Employment practices liability insurance, or EPLI, can address employment-related risks, which begin the minute an applicant walks in your door or reaches out about a job. While many people think this coverage only applies to harassment on the job or termination-related issues, interview questions can be problematic as well. Ideally, you should have a policy in place before your company begins hiring.
Our Employment Practices Liability Policies
Employment-related claims are on the rise, and their costs can be steep. While some of these suits have merits, even business owners who haven’t acted improperly could find themselves facing a lawsuit. Our employment practices liability policies can protect you from a broad range of claims by vendors or employees. These include:
Wrongful Termination
his encompasses firings that violate state, local, or federal laws or the terms of the employment agreement.
Wrongful Discipline Or Demotion
This may arise when employees believe they have been demoted for an unlawful reason that is unrelated to their work performance.
Sexual Harassment
Sexual harassment involves unwanted sexual advances, whether they are verbal or physical, along management and other coworkers asking for sexual favors in exchange for promotions.
Wage And Hour Violations
Some policies also provide valuable protection against employee complaints related to wage and hour violations, such as:
- Job misclassifications, such as the failure to pay overtime to eligible employees
- Wage and overtime calculation, including improper deductions
- Pay practices violations, such as not allowing employees to take rest or meal breaks
Employee Discrimination
Modern workplaces are becoming more diverse, but along with that diversity comes a higher chance of workers filing employee discrimination claims. Our EPLI policies can cover you against employees who claim they have been victims of a broad range of discrimination types, including:
- Racial discrimination
- Disability discrimination
- Gender discrimination
- Age-based discrimination
Failure To Promote
This may occur when an employee is passed over for a promotion in a way that violates the law, such as when a worker believes a disability prevented them from being promoted.
Retaliation
Retaliation claims can arise when an employee alleges they are being discriminated against or harassed as a form of punishment for speaking out about workplace issues or conditions.
EPLI Policy Costs
An EPLI policy is a good investment for businesses of all sizes. Even companies with just a handful of employees could find themselves needing to defend against unemployment-practices-related lawsuits.
If your company performs any of these actions, you need EPLI coverage.
- Hiring and firing employees
- Managing employee benefits
- Offering employees raises
- Communicating with or about employees
- Promoting or demoting employees
The cost of these policies depends on the type of business you operate, the size of your company and its turnover, and your history of employment practices lawsuits. Your policy’s limits and deductibles will also play a role in how much you can expect to spend.
Get An EPLI Insurance Policy Today
Even if you’ve done your best to make your company a friendly and fair workplace, you could still face a lawsuit related to employment practices. Having the right insurance means you won’t have to put the company’s finances at risk defending yourself against these claims. Get in touch with Burton & Company today by calling (888) 652-1325 or requesting a quote online to find out how we can help you safeguard your company in this challenging and sensitive area of employment.
