individuals. Furthermore holding the party at an offsite location is a preferable option as well. If problems do arise, they will be away from your business premises thus protecting your property and limits your liability.
Be sure to reinforce all dress codes and behavioral expectation when sending out holiday party invitations, and monitor such standards throughout the event. It is also important that all company officials lead by example; doing so will help prevent things from getting out of hand because employees will follow their coworkers’ and superiors’ leads.
At World Wide Specialty Programs, we understand that the staffing industry faces a unique set of loss and liability exposures which is why our wholesale operation is dedicated to helping brokers find the perfect solutions for their staffing industry clients. From EPLI to employee benefits, our Staffing Agency Insurance programs are flexible and comprehensive allowing you to piece together the perfect policy for your clients. To learn more about our Staffing Agency Insurance solutions, give us a call today at (877) 256-0468.