Partner with our team for superior EPL claims outcomes
At Gallagher Bassett, we bring together EPL claims and risk management professionals to offer solutions to both insurance carriers and self-insured organizations with EPL risks.
The global pandemic created a sea of change for employers, resulting in an increase in EPL claim frequency and severity. Today, employers are faced with staffing shortages, talent gaps, managing employees in a hybrid workplace, and responding to requests for greater work-life balance. These challenges complicate the liability landscape for employers in the post-pandemic world.
The most common EPL exposures include the following:
- Sexual harassment
- Freedom of speech
- Breach of HIPAA privacy laws
- Wrongful termination
- Failure to promote
- Discrimination
- Retaliation
- Disability
- Wage and hour.
Challenges for self-insured employers
These exposures can occur in any organization, regardless of size, industry, or demographic, and they can result in an organization's increased risk of reputational and financial damage, including the high costs to defend against claims and the expense of allocating more internal resources to resolve employee claims and disputes.
Challenges for insurance carriers
EPL claims tend to have a long lifecycle given the regulatory complexity of the issues and the involvement of government agencies such as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The increase in frequency and severity of EPL claims requires insurance carriers to scale their claims staff to both keep up with additional volume and maintain a high level of customer service for the duration of the claim. Hiring, however, can be both challenging and costly, as carriers face many of the same talent gaps, staffing shortages, and employee retention issues their insureds experience.
Our EPL specialists are the solution
Our team of experienced EPL claims professionals can expertly manage claims nationwide. We have handled more than 15,000 EPL claims for a wide variety of public and private entities, including healthcare facilities, retail establishments, law firms, staffing companies, and car dealerships. We take clients' — whether employer partners or carrier partners — specific needs and requirements into account and proactively keep them informed regarding the status of each claim.
Solutions for employer partners
When you partner with our EPL team, we actively work with you to navigate your EPL insurance coverage, ensure you are getting the full benefit of the policy for your claims, assist with settlement negotiations, and orchestrate resolutions at or below targeted goals.
We partner with you to both manage your current claims and assist your human resources (HR) department with education and training so your organization can take the lessons learned and apply them internally to prevent future claims.
An emphasis on collaboration and trust drives our partnerships and has proven invaluable in evaluating risk and indemnity and reducing claims costs. We have lowered defense costs by up to 45% via establishing negotiated rates with defense counsel and resolving matters without the need for outside counsel.
Solutions for carrier partners
We tailor our claims services to provide the support you need.
Complete outsourcing
Our team has extensive experience in handling EPL matters, whether simple or complex. We can operate as a white-glove service (effectively integrating seamlessly into your organization) or simply take a book of claims and manage those independently on your behalf.
Project basis
Our team can assist with a backlog of EPL matters, whether the task requested includes auditing files for efficiency and compliance with corporate claims handling policies or drafting coverage positions. We can scale our services to suit your needs.
Reduce defense costs and decrease settlements
Direct Negotiation Settles Age and Disability Claim
Senior Vice President Brian Smith, EPL Lead for Gallagher Bassett, explains how discovery by our investigative services led to a $12,500 settlement on a case with a potential verdict between $400,000 and $1.4 million.
Make Gallagher Bassett your partner for EPL claims management
With our multi-disciplinary approach to superior claims management, risk monitoring, and legal best practices, we offer the most comprehensive EPL claims management services in the industry.
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