Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI) in Georgia
What is it?
Employment Practices Liability Insurance (EPLI) provides coverage to employers for defense costs and damages that might be incurred because of an employment-related claim. Some of the most common allegations are Wrongful termination, Discrimination (based on sex, race, age, or disability), Failure to Promote, Workplace Harassment and Retaliation.
Who needs it?
- Public Companies
- Private Companies
- Companies with over 15 employees in Georgia
- Non-Profit organizations
- Restaurants, Retailers, Contractors, Suppliers etc
New and smaller businesses are more vulnerable due to the lack of a legal department.
Why does my company need this?
You may be thinking, my company won’t get sued. Everyone that works for me is my friend, we are one big family. Unfortunately, as of June 2020 workplace claims have exploded and are on the rise. An article published in July of 2020 by Fisher Phillips shows that workplace claims are up 43%.
According to the article the top five classifications of COVID – 19 related claims are
- Employment Discrimination
- Work-From-Home/Employee Leave
- Retaliation
- Unsafe Working Conditions/Lack of PPE
- Wage and Hour
I the event your company is being sued for any employment-related allegation you must ask yourself “Will my business be able to sustain a massive settlement without filing for bankruptcy?”
What can I do?
- BE PROACTIVE
- Develop a strategy and a playbook to deal with worker lawsuits
- Seek advice from employment legal counsel
- Purchase EPLI to cover any costs/losses that may be incurred
- Understand employment laws that pertain to your situation and location
Understand employment law
There are many laws in place to protect employees and while it is a smart decision to obtain EPLI it is also very important to understand and carefully follow these laws:
- Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin and sex. It also prohibits sex discrimination on the basis of pregnancy and sexual harassment.
- The Equal Pay Act of 1963, which prohibits employers from paying different wages to men and women who perform essentially the same work under similar working conditions
- The Civil Rights Act of 1966, which prohibits discrimination based on race or ethnic origin
- The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of national origin or citizenship of persons who are authorized to work in the United States
- The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities
- The Bankruptcy Code, which prohibits discrimination against anyone who has declared bankruptcy
- Equal Employment Opportunity Act of 1972, which prohibits discrimination against minorities based on poor credit ratings
- The Age Discrimination in Employment Act, which prohibits discrimination against individuals who are age 40 or older
Give us a call today for more information on how this coverage can benefit you!
The information provided by our website is meant to be for informational purposes only. Each and every insurance policy that we sell will be unique to the individual or business who purchases it. For information relating to your insurance policy specifically, please speak to an agent in our office.