QBE launches service to reduce risk of workplace harassment, discrimination

QBE North America has announced the launch of QBE Business Resource Edge, a service designed to help reduce the risk of harassment, discrimination and other employment-practices violations. The service will be offered as part of QBE North America’s employment-practices liability (EPL) offering.

“Employers are facing continuously changing employment laws and work-environment trends,” said John Burkhart, senior vice president and head of professional lines and industry verticals at QBE North America. “Staying on top of them can be difficult. QBE believes the best outcome for all parties is when companies create the optimal workplace and avoid employment-practices issues that could turn into a claim. The unlimited and complimentary advice of QBE Business Resource Edge, along with its many other benefits, is an innovative step towards that goal. It’s just one of the many ways we anticipate our customers’ needs and develop new solutions to better manage their risks from end to end as an integrated specialist insurer.”

QBE Business Resource Edge directs employers to an independent firm, Enquiron, with attorneys who specialize in providing pre-claim advice, without the need to handle an incident if it turns into a claim, QBE North America said. Customers can access advice, training and education through a dedicated toll-free phone number and email address, as well as an online portal. The service includes:

• Unlimited, documented and confidential advice from employment-law attorneys about specific organizational issues as they arise.
• Resources addressing more than 50 employment-law and HR/risk management issues.
• Live and recorded webinars that cover essential HR topics and deep dive into more critical topics like termination and retaliation – many with continuing-education credits for HR personnel.
• On-demand sexual harassment prevention training for both supervisors and employees.
• A state-specific employee handbook and policy-building tool.
• Customizable and proactive regulatory updates through email.

“The results of this service have already been well-received by brokers in our limited and preferred distribution network, and the clients involved with initial testing,” said Moire Moron, assistant vice president and claims practice lead for QBE’s employment-practices liability business. “An HR manager at one of our clients recently wrote: ‘This new QBE Business Resource Edge is a great resource for us. We can learn more about HR things. I can click around to find all sorts of information. I will be able to use the handbook builder. I also plan to check out the webinars.’”

“The #MeToo movement has brought a renewed focus to how important it is for companies to provide safe environments for employees,” said Eric Sanders, senior vice president and head of claims. “To help our clients address EPL-related risks, QBE Business Resource Edge differs from the standard approach that usually involves referring specific questions to the law firm that would handle an employee practices incident if it turned into a claim. These firms typically do not offer the broad range of risk management services that QBE Business Resource Edge does. Also, QBE Business Resource Edge’s unlimited pre-claim advice can make HR and other executives more comfortable about seeking advice at an earlier stage of an employee issue.”