A Little Preparation Can Get Your Entertainment Business Running After a Loss

A Entertainment Insurance Update

No one wants to think about an event so severe that it would cause your business to close.  However, disaster planning needs to be part of your ongoing business plan.  Major events can include floods, storms, data breach, fires, accidents, death of an owner, or lawsuits.  Whatever the risk, a little pre-planning can go a long way toward getting your business up and running again.

A key part of your plan should be a review of your business insurance program.  Your business insurance should include the following:

Property insurance: Covers your buildings, equipment, machines, and other property from loss or damage. Coverage should include business income coverage.

Commercial Liability Insurance: Provides coverage for bodily injury and property damage you cause to others.

Commercial Auto Insurance: Covers your company vehicles if they are involved in an accident. It can also cover your business if you, or an employee, uses a personally owned vehicle on behalf of the business.

Cyber Liability Insurance: This insurance can protect your business from a data breach.  If your business stores sensitive or non-public information about employees or clients, you are responsible for protecting that information. 

Management Liability Insurance: Management Liability can encompass these important business insurance coverage’s; Professional liability, and Directors and Officers Liability.

Having the right kind of entertainment insurance is not the only thing your business should consider. You need to develop a plan in the event your business is shut down.

The staff at John Hart Insurance has over 60 years combined experience in the field of entertainment insurance.  We focus exclusively on understanding the unique needs of motion picture, television, video, music and theatrical companies.  This knowledge base allows us to structure an insurance program specifically for each client that will be a balance of the best coverage and most economical solutions to help them manage the risks inherent to their unique businesses.

How To Hire Part Time Seasonal Workers

Entertainment Insurance update 

Many entertainment companies may be hiring part time workers to fill production needs. For the most part, you will not need to modify your business insurance, but if you add new classifications or payroll, it may affect your workers’ compensation insurance.  Now might be a good time to have us complete a review of all your business insurance policies.

Here are few tips to help you manage seasonal employees

• Make sure part time employees get the same training as all other employees.
• Conduct background screenings on part time candidates.
• Unless the job requires it, it is not a good idea to give seasonal employees access to computers or other secure information.
• Don’t allow seasonal employees to work alone.
• Remember the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires employers to properly classify workers, pay the legal minimum wage, and pay overtime if applicable.
• Part time employees should also read and sign the employee handbook.
• Your business is legally required to carry workers’ compensation insurance coverage, as most fair-employment laws cover seasonal employees. 
• If you notice cliques or bad habits forming, don’t assume that they will self-correct. 
• Employers with 15 or more employees are subject to Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and other federal and state employment laws. This means your seasonal employees, just like your regular workforce, must receive adequate training on what conduct is illegal, how to report it, and how to request a reasonable accommodation.
• Maintain a detailed account of where each employee works, the kinds of tasks they are assigned, number of hours completed, and their rate of pay.
• When it is time to end the part time employment, follow the same procedures as you would with a full-time or permanent employee.

The staff at John Hart Insurance has over 60 years combined experience in the field of entertainment insurance.  We focus exclusively on understanding the unique needs of motion picture, television, video, music and theatrical companies.  This knowledge base allows us to structure an insurance program specifically for each client that will be a balance of the best coverage and most economical solutions to help them manage the risks inherent to their unique businesses.