With many companies having their employees work remotely on a full-time or hybrid basis, employers are reevaluating their business practices. Business owners might be wondering if they can cut costs by canceling their workers’ compensation insurance. Unfortunately for business owners, this is not a cost-cutting strategy they should use.
No matter where they work, if you have at least one employee, workers’ compensation insurance is still necessary for your protection and your employees. Remote workers typically are covered under workers’ compensation policies if an injury or illness occurs while an employee is completing a work task during work hours.
Working from home can blur the lines of what was in the scope of an employment task. Typically, the remote worker has the burden of proof and must show that they were acting in the interest of their employer at the time they got sick or injured.
On the other hand, some courts have found that, even though the employer does not have control over an employee’s home environment, lack of evidence is not a reason to deny claims. Thus, employers are responsible for providing the same safe work environment for both their on-site workers and remote workers.
Even if your team is fully remote, you’ll need to make sure that you have workers’ compensation insurance in case your work-from-home employees experience an accident or injury while on the job. Not sure where to start? When it comes to workers’ comp insurance for remote workers, we’ve got you covered.
This blog post is not offered, and should not be relied on, as insurance advice. You should consult an insurance agent for advice in specific situations.