Each year, workers’ compensation, sexual harassment and discrimination claims and lawsuits start with bullying. Employees play a critical role in helping your organization to understand the implications and develop and implement strategies to eliminate this ugly hazard. A session at the RIMS 2018 Annual Conference discussed how to protect your employees from hidden workplace violence. The speakers included Kendra Schropp, Director of Risk Management and Safety, On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina and Jeffrey Adelson, Partner, Adelson, Testan & Brundo. Characteristics reach from obvious to subtle and include ongoing name calling or derogatory statements aimed at specific individuals, questioning
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There are several ways to maintain a better connection with injured or ill employees away from work and, in turn, empower them and simplify the process. At the 2018 RIMS Annual Conference, a session discussed the critical importance of engaging with your injured workers. The presenters included Kathy Tazic from Sedgwick and Jake Kelly from General Electric. Keeping the employee engaged while they are off of work helps reduce litigation, speed return to work, and allows the employee to maintain a sense of being part of the workplace culture. Different people prefer different forms of communication. For some, e-mail is preferred.
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At the 2018 RIMS Annual Conference, Drew Olson from BDO USA LLP discussed insurance lessons from past terrorist attacks. The Boston Marathon Bombing shut down the city for a period of time, which resulted in over $333 million in economic damages to the city. One of the big insurance challenges for this was business interruption coverage. Most business owners were able to collect since the city government had ordered businesses to close and people to stay home while the manhunt for the bombers was ongoing. In November 2015, the Paris attacks killed over 130 and injured over 300. This caused
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There is an increasing amount of capital flowing into the insurance industry in search of innovative solutions. This session at the 2018 Advisen Casualty Insights Conference highlighted the technological advancements in which the industry is investing and why. Speakers included: Audrey Rampinelli, Senior Risk Executive, Vice President, Risk Management (Moderator) John Heveran, SVP and CIO of Commercial Insurance, Liberty Mutual Insurance Alex Schwarzkopf, CEO, Co-Founder, Pillar Technologies, Inc. Sarah Street, Director of XL Innovate, XL Catlin InsureTech is the term used to describe the various technology solutions impacting the insurance industry. It is based off the idea of taking processes
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Autonomous vehicle technology is moving fast and is considered by many as an impending disruptor to auto, personal and products liability. But how imminent is the change and what will it look like? This session at the 2018 Advisen Casualty Insights Conference explored autonomous vehicle technology and the insurance market’s response. Panelists included: Elizabeth K. Johnson, Head of Excess Casualty, AIG (Moderator) Alan Gier, Director, Global Risk Management & Insurance, General Motors Liz Kramer, Technical Director – Auto, Zurich Michael R. Nelson, Partner, New York, Eversheds Sutherland Autonomous vehicles are projected to have a positive impact on the industry due
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This session at the 2018 Advisen Casualty Insights Conference outlined trends related to mass torts and other large claims impacting the casualty sector. Panelists included: – Jonathon Drummond, Head of Casualty Brokerage, North America, Willis Towers Watson (Moderator) – Josh Gold, Shareholder, New York, Anderson Kill – Phil Goldberg, Director of the Progressive Policy Institute’s Center for Civil Justice and Co-Chair, Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P. – Emily O. Slater, Managing Director, Burford Capital – Megan Watt, Chief Claims Officer, Everest Insurance We are currently in a very-challenged market. A lot of that is being driven by trends that are
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Disruption is quickly becoming a constant in the insurance business today. Autonomous vehicles, wearable devices and the gig economy are just some of the new technologies currently shaping the liability and employment landscape. But what’s next? In this session at the 2018 Advisen Casualty Insights Conference, casualty insurance buyers discussed the evolving challenges to their businesses and industries. Panelists included: David T. Carlson, U.S. Manufacturing & Automotive Industry Practice Leader, Marsh (Moderator) Alan Gier, Director, Global Risk Management & Insurance, General Motors John Kline, Director, Risk & Insurance Management, Discover Financial Services Amy Wagner, Vice President, Global Products, Insurance &
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Reinsurance capital underpins the casualty marketplace by paying claims and shaping coverage. In the opening session at the 2018 Advisen Casualty Insights Conference, reinsurance executives discussed the factors driving reinsurance appetite in the casualty sector. Panelists included: Joseph Cellura, President, North American Casualty Division, Allied World (Moderator) M. Steven Levy, President and CEO, Reinsurance Division, Munich Reinsurance America, Inc. Keith Wolfe, President U.S. P&C, Swiss Re The North American casualty reinsurance market has experienced growth driven primarily by their clients desire to grow their business. Demand has increased and reinsurers are expanding their appetite into casualty – the most growth
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At the 2018 WCRI Annual Research & Issues Conference a panel discussed how the world of work is changing. The panel included: Judge David Langham, Florida Deputy Chief Judge of Compensation Claims Steven Tolman, President Massachusetts AFL-CIO Denise Zoe Algire, Albertsons Companies Charlie Kingdollar, Gen Re John Ruser, WCRI (moderator) Question: What do you think the impact of automation will be on workers in the workplace? Answers: With less workers available in the workforce in the future, some level of automation is essential to create efficiencies and streamline work. Without automation we will not be able to perform all the
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At the 2018 WCRI Annual Issues & Research Conference, Dr. David Bradford from the Department of Public Administration and Policy at the University of Georgia discussed the impact state marijuana laws have on prescription drug spending. The question is, what has been the effect of legalizing medical marijuana on the use of FDA approved pain medications? The study author cautioned on the limitations of the data they had available. Their conclusions are inferred from the information rather than having information showing particular patients are shifting from prescription pain medications to medical marijuana. Currently 48 states and DC allow for medical
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