Whenever the UK government imposed social distancing in March, hundreds or even thousands of small enterprises and millions of people were obliged to work immediately from home. The move to the new workplace was extremely swift, and many organizations were utterly unfamiliar with the digital-only world.
There are numerous questions about how safe firms are when their whole staff works remotely and what working from home insurance companies should do in place to ensure they are adequately insured.
Is my home insurance going to cover me if I work from home?
Most likely not. Any commercial activities must be declared to and agreed upon with your insurer before your home insurance will cover them.
To the fact that most house insurance policies only cover domestic purposes (including working from home). If you work for a business, that firm will not be covered by your household insurance policy. Therefore the business must have insurance coverage that protects workers who work from home.
Does my Employer’s Liability insurance cover my employees who work from home?
Because insurance plans vary, you should review your policy documentation. Employees everywhere in the UK (even when they work from home) are automatically covered by Digital Risks. Please review the terms carefully to ensure your safety.
Please keep in mind that in the United Kingdom, employers are required to have liability insurance. By law, your company must have it in place. If you don’t have an employer’s liability coverage, you might be fined £2,500 for each day you don’t have one.
What if a data leak affects employees? How can firms safeguard themselves against cyber threats?
Workers may download malware and utilize unsecured Wi-Fi networks since many work from home. These are all factors that might raise the likelihood of a cyber-attack. Indeed, since the Covid-19 pandemic started, the World Health Organization, possibly the most well-known organization globally, has reported a fivefold rise in attempted breaches.
Small firms might be easier targets because they have fewer cyber security resources than their larger counterparts. As a result, they must be especially mindful of the heightened risk of working from home.
Taking up cyber insurance coverage is a must-do first step. This will cover a company’s responsibility in the event of a data breach involving sensitive consumer data like credit card numbers, passwords, and personally identifiable information (PII), among other things. Above and beyond that, it’s all about training employees to recognize and prevent security issues before they occur. Remind personnel not to read or click on unusual emails or links.
Downloading programs that are not for company use and have not been reviewed by the rest of the firm onto work devices should be avoided. And, if at all feasible, only connect to secure networks.
However, security breaches can occur, and SMEs must have a solid response strategy to get the issue under control as fast as possible. This is the least harmful option in terms of impact on your company and customers.
What if my IT is stolen after being carried home by my employees? Is it covered by mine or their insurance policy?
It’s doubtful that an employee’s home insurance will cover company-owned property. Employers should review their company insurance coverage to see what equipment is covered and where it is covered. It’s also important to double-check your insurance coverage, especially if you’ve acquired extra equipment for staff who work from home. As usual, Digital Risks covers computer equipment everywhere in the UK (even at workers’ residences).
How will you handle an injury to a team member who is working from home? Yes, I have health and safety coverage for it.
If you have been irresponsible in maintaining a safe working environment, employer’s liability insurance may cover your obligation to workers for unintentional harm. If your company has a group personal accident coverage, review it to discover where and when your workers are protected.