Our Blog

  • snow on road

    Safe Driving in Winter Weather

    Millions of Americans will be traveling this holiday season, and if it’s anything like previous years, a lot of that travel will be on the road. Last year, AAA estimated that more than 100 million Americans were planning a trip of more than 50 miles during the holidays—and that was just between Dec. 23 and […]

    November 29, 2018

  • dog in car window

    Keep Pets Happy and Safe on Vacation

    You’re not just imagining it—a lot of people are traveling with their pets these days. According to a TripAdvisor survey of more than 1,000 travelers, 53% of those responding said they take their pets on vacation, and 52% stay only at places that welcome pets. (For some people, the “welcome” part doesn’t matter: 20% admitted […]

    November 8, 2018

  • Bad Roof on Home

    5 Common (and Potentially Costly) Homeowners Mistakes

    Owning a home is usually a great experience. But it can also be a hassle, especially when unexpected issues pop up—whether you have a minor breakdown or a major catastrophe, it’s almost certainly going to require time and money to fix. In many instances, however, those “unexpected” issues shouldn’t really be a surprise at all, […]

    October 23, 2018

  • ICE on Course to Increase I-9 Audits by 400% This Year

    U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been stepping up its enforcement by more than doubling the amount of investigations it was doing in 2017. The drive is likely to continue and intensify under ICE’s push for a “culture of compliance” among businesses. As part of this push, it’s expected that ICE will conduct 400% […]

    October 16, 2018

  • Do Return-to-Work Programs Work?

    Employers who have an injured worker are caught in a bind – especially if the injury occurred on the job. As the worker recovers, employers are faced with a decision. Here are the options: Settle the workers’ comp claim and let the employee go, Continue to have the worker stay home, pending a full recovery, […]

    October 16, 2018

  • California Workers in Danger of Valley Fever

    If you have outdoor workers in the golden state or the Southwest, particularly in construction and agriculture and to some extent landscaping, you need to be aware of the big increase in Valley Fever cases. The number of reported cases of Valley Fever in California has spiked in 2017. The Cal/OSHA Reporter, a trade publication, […]

    October 16, 2018

  • Getting a Head Start on Open Enrollment

    As open enrollment is right around the corner, now is the time to gear up to maximize employee enrollment, help them make the best selections for their own personal circumstances, and stay compliant with relevant laws and regulations. It’s a lot to take in as uncertainty has been a constant during the last many years […]

    October 16, 2018

  • Five Ways to Protect Your Personal Electronic Data

    Online data breaches are just an unfortunate fact of life now—as the New York Times put it, you might as well assume that your personal information has been taken, because cyberattacks happen all the time. That’s why we recommend Safeco’s identity-recovery coverage, available for just $1 a month for our homeowners customers. It’s best if you […]

    October 2, 2018

  • Be Aware: Wildfire Flood Risk

    As communities across the West Coast recover from devastating wildfires, residents living in both affected and surrounding areas face higher risk of flooding. Wildfires can drastically change the terrain and make the ground less able to absorb water. Even areas that do not typically flood are now at risk for flash flooding and mudflows for […]

    September 20, 2018

  • Kids Are Heading Back to School — Let’s Keep Them Safe

    The end of summer means many things, such as cooler weather, shorter days and … the start of football is here! But most important, it means kids are headed back to school. And that means we all should be extra careful on the roads, in school zones and around buses. Don’t forget to watch for […]

    September 14, 2018