WORKING from home has become the ‘new normal’ for millions of employees as the world continues to fight back against the spread of Covid-19.
According to the Office for National Statistics, 46.6 per cent of workers in the UK now do some work from home and 86 per cent of those who work from home do so as a result of the pandemic.
These are remarkable statistics but what is even more incredible has been the speed that companies and their employees have adapted and embraced this new digital way of working.
What were once face-to-face meetings with clients and team members, video and conference calls have taken over.
The rallying call of ‘we’re in this together’ has filtered throughout society from adhering to social distancing and taking appropriate hygiene measures to showing resilience and flexibility when it comes to working from home.
There is so much to feel proud about when you step back and see how people have responded to the most difficult of situations.
With many companies bedding in for an extended period of working from home, it is prudent for business owners to review their business-related insurance policies.
For example, will your business insurance policy provide cover if company equipment is stolen during a break-in at an employee’s home?
The PSNI have already reported a surge in cyber-crime during this period as criminals seek to exploit any weaknesses in your online security measures.
Many employees are taking on additional duties which they may not be familiar with such as making online financial transactions.
If these are conducted via an unsecured WiFi network, it could be that your company is being exposed to risk.
Employers liability insurance policies often extend to cover employees working from home, however it must be noted that this is largely a completely new way of working for many businesses and it may give rise to new areas of risk in the employers’ liability market.
Now is the perfect opportunity to review all your policies and ensure your company is covered to operate in this ‘new normal’ environment.
At Autoline, our brokers can provide one-on-one assistance to ensure your policies can be tailored to the exact requirements of your business.
With so many staff working from home there may be gaps in the cover provided by existing policies. It is vital that any shortcomings in policies are rectified immediately.
Having the reassurance that your business has the insurance support it requires will be one less thing to worry about during these unprecedented times.
Andy Craig is a commercial account executive at Autoline (www.autoline.co.uk)
