The holiday season is once again upon us, and while we would normally be planning a company-wide bash, this year such a thing is pretty much out of the question.  This does not mean you have to skip the celebrations altogether, as celebrating and acknowledging the hard work your team put in, especially during this very challenging year is more important than ever.  So, while traditional holiday parties may be off the table, here are some holiday party ideas to help your team celebrate while remaining COVID-safe:

Most CEOs or CFOs are probably not Cyber Security experts, but are entrusted to ensure the company runs efficiently and profitably. In today’s business IOT world, having a safe and secure network is a large part of keeping the business operational. This includes ensuring that all cyber related risks are minimized as much as the budget will allow. Cyber related issues that threaten the company’s income are scary for sure, but perhaps the most frightening aspect of keeping your network and data secure are the “unknowns” of IT.

As May is Mental Health Awareness Month, we wanted to raise awareness of a cause that while is a very significant issue, has not been brought to the forefront when speaking about either mental health or human capital risks. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention construction occupation has the highest rate of suicide across all careers.

Senior leadership of an organization, which incorporates strategic risk management into their business plan, knows that having a wellness plan in place for their employees is essential. Implementing a robust wellness plan in the workplace encourages healthy activities among employees and puts the emphasis on safety which, in turn, will lead to healthier, happier and more productive employees.

As the effects of COVID-19 continue to impact businesses, it will, surely be an uphill battle to have insurers confirm coverage under most standard insurance policies. Ultimately, a flurry of litigation and government intervention will determine how insurers deal with the losses that their insureds are suffering and will continue to experience stemming from this disaster.

Over the next few weeks and months (maybe years), as these claims unfold, insurers will be faced with the task of interpreting policies and informing their insureds how coverage will or won’t respond. In the meantime, there are some things a business can do to preserve their position with potential COVID-19 claims.

As a follow up to our previous article on the subject of Cyber Security During a Pandemic, we thought we’d share with you some of the topics used in phishing scams, so that you are better prepared, should you become the target of one.

During every national emergency situation, there are always scammers who look to capitalize on people during times of distress. Scammers have already begun to take advantage of the current state of emergency due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Similar to Hurricane Sandy in 2012, phishing scams have begun to plague our inboxes. Coronavirus phishing scams may come in the form of a statement or request from someone impersonating a Centers for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), or similar agency official. They may even use domain names similar to those of the CDC and WHO.

This pandemic has impacted all of us. Many companies, including ours, implemented a “work from home” policy to ensure the health and safety of, both, their employees and their business. For us, since we always had an open floor environment and advocate a collegial collaborative work place being able to easily collaborate on projects and ask each other questions directly was particularly important. 

As Coronavirus spreads worldwide, companies are thinking of ways to keep productivity up, as well as, mitigate the risks to both their employees and the organization’s bottom line. One of the ways a company can manage this is to have its employees work from home. This can be a great way to keep your business running, but only if you can identify and manage the risks involved. This article from Insurance Business America does a great job in outlining potential Workers’ Compensation risks for employees who work from home, and what you can be doing to insure your business is prepared to manage those risks.

Who are you and what is your role at The ALS Group?

My name is Jessica Aviles, I am the VP of Talent Management at The ALS Group. I was brought on-board almost two and half years ago to manage the existing talent, drive culture and spearhead the internship program. Those are my main responsibilities at ALS.

How do you recruit for an internship?

The ALS Group is an independent risk management and insurance advisory firm that provides unbiased advice to C-level leadership. Therefore, our recruitment process is really much more of a personal experience than that of most companies, where internship candidates can come from anywhere. I primarily recruit from schools that have Risk Management as a top area of study. One of them being Columbia University in Manhattan. I have developed a really strong relationship with the career services team at Columbia which helps me attract candidates and staff consistently. 

The end of the year is the time when business owners and senior leadership review the past year and prepare for the year ahead. As risk managers, our mind is always set on risk mitigation so our planning for 2020 includes addressing and minimizing the risks companies will face in the upcoming year.