Tips for Working at Home

Does COVID-19 Have You Working From Home?

Due to the stay at home mandate, there are many people who are working remotely these days.  It appears this mandate will last at least another month.  Many people have thought that working remotely would be great, but working remotely is a double-edge sword.  Sure, you get to stay home, but studies show that it can be harder to focus on work.

Benefits of Working Remotely:

• Remote employees tend to be more productive
• Remote workers cost employers less
• Remote employees tend to be happier and more satisfied
• Remote workers have a better work/life balance

Remote Workers Need to Be Aware of These Challenges:

• Lack of a work routine
• Tendency to over-work
• Lack of human interaction
• Prioritizing a work project
• Interruptions from family, pets, phone calls, and the doorbell

How to Make Working Remotely Work for You

• Confine your workspace to a specific area in your home.
• Set up your workspace like your office.
• Set a schedule and create a routine.
• When in doubt, go with over-communication; update your boss frequently on everything you are doing, and whether your schedule and deliverables are changing in any way.
• After work, stay off electronic devices for some time to transition to “home time.”
• Take regular breaks.
• Get dressed every day. Taking the time to get dressed and perform your usual self-care routine can prove a big psychological booster.

 

At North Bay Insurance Brokers, we know how hard you’ve worked to turn your house into a home. Since your home is one of the most important financial investments of your lifetime, you’ll need proper coverage in order to keep your investment protected and provide your family with the guarantee that they’ll always be safe and sound.

 

COVID-19 And Your North Bay Business

Most of us are doing our best to comply with the COVID-19 stay at home order.  However, there are also many of us who still must go to our place of work.  Here are some things you can do to help maintain safety and financial health for your business, employees, and clients in the workplace during this time of uncertainty.

We recommend you check with your City, County, State, OSHA, Department of Health, and other agencies for provided employer guidelines, as during this COVID-19 event, policies can change daily.

COVID-19 Workplace Safety Tips

• Keep the lights on.
• Do not leave any valuables clearly visible or accessible.
• Mandate all employees wash hands frequently and provide antibacterial supplies.
• Develop an Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response Plan.
• Restaurants that offer takeout services should remove all tables and chairs.
• Provide gloves for staff to use when cleaning, and frequently clean rooms and any areas to which people have access.
• Limit food sharing.
• Disinfect surfaces like doorknobs, tables, desks, and handrails regularly.
• Use videoconferencing for meetings when possible.  When not possible, hold meetings in open, well-ventilated spaces.
• Consider adjusting or postponing large meetings or gatherings.
• Add COVID-19 information and updates on your webpage and social media sites.
• Limit non-essential work travel.
• Consider regular health checks including temperature and respiratory symptom screening, of staff and visitors entering buildings (if feasible).
• Require workers who are ill to stay home.
• Consider posting “NO TRESPASSING” signage.
• Create a communications plan.  Review your employee and client needs.  Who are the key stakeholders with need for information from your organization?  What information do they need, who needs it first, and for what purpose?
• Disable access to your public WiFi network.
• Deactivate any nonessential reoccurring deliveries or services that bring extra people into your workplace.
• Make regular site visits to monitor your shop/business and manage inventory and storage conditions.  Consider randomizing the times this is done to avoid establishing a detectable pattern.

• Implement social distancing measures with your clients.

• Increase physical space between workers at the worksite.
• Stagger work schedules.
• Decrease social contacts in the workplace and limit in-person meetings.

 

Be Aware of COVID-19 Scams

The FCC offers the following tips to help you protect yourself from scams, including coronavirus scams:

• Do not respond to calls or texts from unknown numbers, or any others that appear suspicious.
• Never share your personal or financial information via email, text messages, or over the phone.
• Be cautious if you are being pressured to share any information or make a payment immediately.
• Scammers often spoof phone numbersto trick you into answering or responding.  Remember that government agencies will never call you to ask for personal information or money.
• Do not click any links in a text message. If a friend sends you a text with a suspicious link that seems out of character, call them to make sure they weren’t hacked.
• Always verify the authenticity of a charity (for example, by calling or looking at its actual website) before donating. (Learn more about charity scams.)

