Employment Practices Liability
If you are a business owner, the single most important thing you can do on the employment side of things is make sure you are following all state laws regarding employment. However, having employment rules and procedures designed to comply with the law in place unfortunately does not mean that those rules and procedures will be followed. For that reason, including employment practices liability (EPL) coverage in your business insurance may make sense.
EPL insurance can cover a variety of acts, but here are some examples of things typically included as covered acts in EPL policies:
- Wrongful termination claims
- Violations of the Americans with Disability Act claims
- Harassment claims, including sexual harassment, transgender discrimination and religious discrimination claims
- Failure to promote claims
- Retaliation claims
- Failure to supervise, or negligent supervision claims
Because claims about employment practices don’t always come from full-time employees, EPL also covers claims from temporary employees, independent contractors, leased employees and part-time employees. It is also possible to get coverage that extends to claims made by vendors or customers.
EPL does not cover property damage, bodily injury or claims for intentional or dishonest acts, so it is important to make sure your coverages for those types of claims are adequately addressed through other insurance policies.
Of course, just because there is a claim that you violated an employment practice does not mean that your business actually did anything wrong. Having adequate insurance coverage is important to protect your business when, in spite of your best efforts, something doesn’t go according to plan.
Contact Us today to review what types of insurance, and what coverage levels, make the most sense for your business.