Every industry has specific needs when it comes to insurance. Industry-specific risks make it impossible for insurance companies to lump together one insurance plan for every business. At North Bay Insurance Brokers, we understand that being unique is what makes your business successful across the board. That’s why we provide industry-specific insurance options for businesses of all types.

 

Your Personal Insurance and COVID-19

As our North Bay community and the country continues to manage through the COVID-19 crises, we thought it might be useful to take some time to remind you of the importance of your personal insurance during this time. The coronavirus pandemic won’t affect your auto or homeowner’s insurance too much, but there are a few coverages that could be impacted because of the temporary lifestyle change.

• Do not cancel your auto insurance just because you are temporarily not driving.  Auto insurance is required by law.  If you are looking for ways to save money on your auto insurance, give us a call.
• If you are working remotely via computer, there should be no issues with your homeowners or renter’s insurance.  However, this is true as long as there are no customers coming to your home.  If you are running a business from your home, you will need business insurance.  We are happy to help you with this.
• If you have a claim, we are open, as are the insurers.  Give us a call, and we will be ready to help you. Your policy has toll-free claim numbers to help you get the process going.
• Many insurance companies are offering relaxed payment terms. We suggest you contact them directly if you feel you may miss a payment. Of course, you can always contact our office to assist you.
• Be aware of credit card and cyber scams. Unfortunately, criminals have ramped up their efforts during this crisis.  The fraud ranges from false claims of cures and treatments for the coronavirus to fake charities attempting to soliciting money to help those suffering.
• As we all have so much time at home, now is a good time to complete a home inventory of your personal property.  Creating and updating an inventory of your personal possessions is one of the best ways to make the most of your homeowners or renters insurance, and it makes filing a claim easier and more efficient.  If your home is damaged or totally lost due to a fire or other event, having a home inventory will help you recover all your personal property with the least amount of time and stress.
• Life insurance should not be affected because of COVID-19.  If you already have life insurance, you are covered, and a company cannot make changes to a policy that is already active.  If you do not currently have coverage, however, your application may be affected.  Keep in mind that each life insurance company is handling the pandemic differently. It is important to have us shop your life insurance to make sure the company you choose meets your needs.

 

At North Bay Insurance Brokers, we know how hard you’ve worked to turn your house into a home. Since your home is one of the most important financial investments of your lifetime, you’ll need proper coverage in order to keep your investment protected and provide your family with the guarantee that they’ll always be safe and sound.

Give us a call so we can provide you with options.

 

We Serve Up Craft Brewery Insurance

North Bay Craft Brewery Insurance

Craft breweries face a unique set of challenges when it comes to insurance policies. Craft breweries are typically seen as small business enterprises, yet the large production and distribution options expose them to large financial opportunities and risks. At North Bay Insurance Brokers, we work hard to help ensure your business stays protected.

Liquor liability insurance is business coverage that protects your brewery against loss or damages claimed as a result of a patron of your business becoming intoxicated and injuring himself or others. If your business manufactures, sells, serves or facilitates the use or purchase of alcohol, then your business will likely need this coverage. Liquor liability coverage may be sold as an add-on to a commercial liability policy or as a stand-alone policy. But, if you do not purchase this extra coverage, your standard commercial general liability policy does not protect your business against liquor-related claims.

Why Do I Need Liability Insurance?

Good liability risk management can reduce the chances that your business will be sued, but it can never eliminate the risk entirely. You or a member of your organization can make a mistake that injures someone or damages property. Your mistake could harm the reputation or interfere with the privacy of a customer, client, competitor or member of the general public. When such injuries occur, you may be legally liable to pay damages to someone who suffers a loss due to your actions or inaction.

Depending on the degree of harm and the number of people injured and/or value of property damaged, a lawsuit could bankrupt your business. Even if your organization is ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing, a determined plaintiff can keep you tied up in legal proceedings for a long time, entailing significant cost to defend yourself. Liability insurance pays the cost of your defense and protects your assets.

North Bay Insurance Brokers provides insurance to Craft Breweries in Sonoma, Napa, Marin, Santa Rosa, Petaluma, American Canyon, and surrounding areas.